O Jerusalem (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes)

My most sincere thanks to the organization from which I purchased my books. Years ago, my daughter was reading a book for a college project. The title was "The Beekeepers Apprentice" by Laurie R. King. Due to a busy life schedule, I was unable to read the book. But it has always intrigued me and I never forgot it.Imagine my pleasant surprise when I recently did a search for the book only to discover an entire series of 17 books (this doesn't include the e-books!). So I delved into ordering my own books in the series. I'm now on a limited income and researched my options carefully.I've stated this multiple times when writing a review on my book purchases: I'm always pleasantly surprised by the used books. Only once in the past 20 years did I get a book that was so badly written in that I wrote a negative review and had to toss the book away. (I received a refund, but felt lied to by the seller and never purchased from them again.)Here's where I admit that I had an issue with the book order. Unclear to my, I didn't realize that all the books were coming from different locations. Two days ago, I'd received most of the book order. The books were in wonderful condition and look great with the others in the series I'm collecting. However, something was amiss. I contacted the seller twice (yesterday) to let them know that three (3) books were missing. Late in the day when my mail arrived, the missing books arrived.I was unable to reach out to the seller yesterday to correspond with them that the missing books had arrived. Today, I found an email direct from the seller letting me know that the books were coming from different locations. Also was a note that if the books didn't show up soon, contact them immediately via the info attached to the email. Wow! Same day reply from the seller is a new experience for me! In the past when I've reached out to other sellers if I've had issues with an order, it's at least 3-7 days to get an acknowledgment, let alone help in locating missing items. This was a pleasant surprise!The order from this seller is now complete. I don't have the entire series yet. Still waiting from my other resources. Once I get the set, I will dive into this series, known to some as the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series.Yes, I said that right. Laurie R. King has written many books over the years. I know her more by this series of books some refer to as the Mary Russell books. The character, Mary Russell, goes into a quiet countryside and stumbles-literally!-into a beekeeper. The date is 1915. Mary is young teenager, roughly 15 years of age. The beekeeper she runs into is non other than the master sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, who has "retired" to a calm, rural area. Eventually this duo begin looking into their own mysteries together. The series takes Russell and Holmes across several continents over many years. Although these sleuths begin their time together in the book, "The Beekeepers Apprentice," Mary's story begins in "Mary's War," which starts in 1910.If you like mysteries, if you want to get away from newer stories loaded with 21st-century technologies, and you'd like to step back in time, this is the series for you. Do your own research on this series online. Laurie R. King has her own website that lists the titles of the books and the dates the stories take place. Each book are stand alone stories. But for those of us that don't like to say "good-bye" to our favorite characters after one book, you may like this series.

King immerses the reader in cultural time and place while allowing us to get acquainted with her characters. Then the excitement begins! I’m always impressed with King’s depth and breadth of knowledge.

I am a longtime fan of Sherlock Holmes, and this book captures his essence and fills it out. And then it adds as narrator Holmes’s young partner, the formidable Mary Russell, a brilliant Oxford student with a throwing knife in her boot, and two wandering denizens of the Holy Land, who appear to be Bedouin brothers but are much more than they seem. Holmes and Russell are tasked by Holmes’s brother Mycroft with discovering and thwarting a plot by unknown actors to destroy the fragile peace following the British victory over the Turks and throw the region into turmoil or even war. They partner with the reluctant and skeptical Hazr brothers to do so. Along the way, they are spurred on by the mysterious military commander Joshua, who like his biblical namesake sends out spies to look over the land, and by General “Bull” Allenby himself, who is determined to preserve the historic opportunity his military victory has made possible. The characters are vividly drawn, not least the Land itself, which seems a living thing. The writing is beautiful, evocative of the age in which the story is set, vivid, humorous, and even occasionally moving. There are scenes, particularly exchanges between Mary Russel and the Hazr brothers, that are jewels, sparkling with layers of meaning and emotion. The last two sentences of the book are unforgettable. This is one of my favorite novels; I have read others in the series and enjoyed them all, but in this one the author, Laurie King, somehow captured lightning in a bottle.

"O Jerusalem" is Laurie King's fifth book in her Holmes-Russell series; however, time wise it takes us back to the plot and time period of her first book "The Beekeeper's Apprentice." It's 1918. Nineteen-year-old Mary and her fifty-something mentor (Holmes) are forced to flee England to escape a deadly adversary. Sherlock's well-connected brother Mycroft sends them on a mission to Palestine. Here, a series of murders threatens the fragile peace. Disguised as itinerant Muslims and paired with two Arab spies, Mahmoud and Ali (fascinating characters in their own right). With their somewhat reluctant guides, Russell and Holmes travel through the Holy Land trying to figure out exactly why Mycroft has sent them. A pair of seemingly unrelated murders sets them on the track of a brilliant and power-hungry killer. Only Holmes and Russell (along with some unexpected allies) can stop their adversary from destroying Jerusalem.I am a bit surprised by some of the negative reviews of this books. The characterization of most characters is well developed, and especially those of Russell, Holmes, and two marvelously imagined Arab guides Mahmoud and Ali. King, like her scholarly protagonist Mary, is knowledgeable in biblical history, which adds to the realism of the story. Through King's personal study and research, she connects the reader with details of language, custom, history, and religion to this mysterious area of the Middle East. Strong use of descriptive phrases and sense imagery let us feel the heat and cough from the dust. King's knowledge and her affinity for this area of the world and people she is portraying make the story more compelling.Laurie King has quickly become one of my favorite authors. After reading the first three of the Holmes-Russell series which I loved, I grabbed King's first Martinelli mystery, "A Grave Talent," and I quickly realized that it is King's writing, and not just the Holmes-Russell series that I love! If you have NOT read any of the Holmes-Russell series yet, do start with "The Beekeeper's Apprentice;" it provides necessary background and sets the tone for the rest of the series, and especially for "O Jerusalem"!

Light but good read

I purchased this used and it turned out to have been from an Ontario library so it has the library plastic cover. This is Holmes and Russell early in their career fleeing from a dangerous enemy. Holes has asked his brother for suggestions as to where they might usefully go and Holmes gives the choice to Russell. As a well brought up Jewish girl she opts for Palestine in the hope that she might see Jerusalem. The time is 1919 so Palestine is not very stable under the British Protectorate and they are going to have to pass as Arabs so Russell spends the voyage out learning Arabic from Holmes, who (naturally) speaks it fluently. She already speaks Hebrew, but I wonder if it would be noticeable as academic.They are handed over to a pair of brothers, Muhammud and Ali Hasz, who are distinctly unimpressed with these two "amateurs". As they point out to Holmes, Palestine is not London and different rules obtain. It takes a long time for the Londoners to gain the trust of the two Arabs, but they finally do. This story, one of my favourites, is full of midnight creeping, long hikes in hot dust, obstreperous donkeys, and some peculiar archaeology. My minister had visited Israel twice and I gave her my original copy as some light reading for her sabbatical. As I say, I enjoy this book very much and have returned to it several times. If you can accept Holmes as an older man then there is nothing much else to strain your suspension of disbelief.

Never been drawn to Jerusalem until I read this book. Laurie King has a way with words that makes you feel like you are there with her characters.

Another good segment of the series. Fills in some gaps.

excellent