The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

The supporting characters-Mycroft (Holmes’ brother), Mrs. And he’s hilarious, in that great British way. Her wry tone and observations add another layer to the book that makes it that much more wonderful! I’m also a big fan of King’s Sherlock Holmes: his dry insight that covers his true compassion. Plus, the narrator of the story isn’t an omniscient third person or anything it’s an older Mary Russell.

King handles her development from awkward adolescence to a young woman beginning to blossom with a deft hand (I can see my transformation of the past few years in Russell). So what makes me love this book, and the series, so much? Definitely the characters. Then, the second half of the book is devoted to Russell and Holmes trying to defeat an enemy whose cunning and determination to destroy them matches that of the infamous Moriarty. It follows Russell from that day at fifteen through her first couple of years at Oxford, and there are several mini-cases that show the development of her detecting powers. This book is different from most mystery books, and from the other books in the series, because it doesn’t have one murder. Mary’s intelligence matches his own, and Holmes takes her under his wing. So she’s out wandering one day, when she stumbles across a retired Sherlock Holmes, who is trying to enjoy himself as a country beekeeper. Although she’s an heiress, until she comes of age she’s stuck under her aunt’s thumb (who actually plays almost no part in the story).

Mary Russell is an extraordinarily intelligent fifteen-year-old who, after the death of her parents and brother, has relocated to the British countryside with a mean aunt as a guardian. It was just as wonderful the second time around! And now I’m going to talk about the actual book, so those of you going “Russell? Holmes?! Eva, what are you rambling on about in your cold-medication-affected brain?” will be satisfied. I was a little nervous when I first picked it up, but I shouldn’t have worried. Thus, we come back to The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. So after going all of 2008 without Russell and Holmes, I decided to reread the series in 2009. I managed to space out reading the following seven in the series over 2007, but after finishing Locked Rooms I felt bereft. Later that night, I curled up with it, and I found myself swept up in pre-World War I England, an intelligent young girl named Mary Russell, and her new mentor: Sherlock Holmes. Two years ago, I found Laurie King’s The Beekeeper’s Apprenticeunder the Christmas tree.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King