A Letter of Mary (A Mary Russell Novel) - Softcover

King, Laurie R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553577808 ISBN 13: 9780553577808

Publisher: Bantam, 1998

Synopsis

Late in the summer of 1923, Mary Russell Holmes and her husband, the illustrious Sherlock Holmes, are ensconced in their home on the Sussex Downs, giving themselves over to their studies: Russell to her theology, and Holmes to his malodorous chemical experiments. Interrupting the idyllic scene, amateur archaeologist Miss Dorothy Ruskin visits with a startling puzzle. Working in the Holy Land, she has unearthed a tattered roll of papyrus with a message from Mary Magdalene. Miss Ruskin wants Russell to safeguard the letter. But when Miss Ruskin is killed in a traffic accident, Russell and Holmes find themselves on the trail of a fiendishly clever murderer. Clearly there was more to Miss Ruskin than met the eye. But why was she murdered? Was it her involvement in the volatile politics of the Holy Land? Was it her championing of women's rights? Or was it the scroll--a deeply troubling letter that could prove to be a Biblical bombshell? In either case, Russell and Holmes soon find that solving her murder may be murder itself.

About this title

Review:

Sherlock Holmes and his scholarly companion Mary Russell are caught up in an exciting mystery when an archaeologist leaves them with a treasured find, a papyrus supposedly written by Mary Magdalene. When the archaeoligist winds up dead and someone attempts to make off with the artifact, Holmes and Russel become embroiled in a rollicking story filled with political intrigue and highbrow sleuthing. The level of writing hasn't been higher in this Laurie King series.

From the Publisher:

"A lively adventure in the very best of intellectual company."
--The New York Times Book Review

"The great marvel of King's series is that she's managed to preserve the integrity of Holmes's character and yet somehow conjure up a woman astute, edgy, and compelling enough to be the partner of his mind as well as his heart....superb."
--The Washington Post Book World

"A wonderful book, simultaneously inventive, charming, witty, and suspenseful. I loved it."
--Elizabeth George

"An intellectual puzzler, full of bright red herrings and dazzling asides."
--Chicago Tribune

About this edition

• Publisher: Bantam
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0553577808
• ISBN 13: 9780553577808
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 352