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    Island of the Mad
    Island of the Mad
    Island of the Mad
    Audiobook11 hours

    Island of the Mad

    Written by Laurie R. King

    Narrated by Jenny Sterlin

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes untangle the slippery threads of insanity and deadly secrets as they investigate a disappearance in the New York Times bestselling series that Lee Child called "the most sustained feat of imagination in mystery fiction today." A June summer's evening, on the Sussex Downs, in 1925. Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes are strolling across their orchard when the telephone rings: an old friend's beloved aunt has failed to return following a supervised outing from Bedlam. After the previous few weeks-with a bloody murder, a terrible loss, and startling revelations about Holmes,Russell is feeling a bit unbalanced herself. The last thing she wants is to deal with the mad, and yet, she can't say no. The Lady Vivian Beaconsfield has spent most of her adult life in one asylum after another, yet she seemed to be improving-or at least, finding a point of balance in her madness. So why did she disappear? Did she take the family's jewels with her, or did someone else? The Bedlam nurse, perhaps? The trail leads Russell and Holmes through a lunatic asylum's stony halls to the warm Venice lagoon, where ethereal beauty is jarred by Mussolini's Blackshirts, where the gilded Lido set may be tempting a madwoman, and where Cole Porter sits at a piano, playing with ideas.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJun 12, 2018
    ISBN9781501990663
    Island of the Mad
    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.

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    Reviews for Island of the Mad

