1996; 315 pages. Genre : Mystery. Sub-Genre : Sherlock Holmes. Book #3 in the "Mary Russell" series. New Author? : No. Overall Rating : 5*/10.
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The third book in this series finds Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes now married and still sleuthing. A Letter Of Mary opens with a cantankerous lady archaeologist paying a visit to get their opinion of an ancient papyrus scroll that seems to have been written by Mary Magdalene. That would seem to be an obvious hoax, until someone murders the archaeologist and ransacks the Holmes/Russell abode in an apparent search for the scroll.
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What's To Like...
Mycroft Holmes is back, as is Inspector Lestrade. Russell and Holmes make for a fascinating couple. Particularly Mary, who is an anachronistic feminist. Some people were put off by this, but I thought it was a unique and worthy twist. Plus, Mary is left-handed, a sure sign of genius.
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The descriptions of 1923 London are neat, and some obscure tidbits of historical trivia are sprinkled throughout. For example, I got to learn about Abishag and Shunammism. Thank you, Wikipedia! The wit runs the length of the story and is quite entertaining.
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In the end however, any book that name-drops Sherlock Holmes will inevitably be compared to Arthur Conan Doyle's works, and in that respect, ALOM falls flat. There are very few Holmesian feats of observation, and when the breakthrough finally comes, it feels like an arbitrary turn of events. Far too many pages are filled with dead-ends (although I suppose you could claim they were red herrings), and the titular letter has almost nothing to do with the story.
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Kewl New Word...
Tutrix : a female tutor. (is that a kewl word, or what?! and I've changed the format of this section - from now on it will be one KNW per book, max.)
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Excerpts...
"Shall we see her?"
"We? My dear Russell, I am the husband of an emancipated woman who, although she may not yet vote in an election, is at least allowed to see her own friends without male chaperonage.:
"Don't be an ass, Holmes. She obviously wants to see both of us..." (pg. 7)
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Actually, I am not against the killing of foxes, being a farmer myself and having lost numerous poultry to them over the years. What I dislike is the unnecessary glorification of bloodthirstiness. We no longer execute our criminals with the prolonged agony of stoning or torture, and I cannot see why we should grant a wild creature any less dignity. (pg. 210-211)
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Cor, stone the crows, as my granfa' used to say..." (pg. 186)
This is the second book I've read from this series (the other one is reviewed here), and both left me muttering "meh". I almost think Laurie King would've been better off developing Mary Russell as a free-standing character. The feminist and theological angles could be more fully addressed, without being overshadowed by the unavoidable and distracting comparison to Conan Doyle's stories.
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OTOH, with some additional effort, A Letter Of Mary really could've been a fine Sherlock Holmes tale. Add in some more Holmesian deductions, tie in all the tangents, make the breakthrough a "Cold Case" type clue that would be easily overlooked at first glance, and give the purported ancient letter some relevance, even if it turns out to be a forgery. Arthur Conan Doyle would have done as much. 5 Stars.
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