Laurie R. King

Returning to her former home of San Francisco in 1924, Mary Russell and her husband, eminent detective Sherlock Holmes, are confronted by dark secrets of the past that continue to haunt Mary's dreams and by a mysterious stranger who could hold the key to unraveling the puzzle that has been tormenting her. Reprint.

A Mary Russell Novel

Locked Rooms

Sarah Sammis

In The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994) Mary Russell is introduced as an orphan, fleeing America for Britain to get away from the unpleasant memories of the deaths of her parents and brother. Now in Locked Rooms, having matured by ten years and presented with the opportunity, Russell decides to confront her past head on.

Mary's past is rooted in the San Francisco in the time of the 1906 quake and the months and years following. The clues are still there, buried away in the family home, left untouched for years. The clues are there among the dust and among Mary's own nightmares.

Of the three Mary Russell books I've read this year, Locked Rooms is by far my favorite. King's depiction of San Francisco and the peninsula both during the earthquake and in the 1920s, brought the mystery to life for me.

Peggy Walker

Satisfying sleuthing

Luckily for me, Locked Rooms was a book club selection or I might never have discovered this delightful series of novels featuring Sherlock Holmes and his young wife Mary Russell. This book is the eighth book in the series, but it isn't necessary to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this one.

Evidently, Mary was a student of Holmes who eventually became his apprentice and then his wife. They have been traveling around the world with mysteries and misadventures finding them at every turn.

This book finds them in San Francisco where Mary's family lived part-time during her childhood. There are many interesting details about the 1906 earthquake, early Chinatown, the practice of feng shui, Dashiell Hammett, California Highway 1 and many other points of interest.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and plan to go back to the beginning of the series.

Locked Rooms A Mary Russell Novel

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