    4/5

    213 ratings40 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Good story. 4 stars for a bit too much Venice travelogue. Best part is the end when Holmes and Russell are working together. Perfect narration as always.
    • 4/5
      Excellent book, but another Brit narrator making all the Americans sound like gangsters.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book, as one loves it when old friends come to visit -- easy, uncomplicated delight, with a good story thrown in. I very much enjoyed the historical content -- on psychological care, Venice, the rise of the facists, homosexuality and the party set abroad, Cole Porter -- I feel that I learned quite a lot.
      I found that the mystery side of things left a little to be desired, because I felt that Vivian's situation was transparent to me from the start, but I fear that was more because of the times I live in. I found the transparent sexual abuse to be deeply depressing, in a how much things have not changed kind of way, but at least the autonomy of women has somewhat improved. Nonetheless, timely. Nonetheless, a fascinating and pleasant sojourn between the pages.
    • 3/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed the two Mary Russell installments that (I believe) directly preceded [Island of the Mad], [Dreaming Spies] and [The Murder of Mary Russell]. After some mid-series klunkers, Mary was coming back a little leaner, cleaner, and better edited. I was primed for another "new and improved" escapade.The series has shifted to a much heavier focus on Mary, which is acceptable, as Holmes isn't getting any younger. The mystery leads the couple to 1920's Venice, and Laurie King did a superb job of plunking the reader smack dab in the setting, as well as blending in some actual historical personalities.However, Holmes' role in this episode (discovering the whereabouts of a missing heiress) is almost parenthetical, and the danger level was so low it didn't raise a single goosebump. Come on, Mary, you've got more spunk than that!
    • 5/5
      Mary gets a phone call from a college friend which sends her off on her next case. Ronnie Beaconsfield Fitzwarren is concerned about her Aunt Vivian who has disappeared. Vivian has spent years in and out of asylums, most recently Bedlam for a series of mental health issues. Mary met her once when she accompanied Ronnie and her new baby son to Bedlam to show him off to her aunt. Apparently, she and a nurse got a weekend pass to visit her older brother Edward, Marquess of Selwick, on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday. She disappeared along with jewels she inherited from her mother and a few other trinkets from the family safe. She had a pretty good head start since she left before the birthday celebration and wasn't noted as missing until she didn't return to Bedlam some days later. Mary goes down to Selwick to investigate and get a better picture of Lady Vivian than her one meeting afforded her. She meets the Marquess and takes an immediate dislike to him as he is a rather unintelligent misogynist in love with his own opinions and the sounds of his own voice and who has taken a strong interest in Benito Mussolini who is bringing fascism to Italy. Her other interviews with staff who remembered her don't really give her any clues to where she might be.Meanwhile, Holmes has been looking for Lady Vivian in London including checking jewelers and pawn shops which might have received her jewelry. Mary decides she needs to check Lady Vivian's medical files at Bedlam and manages to get herself committed - briefly. Speaking with other inmates and checking Lady Vivian's files leads her to think that she might have gone to Venice.Holmes was all set to let her go to Venice alone until Mycroft drafts him to go along and look into the fascists who are gaining control there. Together and separately, Russell and Holmes investigate with Holmes becoming an acquaintance of Cole Porter and his wife and Russell becoming part of Elsa Maxwell's Lido set. Secrets are discovered and the two cases come together. Along the way, the reader sees what Venice was like in 1925, what is was like to be a woman at that time, what the social and sexual mores were, and what fascism was doing to Italy. The clever conclusion allows right to triumph and villains to get their well-earned comeuppance. This was another wonderful entry into a long-running series.
    • 4/5
      Russell and Holmes are in Venice on dual missions -- the saving of a Lady in distress and the investigation of the growth of Fascism in Italy. All this takes place in the hedonism of the 20s. There y also an interesting collection of side characters. I love this series.
    • 4/5
      As always, if you're looking for a solid mystery with a well-researched historic setting, then the Mary Russell series is a good bet. Island of the Mad was a fun read with plenty of historical fiction elements that take Russell and Holmes from the insane asylum at Bedlam to the pre-world War II party lifestyle of Venice. I especially loved the descriptions of Venice, the gondolas, the different islands, the carefree lifestyle of the ex-pats staying there, but especially the ominous presence of Mussolini's black shirts. Laurie King does such an amazing job not only describing the physical setting but giving you a sense of the overall feelings in Italy on the brink of war. And as I read more books in the series, I definitely become more and more attached to Russell and Homes. Totally enjoyable!I received a free copy from the publisher through Library Thing's Early Reviewer program. Thank you Library Thing and Bantam Books!
    • 4/5
      As always it is great to be back with Mary Russell and Holmes. The mystery ends up being quite straight forward but the commentary on madness and the Injustice of innocence versus power is deftly done... There are layers going on, with the rise of fascism and the inequality of men and women and the differences in classes.
    • 4/5
