Mary Russell

I don't know why it has taken me so long to think of writing this entry, but better late than never.  I have been completely enthralled by listening to the Laurie R. King series of Mary Russell stories on audio.  Read by Jenny Sterlin, they are WONDERFUL.  The plots are intriguing, the characters are believable and the stories are so witty!  I hate to give too much away, because I hate to plant expectations in your minds, but I want to encourage you to read them, so here goes:

Unlike Elementary or Sherlock, this series has a very traditional version of Sherlock Holmes as the secondary character.  Set in the early part of the 20th century, the author has captured the best things about the Conan Doyle character and created a world where a smart, confident woman is still expected to down-play those traits.  Mary Russell is a smart, clever woman who captures the attention of Sherlock Holmes and eventually becomes his partner.  Unlike most murder mysteries today, the action is slower, there is not much violence and there aren't bad guys waiting around every corner.  Some of the investigations the two undertake are for crimes that happened many years previous, so there is no Jessica-Fletcher-like problem where every single character is either a potential victim or suspect.  So good!  They are so well written - LOVE THEM!!!