A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King

This is the second book in Laurie R Kings series about Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes and once again I enjoyed her writing very much. The story here sees Mary coming to the end of her degree at Oxford and reaching her 21st birthday and thus gaining her inheritance and freedom from the despised guardian Aunt. The blurb for the story is...

"After a tedious visit from relatives, Mary is looking for respite in London when she comes across a friend from Oxford. The young woman introduces Mary to the enigmatic Margery Childe, leader of the New Temple of God, a charismatic sect involved in the post-World War One suffrage movement, with a feminist slant on Christianity. Intrigued and curious, Mary begins to wonder if the New Temple is a front for something more sinister. When a series of murders claims members of the movement's wealthy young female volunteers, Mary, with Holmes in the background, starts to investigate, but events spiral out of control as the situation becomes ever more desperate, and Mary's search plunges her into the worst danger she has yet faced... "

The two books that I've so far read in this series both tend to start of a little slowly but perseverance pays off and not only is there a good mystery story going on but Mary's academic background provides for some very interesting reading at times as well. Holmes is irresistable as always and is portrayed in these books with slightly softer edges than normal, he's a little less brittle I think but his mind is, of course, as sharp as ever. Regular characters from the Conan-Doyle books pop in and out - Mrs. Hudson, Mycroft and a Lestrade detective although it is the son of the original. I find these stories irresistable and am currently half way through the third one!

This is my 19th book for the Historical Fiction reading challenge.

Comments

[Pip]

An intriguing title that's for sure, I usually go about 100-150 pages and then if I'm not pulled in to the story by then I give up, unless it is an author I've read before then I will perservere a bit longer.

[Kathy]

Thank you for posting this. I read The Beekeeper's Apprentice years ago and loved it, but didn't know that there were others in a series. I'm off to find me a copy of this book. ( I also like how Holmes is portrayed, slightly soft, but still sharp as ever.)