King, Laurie R.

Laurie R. King is a third generation Northern Californian who has lived most of her life in the San Francisco Bay area. Her background is as mixed as any writer’s, from degrees in theology and managing a coffee store to raising children, vegetables, and the occasional building.

King’s writing reflects her background—it is no accident that characters in her books spend time in the Bay Area and England (King’s other home) and are interested in theology, architecture, and travel (Her long autobiography goes into this relationship in detail.)

King started writing in 1987 when her second child entered school, and had her first novel published in 1993. Since A Grave Talent, she has averaged a book a year, winning prizes that range from Agatha (a nomination) to Wolfe (Nero, for A Monstrous Regiment of Women.) The characters of A Grave Talent, centering around inspector Kate Martinelli of the San Francisco Police Department, have appeared in five novels to date.

http://www.laurierking.com/?page_id=635

The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes Series

The first book in the series is "The Beekeeper’s Apprentice" and I have read this book twice. I highly recommend it as it introduces the characters Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes as King sees them. I am a Sherlock Holmes fan and have been for many years. I resisted this series for a long time until someone gave me this book to read. I loved it.

Holmes is living in Sussex as a bee keeper and Mary Russell is a young lady in a nearby residence. Mrs. Hudson is Holmes' housekeeper. Holmes finds Russell a worthy partner in his investigations. He is older now and Dr. Watson lives in London.

My favorite book so far is "The Locked Room" when Russell and Holmes are married and they investigate the deaths of Russell's family. I have like the other Russell and Holmes' books but this one is by far my favorite as it uses Freudian psychology to reconstruct the memories of Russell of what happened to her family when she was a young girl.

My least favorite book is the last one, "The Language of Bees", because it is an incomplete one n which other books are promised and the villain has gotten away at the end. I was not expecting it and felt cheated. Holmes is acquainted with his son from an much older relationship and finds he has a grand daughter. I guess if I could put up with Professor Moriarty, I can put up with this villain. Again, I did not like this book and had paid full price for it. Even King's official web site did not list this book as yet.

I have tried other series with this author and just did not care for them even when she uses Sherlock Holmes as a subject such as the Kate Martinelli Novels.