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Title: The Game by LAURIE R. KING ISBN: 0-553-80194-5 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 02 March, 2004 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.32 (22 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Another thrilling ride from Laurie R. King
Comment: I crave Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes stories. The latest installment of the series does not dissapoint. Laurie R. King has continued to grow her characters without losing any of their charm from "The Beekeeper's Apprentice."
I would certainly say that the books need to be read in their correct order. And, this new book is toeing the line (along with "A Monstrous Regiment of Women") as one of my favourite in the series.
The locations are wonderful--we meet delightful new characters, and the mystery is wonderfully complicated, per usual.
Rating: 4
Summary: An entertaining story, but . . . .
Comment: Laurie R. King's latest Mary Russell novel is marketed as " a novel of suspense," and that is a very accurate description. This is by no means a whodunnit, but it is an exciting story with a couple of flaws that keep it from being first-rate.
This story takes Mary Russell and her illustrious husband, Sherlock Holmes, to India in 1924. They are searching for a missing British agent named Kimball O'Hara, the adult version of Rudyard Kipling's Kim. O'Hara has disappeared somewhere in northern India and the trail is cold. Nevertheless, Russell and Holmes set out to find him, and of course they do.
One of the great strengths of this series is that it is NOT a Sherlock Holmes knock-off. These are stories about Mary Russell, and Sherlock Holmes appears at appropriate moments. Mary begins by learning another exotic language in record time-- this time it is Hindi-- and the couple wander through northern India as itinerant performers, magicians and jugglers. Eventually they split up, and Mary resumes her real identity (without giving away that she is Mrs. Holmes) to visit a maharaja with his own zoo, a collection of dwarves, and a love for the sport of pig-sticking. Mary starts out with a low opinion of this "sport," but her introduction to pig-sticking is one of the best parts of the story.
Mary is sure that the maharaja is up to no good, but she has to make a hasty exit before she gets enough proof. She and Holmes join up again, then Holmes is dragged off by the maharaja's minions. Of course, it's up to Mary to get him back and find Kimball O'Hara, which she does. And yes, the maharaja really is up to no good and gets his comeuppance, as well.
After a rather slow start (an overdose of history and politics to get everyone up to speed), the story moves along quickly and is fun to read. As usual, the part that has the couple masquerading as performers is very entertaining, and along the way one learns much about Indian culture and customs.
The weaknesses are an overabundance of characters, most of whom are underdeveloped and turn out to be superfluous anyway, and too great a reliance on coincidence to provide information and solve problems. Everything in the story happens just too easily. No obstacle is too difficult to be overcome in a couple of pages. That cost the book one star, in my opinion, but if you aren't very picky about things like that, you may find the book better than I have rated it.
Rating: 4
Summary: another good effort
Comment: I liked this book very much. The details of life in a prince's palace were fascinating, particularly the pig sticking. The book moves right along for one so richly detailed. I enjoyed the first portion somwhat more than the end; I had the feeling it was wrapped up to fit into a specific page count and could have been much more detailed; a slightly too "pat" resolution. However, several story lines were left unfinished and I look forward to seeing them carried forward in the next intallment. I recommend this book, but would start as a new reader of Laurie King with the Beekeeper's Apprentice.
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Title: Guardian of the Horizon by Elizabeth Peters ISBN: 0066214718 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 30 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Bookman's Promise : A Cliff Janeway Novel by John Dunning ISBN: 0743249925 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 09 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Keeping Watch by Laurie R. King ISBN: 0553801910 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 04 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: High Country by Nevada Barr ISBN: 0399151443 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 05 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Amelia Peabody's Egypt: A Compendium by Elizabeth Peters, Kristen Whitbread ISBN: 0060538112 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 21 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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