Product Description

In 1924, San Francisco is booming. The great fire and earthquake of 1906 cleared the ground for a modern city, but the closer she comes to the place she used to call home, the more troubling Mary Russell's dreams become...As Russell and her husband, the eminent Sherlock Holmes, attempt to settle their affairs in the City by the Bay, Mary's past isn't the only thing that catches up with them - a mysterious stranger is waiting for the pair, and may be the only one who holds the key to the locked rooms that have been haunting Mary's dreams...In "Locked Rooms", internationally best-selling author, Laurie R. King portrays the 1920s in exuberant detail and, with near-lyrical prose, presents a compelling murder mystery that will keep your imagination and attention locked in its pages until the very end.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #425565 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
'As dry, sparkling and delightful as good champagne' Washington Times

About the Author
Laurie R. King is the first novelist since Patricia Cornwell to win prizes for Best First Crime Novel on both sides of the Atlantic with the publication of her debut thriller, A Grave Talent. She is the bestselling author of eight Mary Russell mysteries, four contemporary novels featuring Kate Martinelli, and the bestselling novels A Darker Place and Folly. She lives in northern California.

Customer Reviews

Possibly the best Russell yet?
I've enjoyed all the Mary Russell books; but this one had something special. It played on all the things we know about Russell so far, and expanded them to something quite surprising. There's no trickery, no contrivance of the characters to get them to behave the way they do; and contrary to a previous reviewer, I think this is the best one in terms of character development, and the development of the Holmes/Russell relationship, yet. This series just seems to be getting better and better.

Can do better
This is the weakest of the Mary Russell series. The central idea of the novel is interesting but the writing appears to be rushed and is not up to Laurie King's usual standard. In the prologue to one of the earlier books in the series the author writes something to the effect that some writers have put Sherlock Holmes in unlikely situations and made him say unlikely things - sadly there is an element of this running through 'Locked Rooms'. This is especially the case when Holmes is talking about America and some of the dialogue does not ring true to character.

If you have enjoyed other books in the series it is worth reading 'Locked Rooms' as long as you don't expect too much in the way of character development or page turning excitement found in the rest of the series.

If you haven't read any of the Mary Russell books, then start with 'The Beekeepers Apprentice' - the first and best in the series with a cracking storyline, a book that i have re-read a number of times and still enjoy.

Locked rooms of the mind
The Mary Russell series has been extremely enjoyable, although for me this novel and "The Moor" stand out. Throughout the series we have learned about Mary's past and the tragedy that overcame her family, sending her to Sussex where she met Sherlock Holmes.

"Locked Rooms" uses the loss of her family as a central theme and following a series of nightmares during the voyage to San Francisco (where Mary must deal with business matters) Mary is compelled to revisit the terrible events that lead to the death of her parents and brother.

The story is well structured and is an excellent mystery with an ending that doesn't disappoint. It uses the San Francisco earthquake and fire as a background for earlier events; the effects of the 1st World War on the younger generation is also shown in the brittleness of some of the new friends that Mary makes during the course of the story.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a well written, thoughtful mystery. Laurie R. King has great skill in developing character and in creating a psychological aspect to her stories that give them depth. This, along with the rest of the series, is highly recommended.