The Beekeeper’s Apprentice

Or, On the Segregation of the Queen
by Laurie R. King
ages: adult
First sentence: “I was fifteen when I first met Sherlock Holmes, fifteen years old with my nose in a book as I walked the Sussex Downs, and nearly stepped on him.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I would have never, ever picked up this book if it weren’t for a suggestion by Kelly at The Written World to do a buddy read. We tossed a few ideas back and forth, and she suggested this one. I had no idea what it was, I’d never heard of the author or the book… but it sounded interesting, so I said yes.

And was most pleasantly surprised.

Mary Russell was 15 years old when she met the by-then infamous Sherlock Holmes. It didn’t take very long for the two of them to become inseparable, and over the years, she ultimately became his apprentice. They tackled a few minor cases together, and as exercises, he lobbed cases (both from the newspaper and a few he was working on) at her. It wasn’t until the kidnapping of the American senator’s daughter, Jessica Simpson, that Mary was able to become a full-fledged partner. And it was a good thing, because soon afterward Holmes and Russell — as they called each other — were to face their most brilliant, most formidable foe yet.

I answered a few questions Kelly asked about the book; head over to her blog to see her answers to the questions I asked her.

When I recommended this book you weren’t entirely sure of it, and then when you finished it you seemed surprised that you liked it. Why didn’t you think that this book was going to work for you?
Mostly because I don’t particularly like mysteries. I don’t know why, because when I finish one — hopefully, it’s good — I realize that I usually have a grand adventure while reading it. They just aren’t at the top of my list of things to read, and I usually have low expectations. Perhaps that’s why I’m generally surprised when I like them!

What was it about the book that made you enjoy it?
I think a lot of it was the way she portrayed Sherlock Holmes. I’ve read some of the stories, but I’m a fan of the Jeremy Brett/BBC Sherlock Holmes series from the mid-80s. I don’t know if King was, too, but I kept picturing Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, and all the quirks and idiosyncrasies he brought to the character. It was also a pretty decent plot, though it took a while for it to get going for me.

Did you find the book believable based on the time period it was set during and what you know about Sherlock Holmes?
Yeah… I guess. I’m not really that versed on early 20th-century England, or even Sherlock Holmes, so I’m not quite sure how to answer that. The introduction of cars and phones in Holmes’ world worked for me.
Did you like Mary Russell? Was she a believable character?
I did like Mary Russell. I thought she was smart and resourceful, with a wicked sense of humor — loved the prank she pulled where she dressed up as the Indian dignitary for the term — and great intuition. I suppose the hesitancy of Holmes to completely trust her was applicable for the time period, but if I had one criticism is was that I wanted more from Mary. Especially near the end.

What did you think about the case and how it related to the plot?
Hm. I’m not sure what you’re trying to ask… if it’s how did I think the case related to the growing friendship (love?) between Holmes and Russell, then I thought it worked very well. I would have liked to seen more of them cooperating, bantering back and forth, using their minds and deductive reasoning to solve cases. But, if you’re asking what I thought of the main case as a whole, I thought it was interesting, but not especially super-well plotted as far as mysteries go. Then again, I’m not the world’s best judge of that! I found it interesting, if a bit meandering.

Easy question: Will you be reading the rest of the books in the series?

Maybe. Not right away; I don’t feel an urge to rush out and get the next book. This one stood alone quite well. But, maybe if I ever get in a mystery mood again, I’ll seek out the next one in the series.

3 thoughts on “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice”

Leave a comment