Loading...
111th out of 128 books
—
20 voters
My rating:
add to my books
A Letter of Mary (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #3)
by
Laurie R. King (Goodreads Author)
Late in the summer of 1923, Mary Russell Holmes and her husband, the illustrious Sherlock Holmes, are ensconced in their home on the Sussex Downs, giving themselves over to their studies: Russell to her theology, and Holmes to his malodorous chemical experiments. Interrupting the idyllic scene, amateur archaeologist Miss Dorothy Ruskin visits with a startling puzzle. Worki...more
Mass Market Paperback, 315 pages
Published
January 5th 1998
by Bantam
(first published 1996)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
5,553)
"A Letter of Mary" (Mary Russell 3) by Laurie King is a papyrus scrap, penned by a Mariam, apostle of Jesus, to her sister Judith of Magdala, commending the carrier Rachel, her grand-daughter to their care, days before the fall of Israel to the Roman heathens. Days after Dorothy Ruskin presents the gift in a delicate dainty wooden box to friends Mary and Sherlock Holmes, a car runs down and kills the white-haired intrepid archaeologist. Evidence of a deliberate trip-wire points to murd...more
Am very much enjoying this!
I think one of the tings I like about this series is that there is considerable intellect involved, both in the characters of Russell and Holmes themselves, and in the manner in which the mystery is solved.
In this 3rd installment we see the continuing development of Russell as Holmes' assistant, partner, and wife, and the evolution of the relationship between the two of them.The mysterious Mary M. letter, and it's implications, reflects the cha...more
I think one of the tings I like about this series is that there is considerable intellect involved, both in the characters of Russell and Holmes themselves, and in the manner in which the mystery is solved.
In this 3rd installment we see the continuing development of Russell as Holmes' assistant, partner, and wife, and the evolution of the relationship between the two of them.The mysterious Mary M. letter, and it's implications, reflects the cha...more
view 1 comment
Rachel
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
mystery lovers, sherlock holmes afficianados
Shelves:
mystery
Excellent addition to Laurie R. King's alt-Sherlock Holmes universe, A Letter of Mary finds Holmes and Russell, erm, rusticating , for want of a better term at their home on the Sussex downs. Both are relieved to get an intriguing letter from Dorothy Ruskin, an amateur archaeologist Russell had met during their last visit to Palestine.
Russell is shocked when only hours after visiting the couple, Miss Ruskin suffers an "accident" in London, and Holmes and Russell are back o...more
Russell is shocked when only hours after visiting the couple, Miss Ruskin suffers an "accident" in London, and Holmes and Russell are back o...more
Another of the curious adventures of the young Mary Russell and her somewhat older husband Sherlock Holmes.
I was pleased to find that this book steered clear of theology for the most part as a tendency to give her readers an overdose of theology is the only thing that I dislike about King's books. The letter in the title has nothing to do with Mary Russell but refers to a letter written by Mary Magdalene. Although this forms part of the plot it's not concentrated on to the exclusion of everyt
...more
Third in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series.[return][return]In the summer of 1923, Russell and Holmes are at home in Holmes cottage in Sussex. Russell is concentrating on finishing her first book on theology; Holmes is bored. Into their lives pops Dorothy Ruskin, an eccentric older Englishwoman, an amateur archaeologist, whom they met during their adventure in Palestine. She brings with her a letter written on parchment that could very well have been written by Mary of Magdala--Mar...more
I didn't like this book as much as the first two. I actually put it down twice in the middle to read other books and then again twenty pages from the end (mid-reveal). I just didn't care how the case ended.
The victim of the case was meant to be a personal friend of Mary's, which is why they get involved with the case at all, but I just didn't see the connection. They had only met once. How close of friends can they be?
Also, Mary ended up following the wrong lead on the case. ...more
The victim of the case was meant to be a personal friend of Mary's, which is why they get involved with the case at all, but I just didn't see the connection. They had only met once. How close of friends can they be?
Also, Mary ended up following the wrong lead on the case. ...more
This is #3 in Laurie King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. As usual, fascinating and very different from the usual sort of mystery. Mary Russell is doing theology at Oxford (I wonder if Oxford is chosen so often because it's closer to London.) but is visited at home in Sussex (she's married to Holmes by now and the year is 1922)by an "amateur" archaeologist who leaves a puzzle with her, an ancient letter that appears to have been written by Mary Magdalene (Mary from Magdala) as ...more
After the disappointment of A Monstrous Regiment of Women, I was not very much inclined to read the next installment in the Mary Russell series, titled A Letter of Mary. I decided to forge on, though, in the hopes that this will prove better than the last one, and that it might wash away some of the bitter aftertaste of disappointment in the last book.
