Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Art of Detection
    The Art of Detection
    The Art of Detection
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Art of Detection

    Written by Laurie R. King

    Narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan and Robert Ian Mackenzie

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In this thrilling new crime novel that ingeniously bridges Laurie R. King's Edgar and Creasey Awards-winning Kate Martinelli series and her bestselling series starring Mary Russell, San Francisco homicide detective Kate Martinelli crosses paths with Sherlock Holmes-in a spellbinding dual mystery that could come only from the "intelligent, witty, and complex" mind of New York Times bestselling author Laurie R. King. Kate Martinelli has seen her share of peculiar things as a San Francisco cop, but never anything quite like this: an ornate Victorian sitting room straight out of a Sherlock Holmes story-complete with violin, tobacco-filled Persian slipper, and gunshots in the wallpaper that spell out the initials of the late queen. Philip Gilbert was a true Holmes fanatic, from his antiquated dEcor to his vintage wardrobe. And no mere fan of fiction's great detective, but a leading expert with a collection of priceless memorabilia-a collection some would kill for. And perhaps someone did: In his collection is a century-old manuscript purportedly written by Holmes himself-a manuscript that eerily echoes details of Gilbert's own murder. Now, with the help of her partner, Al Hawkin, Kate must follow the convoluted trail of a killer-one who may have trained at the feet of the greatest mind of all times.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJun 5, 2009
    ISBN9781440756382
    The Art of Detection
    Author

    Laurie R. King

    Laurie R. King is the Edgar Award–winning author of the Kate Martinelli novels and the acclaimed Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes mysteries, as well as a few stand-alone novels. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, the first in her Mary Russell series, was nominated for an Agatha Award and was named one of the Century’s Best 100 Mysteries by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. A Monstrous Regiment of Women won the Nero Wolfe Award. She has degrees in theology, and besides writing she has also managed a coffee store and raised children, vegetables, and the occasional building. She lives in northern California.

    More audiobooks from Laurie R. King

    Related to The Art of Detection

    Titles in the series (3)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Andrew Caldecott

      Jul 17, 2019

      Andrew Caldecott
      3 min read

    • Article

      The holiday HOME

      Jul 7, 2022

      The holiday HOME
      4 min read

    • Article

      Pattern Recognition

      Mar 4, 2024

      Five hours’ New York jet lag and Cayce Pollard wakes in Camden Town to the dire and ever-circling wolves of disrupted circadian rhythm. It is that flat and spectral nonhour, awash in limbic tides, brainstem stirring fitfully, flashing inappropriate r

      3 min read

    • Article

      “What Kind of Kid Would Do This?”: An Excerpt from Rita Cameron’s ‘The House Party’

      Sep 9, 2022

      He’d imagined himself in an office with parquet floors and brass fixtures. Maybe even a bar cart. The reality of public service had turned out to be a little different. The post “What Kind of Kid Would Do This?”: An Excerpt from Rita Cameron’s ‘The H

      6 min read

    • Article

      They Got Their Show

      Aug 10, 2021

      It is midnight in Ponderosa and Nick Velasquez can’t sleep. The public doesn’t want him to sleep. It’s been like this ever since it hit all the big streaming platforms. The viewers stay up bingeing and he… well, he has been bingeing in his own way. W

      14 min read

    • Article

      Part Three - The Engraver And Printer

      May 14, 2021

      It was now late evening and Noella tentatively tapped an impeccably glossy front door to a grand terraced house in Barclay Square. Her excitement of the day, and the thrill of meeting Count Ferrari, had evaporated into a weary need for food and a bed

      4 min read

    • Article

      Licensed To Chill

      Feb 24, 2022

      Licensed To Chill
      9 min read

    • Article

      Licensed To Chill

      Feb 24, 2022

      Licensed To Chill
      9 min read

    • Article

      It Happened to Me…

      Apr 21, 2022

      It Happened to Me…
      8 min read

    • Article

      Who’s In The Spare Room?

