Bantam
Featuring: Mary Russell; Sherlock Holmes; Thomas Carlyle
353 pages ISBN: 0345531795 EAN: 9780345531797 Kindle: B00N6PBHV2 Hardcover / e-Book Add to Wish List
DREAMING SPIES is book thirteen in the Mary Russell and
Sherlock
Holmes series by beloved Laurie R. King, one of my
all-time
very favorite authors. Meticulously researched, DREAMING
SPIES marvelously places one in the fantastical world of
early 20th century Japan. The sounds, tastes, and textures
of post-World War I Japan are fluidly evoked in a
masterful
exposition.
Russell and Holmes are on an ocean voyage from Bombay to
Japan in 1924. On their ship, Holmes is disgusted to find
a blackmailer he dealt with ten years ago, whom he
believes
may be up to his old tricks. Holmes and Russell meet a
charming young Japanese acrobat who agrees to tutor them
in
Japanese language and customs. Little do they realize the
purpose of their education! The two sleuths ultimately
undertake a case for the Japanese royal family, with
intertwining threads of intrigue reaching back to England.
Every chapter opens with a haiku, which I find to be a
charming and evocative touch. Told with Mary's
wonderfully
dry wit, the royal conundrum spools out in a stately
manner
in this book, with a measured progression of clues and
knowledge. Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes
continue to vie to outdo each other in their detective
prowess, and that constant competition gives the mystery a
sprightliness to boot.
I have to admit, when this series first started, I was
highly dubious of a married Sherlock Holmes, and to a
blond
American Jew so much younger than he?! However, King's
fantastic prose and the wonderful period mysteries reeled
me in instantly, and I remain just as enamored of the
series today as I was in the beginning. I thought the
last
two books weren't as strong as her usual offerings, but
I'm
happy to say that DREAMING SPIES is back to her usual
fabulous level.
King's mysteries are written with great intelligence and a
marvelous vocabulary, and seamlessly blend in adventure
and
the romance of early 20th century history, both of Europe
and farther-flung corners of the earth. DREAMING SPIES is
a lush story to be savored, with a vibrant Japanese
setting
that draws the reader into Holmes' and Russell's exotic
and
imaginative world. The game is afoot once again!
Laurie R. King’s New York Times bestselling novels of
suspense featuring Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock
Holmes, are critically acclaimed and beloved by readers
for
the author’s adept interplay of history and adventure. Now
the intrepid duo is finally trying to take a little time
for
themselves—only to be swept up in a baffling case that
will
lead them from the idyllic panoramas of Japan to the
depths
of Oxford’s most revered institution.
After a lengthy case that had the couple traipsing all
over
India, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes are on their way
to
California to deal with some family business that Russell
has been neglecting for far too long. Along the way, they
plan to break up the long voyage with a sojourn in
southern
Japan. The cruising steamer Thomas Carlyle is leaving
Bombay, bound for Kobe. Though they’re not the vacationing
types, Russell is looking forward to a change of focus—not
to mention a chance to travel to a location Holmes has not
visited before. The idea of the pair being on equal
footing
is enticing to a woman who often must race to catch up
with
her older, highly skilled husband.
Aboard the ship, intrigue stirs almost immediately. Holmes
recognizes the famous clubman the Earl of Darley, whom he
suspects of being an occasional blackmailer: not an
unlikely
career choice for a man richer in social connections than
in
pounds sterling. And then there’s the lithe, surprisingly
fluent young Japanese woman who befriends Russell and
quotes
haiku. She agrees to tutor the couple in Japanese language
and customs, but Russell can’t shake the feeling that
Haruki
Sato is not who she claims to be.
Once in Japan, Russell’s suspicions are confirmed in a
most
surprising way. From the glorious city of Tokyo to the
cavernous library at Oxford, Russell and Holmes race to
solve a mystery involving international extortion,
espionage, and the shocking secrets that, if revealed,
could
spark revolution—and topple an empire.
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