In this novel, Holmes and Russell appear to be settling well into married life after the events of A Monstrous Regiment of Women, when t...more
In this novel, Holmes and Russell appear to be settling well into married life after the events of A Monstrous Regiment of Women, when t...more
I continue to adore the Mary Russell series, although A Letter to Mary turned out to be a weak link for me. Partly because the meaty, intellectual subject that Mary Russell chews on through the book is the historical Mary Magdalene's role in the early Christian church, and even though it's more interesting, more intelligent, more thorough here than in Dan Brown...the subject feels a little tired to me right now. What can I say, I'm not a fan of the Da Vinci Code and anything that reminds me of i...more
Late in the summer of 1923, Mary Russell Holmes and her husband, the illustrious Sherlock Holmes, are ensconced in their home on the Sussex Downs, giving themselves over to their studies: Russell to her theology, and Homes to his malodorous chemical experiments. Interrupting the idyllic scene, amateur archaeologist Miss Dorothy Ruskin visits with a startling puzzle. Working in the Holy Land, she has unearthed a tattered room of papyrus with a message from Mary Magdalene. Miss Ruskin wants Ru...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A Letter to Mary the third of the Russell/Holmes series is in a nutshell, entertaining. You can read it before falling asleep, on the bus, or beach and enjoy the plot which in this case is not overly complex but is not dull either. I enjoyed this book as much as I did because of the subject matter, the banter between Holmes and Russell and the interesting secondary characters. The case begins with a mysterious letter dated 70 A.D. from the "apostle Mary", Russell is just a little skept...more
Another that I am glad I have gone back to reread lo these years later.
The theme is intriguing, and I love the integration of subtle themes. I am adding Laurie King to my list of people to try to get to see sometime. As I am reading the series together again, the continuity is clearly noticeable. I am loving the bees (does Ms King have beehives I wonder?), and much as I enjoyed some of my OT studies and get jolly about the unpacking of the context and history etc, I surely never m...more
The theme is intriguing, and I love the integration of subtle themes. I am adding Laurie King to my list of people to try to get to see sometime. As I am reading the series together again, the continuity is clearly noticeable. I am loving the bees (does Ms King have beehives I wonder?), and much as I enjoyed some of my OT studies and get jolly about the unpacking of the context and history etc, I surely never m...more
Almost at the end, I figured out King's main theme for this series -- and that is, you can be intellectual and analytical while also being religious. Ergo our protagonist Mary (who, distressingly, seems more and more modern with every novel.) I do have to remind myself that these novels are set in the 1920's and NOT in the 1890s. Sherlock is nicely humanized in this series, without being completely altered. It's just that Sherlock and Mary's relationship still makes me raise my eyebrows -- i...more
This is the third Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell mystery, and I read it, hoping to find the magic that captivated me in “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice.” It isn’t here. The plot is poorly constructed, mainly focusing on a wild goose chase concerning a character that might possibly be the killer. Then, the real killer pops in out of the blue, and we realize that we were completely suckered, having wasted our time with 200 pages of nothing that mattered at all! And then there’s the title, which ref...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I find this series of books fascinating, not so much for the mystery plot but rather the interpersonal relationships between Mary Russell and her husband/partner/mentor Sherlock Holmes. In this, the third book, the plot is a little thin although it starts out well with the discovery of a letter purported to be written by Mary Magdalen and hinting that she may have been one of the apostles of Jesus. Murder ensues and the letter becomes somewhat lost in the investigation. The reason for the crime ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A Letter of Mary, the third Mary Russell mystery from author Laurie R. King establishes the adult relationship between Russell and Holmes more substantially than the previous novels and offers an intimate look into their everyday lives.
The novel opens in their hometown cottage with Russell killing her back and eyes over Biblical Hebrew translations and Holmes creating some "malodorous" substances in the lab. This domestic tranquility is briefly interrupted after a visit fro...more
The novel opens in their hometown cottage with Russell killing her back and eyes over Biblical Hebrew translations and Holmes creating some "malodorous" substances in the lab. This domestic tranquility is briefly interrupted after a visit fro...more
Eh. The first book of this series (The Beekeeper's Apprentice) was the richest and most satisfying, with an entertaining thicket of plot points and a trail of compelling characterization to lead you through. The second book was suspenseful and immersed in social details from the period. This third book was filled with red herrings and detours, and the central theological intrigue was not that exciting to me after The Da Vinci Code. I will admit that I didn't read this book quickly enough; it...more
If I didn't already love this book, page 225 sealed the deal. On this page, Mary Russell states, "and (I) met an odd man named Tolkien, a reader in English literature at Leeds who has a passion for early Anglo-Saxon poetry and runes and such."
