A Monstrous Regiment of Women

....by Laurie R. King

Well….I’ve managed to do it again. I’ve read a series book out of sequence….accidentally, of course. A Monstrous Regiment of Women is the second of The Mary Russell Mysteries by Laurie R. King. The first, apparently, was The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, which I will have to get to at some point. No matter---on with the review.

This is an historical mystery, taking place in early twentieth century London. The main character, Mary Russell, is the apprentice of none other than an aging and near retirement Sherlock Holmes. Now, normally, I do not like it when an author uses someone else’s idea; someone else’s fame; to further their own careers by ‘easing’ a new story out of an already-known character or story, and in the process ruining said character or story for me…er…the reader…forever . (Wicked, and Son of a Witch come to mind….). I will give small allowance in this case, as King didn’t mutilate Holmes’ existing stories, or completely alter who we, as readers, know him to be (at least not too much….). I draw the line at books that have Jane Austen or Beatrix Potter and her animals solving mysteries….these are bridges that were never intended to be built, and should not be crossed…. but back to this book (I do have trouble staying on task).

We meet Mary Russell in the opening lines, and learn that she is an Oxford scholar and theologian, who is about to come into an inheritance. The story is told from her point of view. Through an old Oxford friend, she stumbles onto a sort of feminist/forward thinking church led by a very Charismatic woman. As Mary spends more time here, she begins to wonder where the money comes from, and then people start to die, and….well….you’ve got yourself a mystery. What kept me reading wasn’t the mystery, but rather, Mary’s character. She is a bit of an oddball, kind of like her mentor, Sherlock Holmes, who helps her sort things out, and shows up whenever she needs him. But this mystery is Mary's to solve, and Holmes is more of a supporting character. He’s part mentor/part…something indefinable. There is also an underlying romance here (which made me gag just a little….) that was just subtle enough to be ok. There were a few references to the first Mary Russell mystery…the one I should have read first…..that left me guessing at Mary’s past. She referred to an experience, or conversation, or situation that the reader was obviously supposed to know from the first book. Either way, I was able to follow it, and enjoyed going along for the ride. This is a good rainy/snowy day read; nothing too deep. I’ll probably read The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, just to find out what happened to Mary earlier that affected her physical/mental condition in portions of this one, and how she came to know Sherlock Holmes.

3 ½ stars out of 5.