Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Nov 13, 2011

Laura rated it:

This copy was kindly sent by NetGalley.

Russell is called to go undercover to Lisbon and then Morocco as a director's assistant of the silent movie based on The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan. Her job is to investigate strange troubles wit the team and the disappearance of the last assistant's director.

This idea is not so original since François Truffaut wrote and directed his famous movie "La nuit américaine" in 1973.

The plot mad More...

12 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 21, 2012

Sheilagh rated it:

If you haven’t read the series let me stop you right now and send you back to the beginning with The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994) ISBN 0-312-10423-5 The Beekeeper's Apprentice is the first in the series of books about Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. I never thought that anyone could do Holmes the justice that the original author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but Laurie R. King comes awful close. Scroll down to below the list of the Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell for the review of Pirate King.
More...

0 comments like

Jan 07, 2012

CJ rated it:

I will admit to being something of an Anglophile. I do love the British and their unique way of seeing things. Except...I emphatically do not love Gilbert and Sullivan. Never understood the attraction, don't understand what people see the plays/operettas. I suspect the mashup of all that singing and all that duty are just too much for me. That said, the first half of this book focuses on The Pirates of Penzance. This is a book about making a movie about the making of a play within a play. Confus More...

0 comments like

Jan 07, 2012

Heather rated it:

While I really like King's writing style, I'm completely puzzled as to why she felt the need to insert the character of Mary Russell into the world of Sherlock Holmes. I can totally see Mary Russell in her own world and doing just fine. Tying her to Holmes confuses me because I keep expecting serious bouts of deductive reasoning and feats of intuition that border on the mystical (until they're explained of course!) In short, I expect more of an original Holmes feel, with a new perspective bro More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 04, 2011

Marlene rated it:

Investigating possible evildoers while filming a silent movie about a movie about a comic opera. It should have been a farce. But in Laurie R. King's The Pirate King, it's Holmes and Russell, so it's an absolutely marvelous froth instead.

Mary Russell does not particularly want to spend a fortnight (that's two weeks to us Americans) cooped up in Sussex with her brother-in-law Mycroft. In their last meeting (The God of the Hive) Russell discovered that some of Mycroft's actions on the pa More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 13, 2011

Nancy rated it:

Wasn't up to her usual thrilling plot. Worth the read, but not one of her best.....

In England’s young silent-film industry, the megalomaniacal Randolph Fflytte is king. Nevertheless, at the request of Scotland Yard, Mary Russell is dispatched to investigate rumors of criminal activities that swirl around Fflytte’s popular movie studio. So Russell is traveling undercover to Portugal, along with the film crew that is gearing up to shoot a cinematic extravaganza, Pirate King. Based on Gil More...

0 comments like

Oct 31, 2011

Carolyn rated it:

I have read all of Laurie R King's books and enjoyed all of them. To readers who may not be familiar with King's books, her central characters are Sherlock Holmes and his wife, Mary Russell, together with Holmes's brother, Mycroft, and Scotland Yard's Inspector Lestrade.

In this latest adventure in the series, Holmes and Russell have become involved with Randolph Fflytte, a film maker who is trying to make a film loosely based on "The Pirates of Penzance." Russell has seriou More...

0 comments like

Oct 10, 2011

Lana rated it:

I broke down and ordered an author signed copy when I realized that a) local bookstores didn't have it as soon as I'd like & b) the public library had a lengthy queue for it long before publication.

I had it in hand in timely fashion & then the dilemma presented itself. Do I stop everything to read this immediately - instant gratification OR do I wait, to savour it, over a long thanksgiving weekend when I'd be alone in the house & could give it my full attention.

Delayed gra More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 03, 2011

Marlyn rated it:

Those who believe that a series gets weaker the longer it goes on have not read Laurie King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes books. This is the eleventh title in the series, and while it may not be the best of the bunch, it certainly ranks in the top three or four.

Russell/Holmes aficionados will know that Mary does not feel kindly towards her brother-in-law Mycroft. (Something about him being manipulative...?) So, when her husband tells her that his brother will be coming to stay for More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Oct 03, 2011

Ron rated it:

I was a bit disappointed by this book. The front cover says it is a novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately the first half of the book was a nice story with Russell, but hardly suspenseful at all. The only time one sees Homes is at the very beginning. Finally about half way through the book, Russell and Holmes come together and the suspense starts.

The story was interesting with a British film company planning to make a pirate movie based on their More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Oct 01, 2011

Laura rated it:

I was so excited to download this...and so let down as the book plodded on...and on...and on...with no hint of a mystery in sight.

