ISBN: 0-553-11093-4 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
A solid, exciting continuation of a character-heavy mystery pastiche, this novel is a welcome fill in the previously published sequence.
Reviewed by David on June 10, 2000
Genre: Mystery (Historical, Amateur Sleuth)
Synopsis: Taking place chronologically during the events of The Beekeper's Apprentice, this book also fills in a couple of threads mentioned in A Letter of Mary.
Having chosen to spend a time in Palestine, Holmes and his young apprentice, Mary Russell, come to the land deep in historical and religious significance to Mary, and filled with color and bitterness of recent wars and archeological discoveries.
Having recently changed hands from Turkey to Britain, the country is full old wounds and new plots. Holmes and Russell, with the help, and occasionally the hindrance, of the British Intelligence, investigate a series of events that carry the mark of political manipulation.
Full Review: As with the previous books in this series, King excels at a deft portrayal of intelligent and sympathetic protagonists. The emotions and scars of Russell, the narrator, gain intensity from the understated style with which they are mentioned. The political mystery is mildly satisfying without matching, in entertainment value, the development of the main and supporting characters. There are hints of the developing relationship between Holmes and Russell, consistent with the earlier-published but chronologically later installments.
A consistently pleasant and satisfying continuation of the series, this book is likely to appeal to anyone who enjoyed the start of this series in The Beekeper's Apprentice.
Universe: Sherlock Holmes
Overall: 6.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 7.5; Style: 7; World-building: 5; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 1999, Bantam Books (Bantam), June 1999, Cloth
ISBN: 0-553-11093-4 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com