Mary is not really a beekeeper...

The Beekeeper's Apprentice 

(On the Segregation of the Queen)

by Laurie R. King

I had just read this first book in King's Russell and Holmes

series when I met her on April 15th at the 

Christamore House Guild Book & Author Luncheon 

in Indianapolis.  

There are times when I have trouble imagining exactly

how an author conjures up a particular character or 

story arc, and I especially felt this about Mary Russell. 

How? How did Laurie King ever imagine a 'Mary Russell'?

When asked, King told me that 

"sometimes you keep playing with characters, 

you imagine them this way or that way, 

but sometimes, a character just comes to you, 

and that's it." 

And that is exactly how Mary Russell came to King...

all at once, 'just like that'!

Amazing! How does one get so very lucky?

Or how did King put herself in that place to imagine Mary?

Talk about fortuitous! And so enjoyable for us readers!

I now own a signed and personally inscribed copy of the 14th and most recent release in this series, The Murder of Mary Russell, and am determined to purchase all the other books in this series. I loved this first installment so very much I can only imagine these get better as you go! And I know the characters develop and change, so I definitely must read them in sequence. I did virtually force my husband to read this first one and he loved it so much he isn't waiting, but has been checking them out of the library and buzzing through the series. (However, just in case, you're wondering, he is not allowed to speak to me at all about them except to note whether he liked them or not. NO SPOILERS!! I want to discover everything for myself.) :) Rarely are there books that we both really love reading, but this series is one of those. I will add it to Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series in that regard. As a side note, when I noted to Laurie King that Mary Russell reminded me a bit of Flavia, she asked if I'd ever met Alan Bradley, and when I said I had not, she encouraged me to do so if I ever had the opportunity. He is evidently a nice guy! :)

If you decide to read this one, by all means please be aware that you MUST read the Editor's Preface! :) No, really...I must insist! Mary Russell is definitely my kinda woman! She is walking through Sussex Downs with her nose in a book! I had to laugh when I read this. It reminded me of my grandmother becoming angry with me for walking through the house while reading a book. I guess she thought I would fall and break a bone or something! :) Though Mary's book was written in Latin. Please note: none of mine were written in Latin, mainly because I would have never been able to read them! :)

As it was, my first awareness that there was another soul in the universe was when a male throat cleared itself loudly not four feet from me. The Latin text flew into the air, 
followed closely by an Anglo-Saxon oath. Heart pounding, I hastily pulled together what dignity 
I could and glared down through my spectacles at this figure hunched up at my feet: 
a gaunt, greying man in his fifties wearing a cloth cap, ancient tweed greatcoat, and decent shoes, with a threadbare army rucksack on the ground beside him. A tramp perhaps, who had left the rest of his possessions stashed beneath a bush. Or an eccentric. Certainly no shepherd. (5-6)

This description made me chuckle. Sherlock Holmes mistaken for a tramp? Phshaw! Though an eccentric? Yes, perhaps. And agreed. Not a shepherd. 

As they talk, she gives him her impressions:

"...I suspect that someone such as yourself would find it impossible to have an other than 
all-inclusive relationship with a woman, one that totally integrated all parts of your lives, 
unlike the unequal and somewhat whimsical partnership you have had with Dr. Watson." (21)

"I am now fifty-four. Conan Doyle and his accomplices at The Strand thought to make me more dignified by exaggerating my age. Youth does not inspire confidence, in life or in stories, 
as I found to my annoyance when I set up residence in Baker Street.
I was not yet twenty-one, and at first found the cases few and far between. 
Incidentally, I hope you do not make a habit of guessing. Guessing is a weakness brought on by indolence and should never be confused with intuition." (21) 

Not exactly a personable fellow, is he? He certainly says exactly what he thinks! No social filter here! :)

It turns out that Mary has a rather contentious relationship with her aunt who serves as her guardian, but once Mary had traced the woman's bank account, that basically squelched the possibility of her truly sabotaging any of Mary's plans, actions, or behaviors. I tell you what. I am rather glad Mary wasn't my child! I see that she could be 'a handful,' as they say! :) 

Three months after my fifteenth birthday Sherlock Holmes entered my life, to become my foremost friend, tutor, substitute father, and eventually confidant. (29)

In those first few weeks of spring I was like some tropical seed upon which was poured water and warmth. I blossomed, my body under the care of Mrs. Hudson and my mind under the care of this odd man, who had left behind the thrill of the chase in London and come to the quietest of country homes to raise bees, write his books, and, perhaps, to meet me. I do not know what fates put us less than ten miles from each other. I do know that I have never, in all my travels, met a mind like Holmes. 
Nor has he, he says, met my equal. (29)

Mary's aunt was not known for providing food, and Mrs. Hudson, Holmes' housekeeper, loved to feed people, hence, Mary's body was now well nourished. As was her mind...