      Feb 20, 2020

      Who’s In The Spare Room?
      2 min read

    • Article

      Beyond Rose Street

      Nov 10, 2021

      “Don’t tell anyone what happened to Tyler.” I stop running just long enough to turn, hoping for more instructions, but Leyton is already sprinting up his porch steps and through his front door. “Should we—” He slams the door behind him. Even from whe

      20 min read

    • Article

      Freedom: An Ohio Gothic

      May 10, 2019

      Freedom: An Ohio Gothic
      16 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems by Anders Carlson-Wee

      Sep 15, 2019

      The Grand Am’s window rolled down but it was too dark out to see in: a hand waved me over, a voice asked if I wanted to make some quick cash standing right where I was standing for the next ten minutes, simple as that. Just stand here? I said. Simple

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Pool

      Sep 10, 2023

      It had been about ten years since I’d driven down West Flagler. Even when Jack and I moved to Orlando, the apartment complexes on both sides of the street were already in disrepair. I still remember them when my parents and I moved here in 1974. They

      9 min read

    • Article

      The Locksmith

      Jun 1, 2022

      THE LOCKSMITH cannot speak well. He never liked school. When he was a child, the others called him Tombstone. They threw things at him. Bottles and food waste and dirt clumps studded with gravel. Though he was much larger than they were, he remained

      9 min read

    • Article

      When Your New York Apartment Has a Secret Literary Past

      Mar 13, 2017

      It was about three years ago now that my boyfriend and I met the broker of our current apartment. On that December morning, we walked down 84th Street, scanning the building numbers until we found our destination. I felt mildly disappointed as the br

      14 min read

    • Article

      The HOOD LIFE

      Dec 16, 2021

      The HOOD LIFE
      10 min read

    • Article

      Getting Up

      Oct 15, 2022

      Getting Up
      20 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Art of Detection

