false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170900027m/77259.jpg 77259 8 Although <I>O Jerusalem</I> is Laurie King's fifth book in her Holmes-Russell series, it actually takes us back to the era of her first book, <I>The Beekeeper's Apprentice</I>. Perhaps King was afraid that her characters, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, were becoming too cozy as an old married couple, and she wanted to recreate the edgy sexual tension of their first encounter. <p> It's 1918. Nineteen-year-old Mary and her fiftysomething mentor are forced to flee England to escape a deadly adversary. Sherlock's well-connected brother Mycroft sends them to Palestine to do some international sleuthing. Here, a series of murders threatens the fragile peace. <p> Laurie King connects us, through details of language, custom, history, and sensual impressions, to this very alien environment. Russell, Holmes, and two marvelously imagined Arab guides named Mahmoud and Ali trek through the desert and visit ancient monasteries clinging like anthills to cliffs. They also find time to take tea with the British military legend Allenby in Haifa and skulk through or under the streets of Jerusalem. King puts us into each scene so quickly and completely that her narrative flow never falters.<p> Stepping back in time also gives King a chance to show us Holmes through the eyes of a Russell not yet as full of love as a honeymooner, nor as complacent as a comfortable wife. "There it was--sardonic, superior, infuriating," Mary says about Holmes's voice at one point. <p> Wisdom is knowing when, and how much, to shake things up--even in a successful series. Laurie King is a wise woman indeed. <I>--Dick Adler</I> 2570140 book 1999 O Jerusalem total:1610|5:591|4:664|3:305|2:41|1:8| 1610 6620 1944 125 5 3 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Jun 26 14:53:27 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 18 00:57:56 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Feb 11 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 09:37:05 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 09:45:15 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 26 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 03 15:37:20 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 15:55:39 -0800 2009
I really enjoyed the interplay between Russell, Holmes, Ali...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Oct 21 13:11:13 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 13:11:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 true false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Apr 16 20:28:34 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 20:56:15 -0700 2009 twice more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jun 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 11 20:23:37 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 13:29:25 -0700 2009 Much as I love them all, this is one of my favorites. Mary takes on a male role and there is a bit of subtle comedy that allows for, in the midst of danger from many fronts. Having recently read Justice Hall, I noticed the foreshadowing of our seeing Mahmoud and Ali again, and it was a toss ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 16:21:11 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 16:26:54 -0700 2009 2 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Apr 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 15:07:21 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 15:14:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Apr 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 11:12:40 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 11:18:14 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 02 07:46:06 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 02 07:54:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Mar 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 30 16:03:03 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 11 22:30:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 04 17:24:19 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 25 19:12:10 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 04 17:24:19 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jul 06 10:44:59 -0700 2007 Wed Feb 18 16:18:39 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Dec 20 10:07:01 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 10:13:03 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Mar 23 13:16:42 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 13:20:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 22 06:16:01 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 06:19:23 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 19 13:40:58 -0700 2008 Fri May 08 12:59:12 -0700 2009 2 O Jerusalem the fifth book in the Mary Russell Series actually takes place during the events of the first book The Beekeeper's Apprentice. The story fills in the events that occurred when Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell are forced to leave England to escape the mysterious person who has been pursu...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun May 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 09:42:02 -0700 2009 Tue May 19 09:22:41 -0700 2009 1
Very nice book and with all the earmarks of good and thorough research (as all of the various Mary Russell novels have been.)

It's a pity that the short story genre is not where authors make money these days. ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 19:58:12 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 06 12:26:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Dec 07 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 20:11:04 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 18:31:20 -0800 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=77259