Really, some sort of mystery should be present before the book is mostly over.

Perhaps some readers might be amused at Mary Russell being surrounded by a gaggle of mindless actresses, egotistical directors, and various other insipid personae surrounding a motion picture. I found it probably as trying as Mary Russell to be constantly sorting through More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Sep 23, 2011

Gemma rated it:

I'm not sure why but something about musical theatre pleases me. And when you throw some Gilbert & Sullivan into the mix it should be evident that I will want to read it and will no doubt enjoy it, and this latest release from Laurie R. King is no exception.

The story is brilliantly composed. There are small intricacies within the tale that suck you in, so much so that I found myself wanting to wield a cutlass and go swashbuckling.
Unlike a few of the previous books in the Russell s More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 22, 2011

Joanne rated it:

I will admit right now that I wasn't feeling too optimistic about this book. My reaction, when I first read the title was along the lines of "Pirate King?!!! Ugh."

However, I love Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, so of course I read the book. As I expected, I wasn't overly enthralled at first though the pirate aspect did grow on me. My complaint was the usual Russellian one--not enough Holmes/Russell interaction. I'm not looking for cooing and billing. They are most defini More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 12, 2011

Kim rated it:

For over 10 years, I've enjoyed reading King's novels because of her incredible dedication to research, unfailing ear for dialogue and fantastic use of detail. However, in this book, the most recent in her Mary Russell series, all three of those staples are missing. Even for a series that posits that Holmes is some 10 years younger than generally accepted and married to a woman half his age, this addition strains credulity. Set in the mid-1920s on the moving set of a silent film about pirates More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 10, 2011

Lightreads rated it:

So this is Laurie R. King writing a book about fictional Mary Russell who has written another memoir of an adventure with Sherlock Holmes, this one about the time she went undercover as an assistant to a crew making a silent movie about a crew making a movie about The Pirates of Penzance.

By all rights, you should need to diagram out the layers of narrative and meta narrative, but you don’t. As usual, King passes but lightly over these points, and in fact pauses briefly to make fun o More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Sep 08, 2011

Kathleen rated it:

Laurie King's latest Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes offering is about the silent film era and a flamboyant director whose film company seems to be followed around by criminal characters and tragic events. Scotland Yard has asked Mary to go undercover as part of the film support staff and unravel exactly what is going on.

If you are a fan of The Pirates of Penzance, then you are in for a treat. In this story, the filmmaker wants to make a film called The Pirate King, which is about a com More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 27, 2011

Sarah rated it:

This one was a fun romp set at a good pace that kept me reading. I'm a classic movie buff, so I enjoyed all of the film references. Also, Pessoa's metatextual discussions reminded me hilariously of college.

My only real complaints were:
1) That Holmes was rather absent for most of the book. Even when he did show up, it was practically a cameo appearance.
2) The cast of characters was really large, and some of them weren't differentiated enough for me to tell them apart, esp More...

0 comments like

Dec 01, 2011

marymurtz rated it:

I looked forward to this book for months, since I am a huge fan of the series. Mary Russell is the wife of the fictional character Sherlock Holmes and the previous ten books developed their story from their early friendship with Holmes as a mentor to the young Mary Russell, to their working partnership, to their marriage and travels around the world.

This book was such a disappointment. The first 75% of it was straight up convoluted and boring. And worst of all, there was almost not More...

0 comments like

Oct 03, 2011

Phoebe rated it:

Russell embarks upon a solo adventure as the assistant to filmmaker Randolph Fflytte, who is headed to Lisbon to make a movie based on the Pirates of Penzance. Of course she is really there to try and pin down any criminal activity, since Fflytte Films is suspected by Scotland Yard to be a participant or an originator in shady deals. When the cast and crew arrive in Lisbon and Fflytte's penchant for realism leads to the auditioning and casting of real pirates, Mary begins to feel a little unea More...

0 comments like

Oct 02, 2011

Mandolin rated it:

Since first being introduced to Mary Russell in The Beekeeper's Apprentice, I've avidly followed her adventures with Sherlock Holmes, eagerly awaiting each new book. I've never been disappointed. Laurie King's pastiches are of the best in Holmesian literature and I must applaud her for the excellent work she's done. Until now. I never thought I'd say this, but I found this book lacking in all the wonderful qualities that characterized her previous Russell/Holmes novels. As many other review More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 28, 2011

Jacqueline rated it:

I always want my Laurie King books to go slower, but I usually ruin it by reading throughout the day and into the night. Because I am caught up on all of her books I was anticipating this... and pirates... well, the anticipation was worth it and so were the pirates.