    4/5

    19 ratings13 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I absolutely LOVED this novel. Beginning a Sherlock Holmes story into the present day, connecting past and present was tantalizing. I have read this book a couple of times and will probably read it again and again. Definitely a MUST buy.
    • 3/5
      Compared to previous Kate Martinelli novels, this one was lacking. The story within the story was excellent- very compelling. The modern portion felt like a very rickety infrastructure thrown together in order to showcase the pro-lesbian sentiment that popped up throughout the book. The part that detailed the friends that Lee invited over for the inpromptu dinner party felt more like an Oscar acceptance speach with all the name dropping, and the emotional tone was as if King inserted and entire 3 pages with Kate's precincts morning roll call. The end effect is that I finished the book a week ago, and not only can I not remember who the murder was, I don't even remember who got killed. I gave it 3 stars because the Holmes story within the story was possibly the best that King has written.
    • 4/5
      This was admittedly my first 'Kate' book - I've been an avid reader of LRK's Mary Russell series for several years. That said, I did enjoy it, particularly the cameo crossover. The murder itself, however, wasn't as satisifying as I would have liked - and reminded me remarkably of A Letter of Mary.
    • 5/5
      Ms. King's writing is excellent as always. Personally I would have loved the book to be 10 times as long and focus exclusively on Kate and Lee's personal life. But just because that's a personal fantasy of mine it would be unfair to judge the book negatively because the author followed her usual modus operandi and actually included a mystery and focused on the plot. Anyone who has been following the series knows Ms. King titillates her readers with poignant but alas brief glimpses into the characters private lives and she focuses on the plot. I can't wait for the next entry in the Martinelli saga. Kudos and my heartfelt thanks to the author.
    • 3/5
      San Francisco detectives are called to an eccentric Sherlock Holmes fan's murder. Mystery revolves around a missing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle short story. I was disappointed in this book.
    • 4/5
      One of my favorite mystery authors. I love this series.
    • 4/5
      The most recent by my favorite detective writer. The usual enjoyable read, this based in modern San Francisco and with the victim a Sherlock Holmes fanatic. Not one of her best, but still lots of fun.
    • 4/5
      This was the most enjoyable Kate Martinelli book I've read yet. Kate Martinelli is an out lesbian cop in San Francisco. It always surprised me that the author is not a lesbian--nonetheless it's a well-written series. I was a little annoyed at first that this book involves a Sherlock Holmes fan club--I mean she's already written a whole series about Holmes--is she completely obsessed?! But it is an engaging mystery and I even enjoyed the "story within a story" technique though I don't usually like that. It was also nice to finally read a book in the series in which Kate's personal life is going really well, defying the stereotype that you can't be a cop/detective and have any kind of satisfying home life.
    • 4/5
      The fifth book in the Kate Martinelli series. The body of Philip Gilbert is found in a former gun emplacement across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Gilbert proved to be a true Sherlock Holmes fanatic down to the details of his home with gas lamps and antiques. He also had a large collection of Holmes memorabilia--perhaps one that some would kill for. Included in that collection is a old manuscript with details that echo the details of Gilbert's own murder. With her partner, Al Hawkin, Kate must follow the trail of the killer. An interesting tale within a tale style of book leading the detectives to the murderer.
    • 2/5
      In this story, Laurie King introduces the tale of what Sherlock Holmes was up to in San Francisco while Mary Russell was doing her thing. In doing so, Kate Martinelli must read the story to find clues to a modern crime which she must solve.Laurie King obviously had an agenda to get across in writing this, which was a big turn off for me. I like my mysteries to be for the sake of the mystery, not to solve social issues. That being said, had it been any other author, I probably wouldn't have finished it, but I was able to finish this. Not my favorite by far, and not one I will be purchasing, but the story within the story which told about Sherlock in San Francisco was fun to read.
    • 4/5
      I am a big fan of King's Russell/Holmes mysteries, but have generally not found the Martinelli mysteries to my taste (I'm not a big fan of police procedurals). Since this one combines the two, it was recommended to me to read it. Overall, I enjoyed the story - especially the Sherlock Holmes short story within - and the dynamics of the Sherlockian group. Recommended if you're a fan of the Russell/Holmes books since it ties in with those.
    • 3/5
      In this, the fifth in the Kate Martinelli series, King connects that series, set in present-day San Francisco, with her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. Devotees of the Conan Doyle stories of Sherlock Holmes form clubs or societies, where members dress in period costumes and meet for various social occasions. Some go to extreme lengths in what becomes nearly full-time role-playing. Philip Gilbert was one such. When he is found murdered in an old gun emplacement on the Marin headlands, Martinelli and her partner Al Hawkins follow a set of puzzling clues that include the possibility of an unpublished, original story by Conan Doyle.While there is a great deal of involvement and information about modern Sherlockians, there is no need to read the original Sherlock Holmes stories, as all the involvement is peripheral to the stories themselves. But it is a fascinating look into the world of those devotees who throw themselves with amazing enthusiasm into the Victorian world of Holmes. It enhances the police procedural part of the story.In addition, there is a subplot involving the death of a young gay soldier in the post World War I area in that same area, that lends spice and interest to the main plot.Those are, in my opinion, the good parts of the book. However, I have never really taken to the Mattinelli series because to me Martinelli and her partner lee have never come across as a real lesbian couple. while I think that King is very sympathetic to her characters, she is not empathetic--they are too politically correct, too stiff, too perfect.In this book, they are now the perfect lesbian family, since Lee has had a daughter who is now 3 years old. The child is so perfect as to be nauseating. And a number of stock lesbian characters show up as well--the minister who is a political activist, the radical. I have known people like that rather well, and none of them are as politically correct as these are; to me, they come across as stereotypes, not as real people.And the end of the book wraps up the modern and 1920s eras into a nice, sentimental package. My problem is that I am anything but a sentimentalist, and I do not think that King handled this part of the story well at all. It's just too pat.When Martinelli does her police work, she’s good. But her private life smacks of good intentions rather than reality.
    • 4/5
      I loved the way Ms. King ties her two series together in this novel. It's subtle, and really only meaningful for readers of her Sherlock Holmes series, but still fun nevertheless. This novel deals in a big way with gay and lesbian relationships and the public view of those relationships.