This one started out really strong for me, and then petered out near the end, for a couple of reasons, which I will be marking in spoiler tags. Mary and Holmes continue to be a great pair, and I find their cerebral marriage a compelling one, though I am beginning to get a bit annoyed with King for discounting Watson so much. Here, we meet an old friend from the first book, the archaeologist Dorothy Ruskin, who shows up in Sussex for a visit, and […]
Finally tackling a CBR book exchange book. #CBRBingo
Really not sure why I waited three years in between reading books one and two. Especially since I’ve been on a Sherlock Holmes kick since January 2017 (still going strong!). And especially since MsWas was kind enough to send me books two, three, and four in the CBR Book Exchange that year. They’ve just been sitting here waiting for me! I think I kind of forgot why I liked the first book so much after I read it, and it wasn’t the mystery, or even the appearance […]
Holmes: better left alone
The first pick for my library book club came in with a whimper. Overall, we (self included) didn’t really like this book. This was an interesting endeavor because King takes Sherlock’s Holmes out of retirement, and back into the fray, with the addition of the plucky Mary Russell, a whip smart teenager who befriends Holmes and keeps him on his toes. In addition to Holmes there is the familiar cast of characters: Mrs. Hudson, Watson, and Mycroft. Watson is more secondary as Russell serves to […]
I like less psychobabble with my mysteries
I really, really wanted to like this, but I really really did not. I’ve read some of King’s Mary Russell series which I’ve massively enjoyed. Unfortunately the first installment of the Kate Martinelli series was not for me. I’m halfway tempted to try the second in the series to see if I like it better. It appears that this was King’s debut, so maybe she was just working some stuff out in her first novel? Detective Kate Martinelli was just promoted to homicide and keeps […]