Though Mary initially had little respect for Dr. Watson, after actually meeting and getting to know him, she admits to Holmes,

"I suppose you know I was prepared to hate him," I said finally.

"Oh yes." 
"I can see why you kept him near you. He's so...good, somehow. Naïve, yes, and

he doesn't seem terribly bright, but when I think of all the ugliness and evil and pain he's known... It's polished him, hasn't it? Purified him."

"Polished is a good image. Seeing myself reflected in Watson's eyes was useful when contemplating a case that was giving me problems. He taught me a great deal about how humans function, what drives them. He keeps me humble, does Watson." He caught my dubious look. 

"At any rate, as humble as I can be." (33)

Hah! Love that sly bit of humor. King has such humor sprinkled throughout and it greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the book. 

Mary was aware that several factors combined to make it possible for her to spend such long hours in Holmes' house: it was 1915 and wartime meant that social niceties of chaperonage were basically abandoned or, at best, weakly observed; her aunt cared little about Mary's actions or behaviors as long as they didn't impact her; her parents were dead; and perhaps most importantly, Mrs. Hudson's constant presence provided some semblance of propriety. This same circumstance of wartime loosening more rigid societal norms regarding relationships was depicted in 
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (In answer to your unspoken question, no, I have not yet finished re-reading it from last year...) and the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear (Yet more blog posts I need to finalize!). So war can be/is an impetus for psychosocial evolution in certain areas. While I consider such change to be freeing overall, I do not consider war to be good! 

...he tended to treat me more as a lad than as a girl and seemed in fact to solve any discomfort my sex might cause him by simply ignoring it: I was Russell, not some female, 

and if necessity required our spending time alone together, even spending the night without escort, then that is what we would do. First and foremost a pragmatist, 
he had no time for the interference of unnecessary standards. (35)

Does that mean the human species might actually evolve beyond the need for war? It is my fervent hope... Of course, World War I greatly decreased the number of young men in a society/culture, too. As Mary notes:

The Oxford University I came to in 1917 was a shadow of her normal,self-assured self, 

its population a tenth of that in 1914 before the war, 

a number lower even than in the years following the Black Death. (42)

That is a staggering amount of people gone...just gone...never to return. Of course, the college campuses would be greatly impacted, since most campus populations consisted mainly of younger white males, a few white females, and virtually few other, more diverse, students.

Mary remembering playing chess with Holmes:

...we played games without number under the hot sky. 
He no longer had to handicap himself severely in order to work for his victories. 
I still have that set, and when I open it I can smell the ghost of the hay 
that was being cut in a field below us, the day I beat him evenly for the first time. (41)

I'll just bet she remembers that! Mary returns from school and insists that Patrick, the farm's caretaker, allow her to help with some physical labor, to get back into shape, telling him, "if I don't get back to using my muscles, they'll forget how to function altogether." But she and Holmes continued playing chess, too...

"Sometimes you have to sacrifice the queen in order to save the game." (242)

This as Mary beats Holmes after returning from college, using a move her maths tutor had used to beat her.

Upon her arrival at Oxford, Mary is immediately recruited by "Ronnie" into the acting group and notes this left her with two unexpected legacies:

a coterie of lasting friends (Nothing binds like shared danger, however spurious.) and a distinct taste for the freedom that comes with assuming another's identity. (45)

The latter skill will come in handy during her "work" with Holmes. There are several "mysteries" in this first installment of the series. The first is a neighbor's suspicions regarding what she believes to be her husband's nefarious activities. The second involves a kidnapped 6-year-old child. And the third...well, it involves bombs...and disguises...and betrayal. 

I did not think of myself as a detective. I was a student of theology, 
and I was to spend my life in exploration, not of the darker crannies of human misbehaviour, 

but of the heights of human speculation concerning the nature of the Divine.
That the two were not unrelated did not occur to me for years. (34) 

A dream foreshadows some of their future challenges, as Mary remembers part of Holmes' book on beekeeping:

"A hive of bees should be viewed, not as a single species, but as a triumvirate of related types, mutually exclusive in function, but utterly and inextricably interdependent upon each other. 

A single bee separated from its sisters and brothers will die, even if given the ideal food and care. 

A single bee cannot survive apart from the hive." (167) 

That could most certainly be interpreted in many different ways...

Deciphering a code begins to break the case loose...

the decoded letters spell M-O-R-I-A-R-T-Y. 

