The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994)

Set after Sherlock Holmes's retirement, 16 year old bluestocking Mary Russell encounters and studies under the aging detective. ( )

This book was a prime example of why Alexlit's Hypatia was so wonderful -- I'd never heard of this book before it was recced there, and it's become one of my favorites. I love Mary Russell; I love reading about her training and her interactions with Holmes. The villain comes a little out of left field, but that didn't spoil the book for me.

Later books in the series are still fun, but none of them hold the place in my affections and rereads that this one does. ( )

4.5 stars

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If you’re in any way a fan of Sherlock Holmes, this book/series is a must read for you. I’m new to the world of Sherlock Holmes but I immediately loved him following his first book [b:A Study in Scarlet|102868|A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes, #1)|Arthur Conan Doyle|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266472643s/102868.jpg|1997473] and I desperately wanted to read more stories about him.

Sherlock Holmes is now a retired beekeeper residing in Sussex Downs. Despite the fact that he is retired, his mind is still just as sharp and he still assists the police in solving local cases. Sherlock Holmes meets Mary Russell (the narrator), a 15 year old young woman, one day and recognizes her as a like-minded individual almost instantly.
’The formality of his speech was faintly ludicrous considering that we were two shabby figures facing each other on an otherwise deserted hillside.’

Mary quickly becomes a sidekick to Holmes and he teaches her all the tricks of his trade. Despite her young age, despite the fact that she is female, she quickly becomes an equal to Sherlock which is quite a change when compared to the relationship between Sherlock and Watson.

”A conversation with you is most invigorating, Russell. That might have taken twenty frustrating minutes with Watson.”

I absolutely loved how true to form Sherlock was in this book and if I didn’t love him/this book enough as is, the addition of Mary made it absolute perfection. Their dry humor and verbal sparring was delightful. They began as friends and Mary was constantly striving for Sherlock’s approval.
’Ah, how sweet was the pleasure of seeing the look of appreciation spread over his face and hearing his murmured phrase, “Very good, very good indeed.” It was like coming home.’

The book actually spans quite a number of years as Mary is almost nineteen by the end. The progression of their relationship was lovely and despite the fact that it could be construed as inevitable it was still a delight to witness.
Reminders of my femininity always took him by surprise. However, I could not hold him to blame, for they took me by surprise as well.

This has absolutely become one of my favorites and I will definitely be continuing this series. Thank you Maja for the recommendation. :) ( )

It's 1915, a teenage girl is reading Virgil while walking on the Sussex Downs, and trips over Sherlock Holmes. This is the start of a friendship and apprenticeship that takes her into danger and very strange places. This is a combination Bildungsroman and novel of detection and suspense. It raises the questions what if Holmes took on an apprentice and what would a female Holmes be like, and comes up with halfway decent answers to both. It also comes up with a decent main villain, with a powerful motivation. ( )

I wrote a nice review, then crashed my browser window. This is the "I'm so not reconstructing that" rewrite version.

Read this, loved it. Not a huge Sherlock fan, but I liked the BBC miniseries, which is a very different sort of Holmes than this, but still quite recognizable. Mary might be just a little too perfect in the beginning, (with of course, her flaw/secret,) but it didn't bother me, because I really enjoyed the writing and pacing.

Haven't yet picked up Mary Russell #2, which might have been a mistake. I'd like some more please. ( )