Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Game's Afoot, 17 Mar 2004
After the death of her family, Mary Russell, a fifteen year-old, moves to a farm with her "evil" aunt. In one of her walks around the area she meets the famous Sherlock Holmes, who is retired and dedicates his hours to the study of bees. Right from the start the two main characters in the book match their wits and Holmes is surprised by the potential he sees in this young woman. He then decides to tutor her and introduce her to the art of investigative work. In the next few years, they go through a few cases and Mary goes away to Oxford to continue her studies; but at one point they are faced with a more dangerous opponent, who wants to kill not only Holmes, but also Mary; even Dr. Watson and Mycroft are in danger. If you want to know the rest, you better read the book!In my opinion the author does a very good job in maintaining the particular characteristics that define the characters in Arthur Conan Doyle's books, especially in the case of Sherlock Holmes. It is amazing how you feel that the deductive work is done by exactly the same detective you knew from the past, and with the added benefit of a fresh mind assisting him! I was very pleased to see the ingenious way in which Laurie King connected this new series with the Conan Doyle's work. She concocted a story about her receiving the manuscripts of the different stories in the series some time ago, and that she is merely the editor. The manuscripts were of course written by the enchanting Mary Russell. Finally, let me tell you that, since I am an avid chess player, I thoroughly enjoyed the way in which Holmes uses a chess game with Mary to explain the strategy he was planning to utilize in one of their cases. I will definitely continue reading the books in this series, and if you haven't started yet, I recommend you do it now!
|
|
|
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Most Authentic and Enjoyable Portrayal of Holmes!!!, 27 Feb 2006
Meet Mary Russell--young, witty, and with an intellect to rival that of the famous, yet aging, Sherlock Holmes. From the first time they meet, they are intrically linked together. Under Holmes's tutelage, Russell embarks on a case involving a landowner's mysterious fever and the kidnapping of an American senator's daughter. Unlike Watson, Russell is on equal footing with Holmes and she even makes deductions that he fails to see. One case leads into another and Holmes’ life soon becomes endangered by an enigmatic and clever opponent. Holmes hasn’t met such a match since Moriarty, but this time around the aging detective has Russell by his side. This is, by far, the most authentic portrayal of Holmes since Arthur Conan Doyle. The repartee between Holmes and Russell is deliciously witty and perfectly written. This was the most pleasurable reading experience in a very long time.
|
|
|
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic, 8 Sep 2003
When I was first given this book, it had just come out in print and I did not believe that I would enjoy it. I was vacationing in Russia and had finished all of the other books I had brought with me when I remembered The Beekeeper's Apprentice was still in my bag. I had not even bothered to read the back cover when I first recieved it because I could not imagine anything with such a title being very interesting. Luckily, I did read it then. I must say that from the moment I opened it, I knew that I had never read anything better. Laurie R King did a magnifisent job when she wrote it. I was ingulfed by the characters and the story line from the moment I opened it. I was able to finish the entire novel within two days, without doing anything else. I couldn't wait for the next one to come out.
The character of Mary Russel was an amazing match for that of Sherlock Holmes. The two make a wonderful pair in solving crimes and trully complement each other from whit to history to style. A must read for anyone looking for a mystery or an adventure.Mary is a character that a girl can really grow up admiring
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Laurie R. King
by Laurie R. King
by Laurie R. King
by Laurie R. King
by Laurie R. King
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk 
Amazon Home