But how could that be? 

He is most certainly dead...
by Holme's own hand,

isn't he? 

I can understand why this book was nominated for the Agatha Award in 1994!
I am planning to read the second book in the series this week! 
Have you read any historical mysteries?

The dangers of assuming a criminal case is "Open and Shut"...

Open and Shut by 

David Rosenfelt

This book proves that so very much can be 

'faked' and 'overlooked' when dealing with 

a criminal case, if the evildoers have enough control.

I do not recall how I initially became aware of Rosenfelt and his Andy Carpenter mystery series, 

but I am grateful to have found it!

I want to read them all!

I love Rosenfelt's characterization--not only do I feel as if I know each character well, I love that even "the good guys" aren't perfect! And the "bad guys" aren't all bad...well, except one or two... :) And there was no fear of me figuring out the whole story, though every once in awhile I would have a glimmer of possible insight, Rosenfelt was good at building the mysteries, for truly, there was more than one!

The book begins with a description of driving through the Lincoln Tunnel on his way to northern New Jersey from New York City. 
  I'm one link in an endless chain of drivers, all moving our cars through an atmosphere of one hundred percent pure carbon monoxide. Tunnel workers patrol walkways along the walls; I assume they are there to make sure no car achieves a speed above three miles an hour. Their lungs must have a life expectancy of an hour and a half. (1)
I found this first passage of the book to be a good example of Rosenfelt's writing style: realistic with sarcastic humor thrown in! I laughed and chuckled throughout the book, though the story line was definitely serious. 
  Suddenly, without warning, a burst of speed by the cars ahead lets me gun the accelerator to almost five miles an hour. At this rate, there's a chance I might make it home in time to leave for court tomorrow morning. (3)  
I cannot imagine driving in such traffic jams every single day. I have been stuck in commuting traffic in Baltimore, Chicago, Washington DC, and Atlanta. Those make the traffic I sometimes encounter in my own workday commute pale in comparison, which makes me feel fortunate! 

And anyone who can write about a canine companion as well as he does most certainly deserves to be read! 

  There is nothing like a golden retriever. I know, I know. It's a big planet with a lot of wonderful things, but golden retrievers are the absolute best. Mine is named Tara....The only problem she has ever caused is that I spend so much time with her in the mornings that I am almost invariably late for work. (4)

On his way into court:

I'd love to take her with me, and she often comes to my office, but the bailiffs take a dim view of canines in court. What they don't realize is that she's smarter than half the lawyers that practice there. (4) 

Okay, admittedly, it should state "who practice there" for grammatical accuracy, but...I do understand his statement! :)

Andy is known for his trickery in the court system. I could truly appreciate several of those depicted in the book, particularly the fact that if a jury could possibly believe someone else had just confessed to committing a specific crime, then they were NOT convinced beyond a "reasonable doubt" of the defendant's guilt. Good point! I have served on two juries and it can be tricky! You must keep your mind open and consider all possibilities. In contrast, his father, who was a venerated ex-District Attorney was known to be 'true blue' and never do anything untoward during his legal career--playing strictly 'by the book.' 

Rosenfelt manages to insert a bit of philosophy here and there:

  Today the Yankees are playing the Red Sox. I used to hate the Red Sox...and anybody else not in pinstripes. But I don't hate anymore, I'm too arrogant for that. To hate is to grant a level of importance that those teams don't deserve. We dismiss our opponents, we don't hate them. They are not worthy of that. (13)

Ha! I really like this. I have learned in my almost 60 years that the less I can allow myself to react emotionally, the better. That especially includes negative feelings toward anyone or anything. It's difficult to describe, but it does make my life much happier, much less chaotic, and my outlook much calmer. I work hard to coach myself to simply accept and deal in the best way possible, realizing situations over which I have absolutely no control and those upon which I might be able to make some positive impact.

More humor:

  I also was leery of mixing business with pleasure, cognizant as I was of the difficulties that can result. But the main reason I hesitated to sleep with Laurie is because whenever I brought it up she said no. Two weeks ago she changed her mind, which coincidentally was the exact moment I stopped hesitating. (19)

Ha! More of that 'tongue in cheek' humor! :) And later...

I haven't mentioned this to Laurie yet, and I tell myself it's because I haven't seen her. I also tell myself that I don't owe her anything, that we have no commitment to each other, but I can't quite get myself to stop feeling like a shithead. (29) 

And he was acting like a shithead, but it is true, isn't it? We all have times when we just can't make ourselves do what we know we should do...

Andy is representing the fruit stand owner's son and she is paying him with fruit every few days...