The novel itself is about the making of a film about making a film of a play - yes, a bit convoluted, but she understands that it is tricky and goes over it many times. The film crew is being investigated and, to find out, More...

0 comments like

Oct 24, 2011

Kathleen rated it:

It's a little strange to realize that I've grown up reading LRK's Mary Russell novels, have grown up with Miss Russell in a way.

Since picking up The Beekeeper's Apprentice in 8th grade after reading an intriguing review in one of the first issues of Cicada magazine, I've followed Holmes and Russell's adventures with excitement, reread my paperback copies to a barely-holding-together state, and never seem to have more than 6 or 7 of the books on my shelf at a time since I loan them o More...

0 comments like

Sep 14, 2011

Treasa rated it:

A film company that has a history of strange things happening to it, a missing secretary, a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, and a band of pirates... Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes have their work cut out for them!

Any book that combines Russell & Holmes with Gilbert & Sullivan is automatically great. They are two of my favorite partnerships ever. I was so excited when I heard last spring that the next Russell-Holmes book would involve G&S somehow, and I was not disappointed. There is s More...

0 comments like

Oct 07, 2011

Chris rated it:

This is a review of the audio version.

Pirate King is the 11th Mary Russell book by Laurie R. King. When I found out there was a new book in this series, I couldn't wait to listen to it. I still like Mary Russell, but this wasn't my favorite book of hers.

Recap: Mary and Holmes are caught up in another adventure as Mary infiltrates a silent film company to investigate allegations of illegal activity.

Review: I am a huge Mary Russell fan. She's independent, she s More...

0 comments like

Sep 19, 2011

Janellyn51 rated it:

I liked the book....but it pains me to say that I just don't think it quite measures up to the rest of the Russell books. It doesn't bother me that Sherlock isn't in the forefront, since really they are Mary books...but I just kind of feel like Laurie was under a deadline or now that the books are so hugely successful that she is under pressure to produce. I think it was a nice and witty story, once you got the gist it wasn't too hard to keep track of what was going on. I just don't feel that it More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 01, 2012

Malcolm rated it:

The 11th (I can hardly believe that) novel in the Mary Russell series isn't quite as strong as it's predecessors, but I still enjoyed it. The characters are still charming (although they shine less in this one), the settings well researched.

But this one appears to have been written more for humor than intrigue, and it gripped me a bit less. The setup is farcically complex, and Mary and Holmes do not actually play that great a role in how things turn out. They seem more or less, al More...

0 comments like

Oct 29, 2011

Knitme23 rated it:

Hmmmm. I have a complex rel. with Laurie King and her Mary Russell--although I've loved the books I've listened to on CD (the last one tied in Kipling's Kim, and I ended up rereading Kim because I was so entranced by King's novel!), I find that the ones I read tend to start well, bog down in the middle, and then get rolling again at the end. Pirate King was no exception. In addition, its plot seemed way over the top--though that was part of the setup (Russell thinks, "Oh please. Pirates? It More...

0 comments like

Oct 15, 2011

Bec rated it:

It's back to high adventure for Mary Russell in the latest installment of Laurie R. King's series. But the adventure takes a turn for the absurd when Russell finds herself working as a Jill-of-all-trades for a movie company making a film about pirates. But not just any pirates-real pirates, to act the roles of less-real counterparts for the Pirates of Penzance. It's really best not to try to unwind the logic loops.

I enjoyed the books humor, mostly because I think I would have felt the More...

0 comments like

Sep 25, 2011

Erin rated it:

A refreshing break from the last two dark, bleak installments. King takes the play within a play conceit and folds it in on itself until the players themselves don't remember what is real and what is scripted. In the meantime, not even Holmes and Russell can tell who the bad guys are or what their goals might be. Russell poses as the producer's assistant, a job that requires wrangling thirteen actresses, an equal number of pirates (presumably actors, many of whom do not speak English), a hand More...

0 comments like

Jan 14, 2012

Sylvia rated it:

Alas. I read the Russell/Holmes series for swashbuckling Russell mixed with ironic Holmes, but I still lost interest in this narrative approximately halfway through. Then I skipped forward to the end, went back and browsed through the last half, and then went on to other books. It may be that I'm just shifting gears into a state of Total Nonfiction (something that happens to me roughly every six years; it is like an obsession, I can't help it - something in my subconscious causes it, maybe? I du More...

0 comments like

reviews