A Letter of Mary: 3 (Mary Russell Mystery) - Softcover

King, Laurie R

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312427387 ISBN 13: 9780312427382

Publisher: Picador USA, 2007

Synopsis

August 1923. All is quiet in the Holmes household in Sussex as Mary Russell works on academic research while Sherlock Holmes conducts malodorous chemistry experiments. But the peace quickly disappears as out of the past comes Dorothy Ruskin, an amateur archeologist from the Holy Land, who brings the couple a lovely inlaid box with a tattered roll of stained papyrus inside. The evening following their meeting, Miss Ruskin dies in a traffic accident that Holmes and Mary soon prove was murder. But what was the motivation? Was it the little inlaid box holding the manuscript? Or the woman's involvement in the volatile politics of the Holy Land? Or could it have been the scroll itself, a deeply troubling letter that seems to have been written by Mary Magdalene and that contains a biblical bombshell...

About this title

Review:

"An intellectual puzzler, full of bright red herrings and dazzling asides." --Chicago Tribune

"A lively adventure in the very best of intellectual company." --The New York Times Book Review

"Witty, literate . . . There's nothing elementary about King's take on period details or the behavior of her characters." --Orlando Sentinel

"The game's afoot. And a lively, well-plotted game it is." --The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Elegant . . . Laurie R. King continues to inhabit Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes character like an inspired actor, faithful to the role yet adding so much of her own that he becomes far more than the sum of his quirks." --San Jose Mercury News

"I report that Laurie R. King's A Letter of Mary delights me as much as its two predecessors. . . . I thoroughly enjoyed this book; I also admired it." --The Boston Sunday Globe

"Superb . . . The great marvel of King's series is that she's managed to preserve the integrity of Holmes's character and yet somehow conjure up a woman astute, edgy, and compelling enough to be the partner of his mind as well as his heart." --The Washington Post

From the Back Cover:

The third novel in Laurie King's riveting and intelligent series featuring Sherlock Holmes and his partner in sleuthing, Mary Russell.

It is August 1923 and all is quiet in the Holmes household in Sussex. Mary Russell works on academic research while Sherlock Holmes conducts malodorous chemistry experiments. Butthe peace comes crashing down when a figure from Mary's past enters their lives: Dorothy Ruskin, an amateur archaeologist recently returned from the Holy Land, pays the couple a visit, bringing with her a gift – a charming inlaid box containing a tattered roll of stained papyrus.

The evening following their meeting, Miss Ruskin dies in a traffic accident that Holmes and Mary soon prove was murder. But what was the motivation? Was it the inlaid box holding the manuscript? Or the woman's involvement in the volatile politics of the Holy Land? Or could it have been the scroll itself, a deeply troubling letter apparently written by Mary Magdalene that contains a biblical bombshell ...

"A beguilding variation on Sherlock Holmes sequels."
LITERARY REVIEW

"Mary Russell combines the quirky intellect of her mentor with a modern modus operandi... A heroine to contend with."
TIME OUT

About this edition

• Publisher: Picador USA
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0312427387
• ISBN 13: 9780312427382
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304