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The Beekeeper's Apprentice : a Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

King, Laurie R. Book - 1994 Adult Book / Fiction / Mystery / Historical / King, Laurie R, Mystery / King, Laurie None on shelf 4 requests on 2 copies Community Rating: 4.3 out of 5

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A chance meeting with a Sussex beekeeper turns into a pivotal, personal transformation when fifteen-year-old Mary Russell discovers that the beekeeper is the reclusive, retired detective Sherlock Holmes, who soon takes on the role of mentor and teacher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Excellent intro into the world of Holmes pastiche submitted by jentalley on July 11, 2011, 11:01pm Dozens of authors have taken on the challenge of creating new adventures for Sherlock Holmes, and Laurie King has created some of the most believable about the Great Detective. More importantly, she has brought to life one of the most endearing heroines of mystery fiction in Mary Russell. It's so refreshing, in this first installment in the ongoing series, to read about an intelligent young woman who isn't mooning after boys or worrying about her looks. Instead, she is smart, capable, practical, and resourceful. One could do much worse than to emulate Miss Russell.

Spot on submitted by carr1_e on July 24, 2011, 8:01am A story of Mary Russell, a recently orphaned teen-aged girl who meets Sherlock Holmes after he has retired and moved to Sussex. She befriends him, and becomes his apprentice.

I loved the writing style, I loved Mary's search for her identity as a woman, scholar, and Jew; I loved the descriptions of the Sussex Downs, and I loved the depictions of Sherlock Holmes. I thought it was spot on.

Smartly written submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 20, 2020, 3:43pm 5/5 stars. What a delightful addition to the Sherlock Holmes’ cannon! I’m not typically a mystery reader, but this was a wonderful diversion, smartly written, and with a clever set of characters and storyline. I can easily see myself diving into more in this series.

First in a great series! submitted by jaromatorio on July 24, 2020, 11:05am I love this series! It feels very true to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes while updating the character and his surroundings for a more modern era (and adding a very cool and clever female lead)! Mary Russell, who is introduced in this novel, is so smart and quirky-it's delightful to follow her adventures as she learns from the great Sherlock Holmes. Would definitely recommend!

Mary Russell meets Sherlock Holmes submitted by camelsamba on August 30, 2020, 11:15pm Mary is a little over-the-top Excellent In All Things - but perhaps that is necessary for her to be a foil to Holmes? I have seen reviews in other places where readers hate that aspect of the series; I found it somewhat distracting in this introduction to the characters. The age difference between them is also off-putting. But Mary is a strong female protagonist, that's for sure!

I previously read other books in this series (based on their settings) before deciding I should come back to this one, the one that started the relationship. (In fact, I rushed in to grab it the day the library was closing due to the pandemic!) I'm not sure if I would have continued if I'd started here.

Enjoyable...Excited for the next in the series submitted by thesrays on July 11, 2022, 3:42am I approached this series with a bit of skepticism, but found it an enjoyable entree into the world of Mary Russell, the young protege of an aging Sherlock Holmes. I thought this was a fun romp!

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SERIES
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
1



PUBLISHED
New York : St. Martin's Press, 1994.
Year Published: 1994
Description: 347 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Language: English
Format: Book

READING LEVEL
Lexile: 1100

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
0553381520
0312104235
9781250055705

SUBJECTS
Russell, Mary -- (Fictitious character), -- 1900-
Holmes, Sherlock -- Fiction.
Women private investigators -- England -- Fiction.
Private investigators -- England -- Fiction.
Young women -- England -- Fiction.
England -- Fiction.
Detective and mystery fiction.
Historical fiction.