Beekeeping for Beginners
by Laurie R. King 
Mary Russell: Chronological Order (Short Stories — April-May 1915), Mary Russell (Short Stories — short story)
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Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML:BONUS: This eBook includes an excerpt from Laurie R. King's Pirate King.In this crackling short story, New York Times bestselling author Laurie R. King reveals an unforgettable new twist in the adventure that led supersleuth Sherlock Holmes to discover his first (and finest) apprentice, Mary Russell.
Sherlock Holmes is fending off a particularly dark mood as he roams the Sussex Downs, in search of wild bees. The Great War may be raging across show more the Channel, but on the Downs, the great detective nears terminal melancholia—only to be saved by an encounter with headstrong, yellow-haired young Mary Russell, who soon becomes the Master’s apprentice not only in beekeeping but in detection.
Holmes instantly spots her remarkable ability, but his sharp eyes also see troubling problems. Why is this wealthy orphan who lives with her aunt so shabbily dressed? Why is she so prone to illness and accident? Is she herself the center of a mystery? These are questions that the great detective must answer quickly lest his protégée, and his own new lease on life, meet a sudden, tragic end.
The tale of their meeting has been told from Russell’s point of view, but even those who have never met the famed Russell-Holmes pair will read this tale with delight—and, as its climax builds, with breathless excitement. show less
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This is a quick glimpse at how it all began, when Sherlock Holmes met Mary Russell. On the very day he set out looking for a peaceful place to end it all, he met his future instead.
It's 1915, war is raging & the Lusitania has been sunk by the Germans. Holmes is 54 & after being gently pushed out of the action by the British government, he's licking his wounds at his estate in Sussex. Depression has always been lurking in the shadows & the great detective used his work to keep it at bay. Now, with no cases to solve & bored out of his mind, Holmes begins to consider suicide. His practical brain believes if one can't be useful, one is just taking up space.
He sets out to follow some wild bees, bringing along a little bottle to drink once show more he's found the perfect spot. Unfortunately, he's soon interrupted by a young lad in grubby clothes. Initially annoyed, he can't help but notice the youth is both smart & observant. When his cap comes off, he also notices the long blond braids. A girl?
Mary Russell is staying on the estate she inherited when her parents died. She lives with a greedy aunt & her boorish son, treated more like the hired help than an heiress. She has plans to go to Oxford but in the meantime, can't resist Holmes' offer to tutor her.
Both Watson & Mrs. Hudson are gobsmacked when Sherlock takes on an apprentice & seems interested in life again but hey....whatever puts the spring back in his step. What none of them can know is the next case he takes on will be one to save Mary's life.
If you've read the other books in this excellent series you have some idea of what to expect: great characters, intrigue, wonderful prose & intelligent dialogue infused with a dry wit.
It was a pleasure to read about the start of their remarkable relationship while impatiently waiting for the next book. show less
It's 1915, war is raging & the Lusitania has been sunk by the Germans. Holmes is 54 & after being gently pushed out of the action by the British government, he's licking his wounds at his estate in Sussex. Depression has always been lurking in the shadows & the great detective used his work to keep it at bay. Now, with no cases to solve & bored out of his mind, Holmes begins to consider suicide. His practical brain believes if one can't be useful, one is just taking up space.
He sets out to follow some wild bees, bringing along a little bottle to drink once show more he's found the perfect spot. Unfortunately, he's soon interrupted by a young lad in grubby clothes. Initially annoyed, he can't help but notice the youth is both smart & observant. When his cap comes off, he also notices the long blond braids. A girl?
Mary Russell is staying on the estate she inherited when her parents died. She lives with a greedy aunt & her boorish son, treated more like the hired help than an heiress. She has plans to go to Oxford but in the meantime, can't resist Holmes' offer to tutor her.
Both Watson & Mrs. Hudson are gobsmacked when Sherlock takes on an apprentice & seems interested in life again but hey....whatever puts the spring back in his step. What none of them can know is the next case he takes on will be one to save Mary's life.
If you've read the other books in this excellent series you have some idea of what to expect: great characters, intrigue, wonderful prose & intelligent dialogue infused with a dry wit.