  On the way into the office I'm stopped by Sofia Hernandez, standing and waiting for me in front of her fruit stand. She hands me two cantaloupes, the second installment on her son's legal bills.

  "Thank you," I say. "You know, the best thing about being paid in cantaloupes is that they don't bounce."

  She doesn't come close to getting the joke. If a joke is told in a fruit stand and nobody gets it, did it make a sound? (45)

Oh, my. There is so much in this passage. Mainly, though, Rosenfelt demonstrates that humor is always the last nuance of a non-native language that will be understood by a non-native speaker. Humor is so closely tied to the specific culture that it is unfamiliar to the other person. Useful information to have and use! 

Such great descriptions! As he enters the prison's death row to visit with a client:

  The place seems entirely gray, as if I am looking at it through black and white eyes. The stench of hopelessness is everywhere; it feels like the animal shelter in which I found Tara. Everybody in cages, just waiting until it's time to die, knowing no one is coming to set them free. (25)

Whew! That's a pretty strong image and I imagine it is true. 

I admit that I was relieved to hear the truth about his father's actions 40 years earlier, as was Andy. There are several different mysteries involved in this one book, though in some ways they are intertwined. Although this book does involve a "conspiracy" it is not 'formulaic' as I would describe many of the writers who incorporate conspiracies into their mysteries. Rosenfelt is much more involved in the characters' personalities and motivations than just actions, and that's the kind of mystery writer whose works I most enjoy! Oh, it will be difficult not to just immerse myself in the rest of his books immediately! Library wishlist here I come! :)

Have you read any of Rosenfelt's books? 

I would heartily recommend you give this series a try!

Laugh out loud funny every single time!

I keep realizing that I have yet to blog about some of my absolute favorite books of all time! I blame that on the fact that I am so anxious to read more books, it is a task to pull myself away...to do anything else! :)

   

I adore the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich! There is no reading experience that compares to this for me! Each installment makes me laugh out loud...not just once or twice, but many many times. The characters and situations are so crazy and "unbelievable" as to be, well, almost believable! 

There are 21 books in this series at present. They are perhaps easily recognizable by the fact that their titles are sequentially numbered: One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to Get Deadly,...all the way to Top Secret Twenty-One. I own each and every one of these books as well as the "between" novels: Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin', Plum Lucky, and Plum Spooky. These latter novels tend to be much shorter. 

Although you most certainly do not have to read these in order, I really like to reread them in order every few years. I just feel it gives me much more appreciation for Stephanie's development (or lack thereof) through all her bizarre experiences. Perhaps the most entertaining part of reading this series is getting to know the "supporting cast" of characters. I find it difficult to believe that one person can create and develop such specifically oddball and unique characters! Evanovich has more than a fertile imagination--it qualifies as out of this world! 

Perhaps the two most scintillating characters are Ranger and Morelli; one the man who took Stephanie's virginity and the other sometimes rescues her and/or employs her. I'm going on record--I never want Stephanie to choose only one of these men! I think one of the most enjoyable aspects of this series is the fact that she has both of them in her life and they both (in their own way) do love her, and she them...

Then there is Stephanie's family: her mother who 'tipples' and irons when she gets extremely upset; her father who rarely speaks, communicating mainly using grunts; her Grandma Mazur who much prefers open casket funerals and will do her darnedest to attend every single funeral held in the Burg and make sure the casket IS open; and her perhaps-not-so-perfect sister, Valerie and her two children and new attorney husband... Morelli's Grandma Bella and "the eye." Don't forget the ex-husband, Dickie Orr, and new arch-nemesis fellow bounty hunter Joyce Barnhardt, the woman Stephanie caught with Dickie about 15 minutes before filing for divorce...

Who could ever forget Lula, the neon-colored 3-sizes-too-small spandex wearing "big-boned" but vertically-challenged ex-hooker, Vinny's file clerk and sometimes Stephanie's personal apprehension assistant! Transvestite rocker Sally Sweet, an obnoxious short person Randy Briggs, the I'll-eat-anything gigantic dog Bob, stoners Mooner and Dougie, office manager Connie, Mr. Jingles the alligator, Salvatore Sunucchi, to name just a few!

Interestingly, I notice readers post disgruntled reviews on Goodreads about this series, complaining that things never seem to change--each book is the same--yada yada yada. However, they keep reading and posting with each new release! Their complaints are exactly what I love about this series...so very predictable, especially the fact that I will laugh as I do at no other writing! 

I can't really pinpoint in detail what makes these books so darned appealing to me--I just know they are! How 'bout you? Have you tried one yet? If not, I suggest you do! Fun, fun, fun...