I have to admit that having Mary Russell's old friend Veronica Beaconsfield making an appearance in this book brought back a lot of fond memories from the earlier books. Yeah, I got nostalgic and all remembering Mary and Veronica's school days not to mention the religious sect "The New Temple of God" that Veronica was involved with that turned out to be quite an adventure for Mary.

Anyway, is book fifteen in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series and I have read every single one of the books, and I love this series! After the previous book, THE is about Veronica's aunt, Lady Vivian Beaconsfield who has gone missing. She's usually a resident at Bedlam, but she's been better lately and during a supervised outing has she gone missing, with her nurse and the family jewels that she inherited. The question is, did she leave on her own will, or is it foul play? Is the nurse playing any part in her disappearance? Veronica turns to her old friend Mary in desperation. Can Mary find her beloved aunt? And, Mary who once visited Lady Vivian at Bedlam decides to find Vivian even if that means breaking into bedlam to find clues or travel down to Venice.

ISLAND OF THE MAD is book fifteen in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series and I have read every single one of the books and I love this series! After the previous book, THE MURDER OF MARY RUSSELL, does this book have a lighter feeling to its story. Not that the book isn't serious, there is a missing woman that Mary and Sherlock have to find. Not to mention the danger surrounding Mussolini's Blackshirts in Venice. However, the theme of the last book gave me more angst than this book did. Nevertheless, I found myself engrossed in the story, with Mary and Sherlock investigating a case that leads them from Bedlam to Venice. Ah, Venice, Laurie R. King really described the city in a way that made me see the city before my eyes.

I will end this review by saying this: longtime fans will love ISLAND OF THE MAD, new fans will discover a new series to read! And, I can't wait for the next book to be published!