It was a pleasure to read about the start of their remarkable relationship while impatiently waiting for the next book. show less
This is a novella in the Mary Russell series, of which there about a dozen books to date. In them King gives Sherlock Holmes a female counterpart and professional and, eventually, romantic partner in the unlikely person of Mary Russell, a Jewish American forty years younger. She sets all these tales after 1914, when the last of the Arthur Conan Doyle originals were penned. This particular story is set in the time frame of the first novel in the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice. I don't know if someone unfamiliar with the series would be charmed, but I sure was. It was a lot of fun, particularly since the series is almost always from Mary's point of view, so it was great getting Holmes perspective for once. My only complaint was that show more it was all too short--only 60 pages. Especially considering that aside from seeking out the short story "Mrs Hudson's Case" I'm afraid I now have to withstand the pangs of withdrawal. No more Mary Russell for me until the new book by King due in early 2015. At least this one left me grinning. show less
I like Laurie King's work in general and love her take on Sherlock Holmes through the character of Mary Russell. I was not so taken with this story and I realized that part of the problem for me is the point of view. Holmes is a fascinating character to describe from the outside, but is very difficult to make believable from the inside. I was not fully convinced by the first-person Holmes here. That said, I'll continue to read books in the Russell series and I'm looking forward to her forthcoming historical mystery: The Bones of Paris. I appreciate the way she weaves her theological studies into the fiction.
I loved this look at the beginning of the Holmes/Russell relationship. Watching Holmes draw back from his desire to end his life and get engaged in the mystery of what was happening in Mary's life - I just enjoyed it all!
A novella that introduces a series where the retired Sherlock Holmes, keeping bees on the Sussex Downs, meets a young would be sleuth Mary Russell. In this introductory story, he foils a plot against the young girl's life. Good, with a generally authentic Conan Doyle style, this started very powerfully, but didn't in my view quite live up to its initial promise. I will try the first full length book in the series, though. 4/5
This was a fun short story/ novella to read. While published 17 years after The Beekeeper's Apprentice, the first book in the Mary Russell series, this story is best read as a companion piece to the first book. Told predominantly from the point of view of Holmes, the story starts off at the same place [The Beekeeper's Apprentice] does, with Russell and Holmes' chance encounter in the Sussex countryside. King keenly captures Holmes' personality and mindset while providing Holmes with a new lease on life as he works behind the scenes to protect Russell.
Overall, a very quick and satisfying read for this Holmes fan.
Overall, a very quick and satisfying read for this Holmes fan.
I thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to Laurie R. King's series featuring the aging Holmes and his young apprentice. This short story worked perfectly to showcase the author's writing, especially her excellence in capturing the 'voice' of Holmes. I thought this was a fast paced story that was also charming and bittersweet. It's really whet my appetite for more. Well done!
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Author Information
80+ Works 46,743 Members
Laurie R. King is the bestselling author of "A Darker Place," four contemporary novels featuring Kate Martinelli, and five acclaimed Mary Russell mysteries. She lives in northern California. Her newest book is the ninth one in the Mary Russell mystery series, The Language of Bees. (Publisher Provided) Laurie R. King is a mystery writer, who holds show more a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in theology. Her first novel, Grave Talent, was published in 1993 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Since then, she has written over twenty books including the Mary Russell Mysteries series, the Stuyvesant and Grey series, the Kate Martinelli Mystery series, A Darker Place, Folly, and Keeping Watch. She has also co-authored a number of nonfiction works and anthologies including Crime Writing, The Grand Game, and Studies in Sherlock. Laurie's title, Dreaming Spies, is a 2015 New York Times Bestseller. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Laurie R. King is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Beekeeping for Beginners
- Original publication date
- 2011
- People/Characters
- Sherlock Holmes; John H. Watson (M.D.); Mary Russell; Mrs. Hudson
- Important places
- England, UK; London, England, UK; Sussex, England, UK
- Important events
- World War I (1914 | 1918)
- Dedication
- To the new bee
- First words
- Any reasonable man may reach a point in his life where self-destruction becomes a door worthy of consideration. A point at which it seems that the least a walking anachronism can do for the world is to remove himself from clu... (show all)ttering the landscape.
- Quotations
- There's nothing quite so handy as a nice controlled explosive device.
Rule One of surveillance is the same as that for beekeeping: Remain calm. Attitude is all, when it comes to disguise. If one does not emanate tension - rather, if one only emanates the diffuse tension of any ordinary city-dwe... (show all)ller - even a suspicious eye will not snag upon one's figure. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)For of all the rules of beekeeping, Rule Three is prime: Never, ever, cease to feel wonder.
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Statistics
- Members
- 337
- Popularity
- 93,994
- Reviews
- 30
- Rating
- (3.90)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 5