Mary Russell, the rather young wife of aging Sherlock Holmes, meets up with a friend and is given into her custody a letter which may have been written by Mary Magdalene, as the apostle of Jesus. What follows is murder and suspense, ...more
Mary Russell, the rather young wife of aging Sherlock Holmes, meets up with a friend and is given into her custody a letter which may have been written by Mary Magdalene, as the apostle of Jesus. What follows is murder and suspense, ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I was disappointed. The first book in the series got 5 stars, second 4 stars, and this one 3 stars bordering on a 2 stars. I sort of enjoyed it while I was reading it, mostly because I expected it to all come together by the end. I kept waiting for some kind of climax but there never seemed to be one. The mystery just sort of solved itself in a weird way with the other suspects just kind of dismissed with not much else to say. I was disappointed that after the last book ended on the anticip...more
Book 3 in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. In this one a friend of Mary's is murdered and the 2 have to figure out who did it and why--and there are many, many suspects. Ranging from the friend's somewhat strange sister, an Arabic family that were angry with the friend for abandoning them in the middle of a law suit--and--the friend had done under-cover work for the Intelligence department of the British government in the Middle East during the late war (its 1923 in this book.)
...more
...more
Laurel Sheffield
Ms. Minniear
English 9
October 11, 2010
The book that I read is called A Letter of Mary written by Laurie R. King. The main character lives in Sussex, England. However, she travels about in London and Oxford frequently. This story takes place in the year of 1923. The book is told in a first person point of view by Mary. Mary Russell Holmes is the main character in this book.
Mary, more commonly know as Russell, is a very intelligent woman. ...more
Ms. Minniear
English 9
October 11, 2010
The book that I read is called A Letter of Mary written by Laurie R. King. The main character lives in Sussex, England. However, she travels about in London and Oxford frequently. This story takes place in the year of 1923. The book is told in a first person point of view by Mary. Mary Russell Holmes is the main character in this book.
Mary, more commonly know as Russell, is a very intelligent woman. ...more
Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, have a visitor to their cottage on the coast of England. An acquaintance of Mary's, an elderly, untrained archaeologist. She gives Mary an old Italian wooden box and tells her that inside it is a very interesting letter. She says she's taken it to two authorities who discount its authenticity. Intrigued, Mary Russell opens the box and finds a letter that, if true, could turn the Christian world on its ear. The next day Mary and Holmes learn that the...more
Why did I read this Book:
This was the third book in an absolutely delicious series.
Reaction/Review:
The first book deals with Marry and Holmes apprenticeship. The second their uncharacteristic courtship. The third, with them as a couple who work together. This book is about balance. How to be oneself in a relationship without loosing yourself, and maintaining those things that are all your own, and also about being together and sharing interests.
An...more
This was the third book in an absolutely delicious series.
Reaction/Review:
The first book deals with Marry and Holmes apprenticeship. The second their uncharacteristic courtship. The third, with them as a couple who work together. This book is about balance. How to be oneself in a relationship without loosing yourself, and maintaining those things that are all your own, and also about being together and sharing interests.
An...more
I thought I had written a 'while I was reading' review but it doesn't seem to be here. Mmmmmm. Anyway, I finished it this past weekend. I thought the initial motive for a female archeologist death was going to be an interesting. However in the end, the motive turned out to be something very mundane ...a spoiler about to be said - money. Even Sherlock Holmes was highly displeased that this was a murder about money, envy and greed. Okay, I still like the concept of Mary Russell married to th...more
It is always a pleasure to read a book that catches the interest and easily flows to a conclusion. (The other books I am currently reading I have either put down for a while in order to read something less taxing or I am struggling to finish because they have not captured my interest to any degree.) The third in the series, A Letter of Mary is more consistent than the second in the series and points out well the difficulties the young Mary Russell is finding in combining an academic career and...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Edgar-winning mystery writer Laurie R. King writes series and standalone novels. Newest is the tenth Mary Russell novel The God of the Hive, in stores April 27, 2010. In the Russell series, a brilliant teen becomes student, then partner to Sherlock Holmes. [Excerpt of The Beekeeper's Apprentice] The Kate Martinelli series follows an SFPD detective's cases on a female Rembrandt, a holy fool, and...more
More about Laurie R. King...
Share This Book
2 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“The hand of bone and sinew and flesh achieves its immortality in taking up a pen. The hand on a page wields a greater power than the fleshly hand ever could in life.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