      I’ve read all of Laurie R. King’s Sherlock & Russell books and have loved almost all of them. This one was no different, except one of the things I appreciated the most about it was the underlying and not very subtle comparison that is made between the start of the Mussolini era in Italy and the era we are living through today. The banter, admiration and love that Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes have between one another is, as always, the heart of these books. But their fierce intelligence and sharp perception gives the reader a clear look at the similarities between Venice in the beginning of the Mussolini dictatorship and the run-up the world is experiencing now to more of the same. Mycroft & Sherlock Holmes observe and start in probe at the happenings in Italy, “The two were going on about Mussolini again, the unexpected fervor with which his country had embraced him, how economic pressures and Great War losses could shape a country’s wishes and expectations, how a harsh message of patriotic destiny and racial superiority could get a nation to overlook a brutal murder and clumsily staged cover-up.”And later, “If one plays on fear, takes away any remotely complicated ideas, and offers people a sense of confidence and right, one’s followers will beat to death any enemy they are pointed at.” The line sent a chill down my spine. Knowing how these tactics worked in that time frame makes the atmosphere we are living in right now even more terrifying.This book introduces Cole Porter as a character. His relationship with his wife is a fascinating one – a marriage of mutual affection with many underlying secrets. When confronted with a Blackshirt thug and his homophobic disdain, Porter touches her with just a finger, and communicates the need to stay silent in the face of this hate. “She held his gaze, an argument of a thousand words taking place in utter silence and in the space of four seconds.” The following scene, full of his shame and the stark realization of the danger they are living in, was extremely powerful.I love these Russell & Holmes books for the mystery, wit and the match of equals. Now I like them even more for what they say not only about them, but about us.
    • 5/5
      Mary is asked by an old friend for help in finding her aunt. Aunt Vivian has been in and out mental institutions for years, and after a recent home visit, she and her nurse failed to return to the asylum and have gone missing. Mary, as determined as ever when a mystery arise, goes to extreme lengths, including searching the asylum from the inside. Sherlock accompanies her on her quest, as it coincides with a request from Mycroft. They go to Venice, ingratiate themselves with some of the upper-crust there, including Cole Porter and his wife. The research that author Laurie King did in advance of penning this intriguing story is evident in the details she included concerning the Fascists, Mussolini, the Blackshirts, and the lunatic asylums of that time period. The excellent writing, well-developed characters, and complex plot all add to the enjoyment of this fascinating mystery.
    • 4/5
      This is a very enjoyable mystery featuring Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes. They spend the majority of the novel is Venice, which is wonderful, interacting with fascinating people including Cole Porter and his wife Linda. This is a fun, atmospheric mystery.
    • 3/5
      Holmes and Russell go to Venice! A perfectly readable installment, though I have to say, they are getting a little bit less interesting as the series goes on.
    • 4/5
      Mary Russell is tasked to help an old friend find her missing aunt. Once again Laurie R. King does a superb job combining characters, plot, history and prose into an intelligent read. Toss in a bit of fascism, incest, mental illness and expat partying to create a unique story in the manner of Conan-Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Various facts are conveyed, but all seem in service to the plot, never does the reader feel the recipient of a lecture. "An evil reputation can be a protective wall."
    • 4/5
      I have not read much of Laurie R King, but I do enjoy a good mystery. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice bored me, maybe I need to reread this book. Island of the Mad provided more excitement, but all the Italian words distracted from the flow of the story. I learned very much about the prelude to WWII in Italy and the partying Cole Porter. Maybe I am an ostrich with my head in the sand, but in two of the last books I have read, the 1920’s seem to be a time a sex and drugs in Africa and Italy, and probably other places. The threat of Mussolini and Hitler darkens the gaiety of the times. The treatment of women thought to be insane lurks in the darkness. Money flows for alcohol, food, and sex; and yet, the poor still suffer. King delivers a masterful story of the prowess of Mary Russell, the wife of Sherlock Holmes. This is an enjoyable story.
    • 4/5
      Mary is asked by an old friend to investigate the appearance of her aunt, who disappeared with her nurse on a trip home. the aunt had been staying at Bedlam, the English mental hospital, but had been deemed well enough to take a supervised trip home for a family birthday. Mary visits the family, and comes away thinking that the disappearance is voluntary rather than the result of foul play, but if so, why, where is Aunt Vivian now, and why did the nurse disappear as well? More digging results in a number of disguised forays for both Mary and Sherlock, and in the end, the why is much more important than the the where or the how. Along the way, King paints a vivid picture of English and European society in the period following WWI and the role and rights of women. Even if Sherlock is a little old to be doing some of things he's described as doing, the two detectives still held my interest throughout.
    • 5/5
      I love the Mary Russell series and have read them all. The couple before this one were a little less fun the the previous ones, and I was very pleased that she’s reestablished a sense of whimsy and once again highlighted Holmes and Russell working together rather than independently.. Definitely recommend not only to Holmes and/or Russell fans, but also to anyone who loves the golden age of detective fiction.
    • 5/5
      I liked this story! Well told and held my interest all throughout. Europe between the wars was an interesting time and Ms. King truly brought it to life. She made the culture and politics come alive, and gave me a pause about ---well lets stick to the story! Ms. King captures the spirit the cannon. I did wonder about Holmes in such a relation ship with a woman until I thought about his feelings toward Irene Adler as given by ACD. And given more life by William S. Baring-Gould in his fine Holmes biography "Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street A Life of The World's First Consulting Detective". I have read the Mary Russell series with much pleasure over the years only occasionally thinking about this question, but now I have resolved even this quandary(at least in my mind) . Now I can enjoy the stories as a well written continuation of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries!
    • 3/5
      She was his protege and now his wife and Mary Russell, aka Mrs. Sherlock Holmes, can solve a mystery as well as her famous husband. Well done and a wonderful, easy read.
    • 3/5
      I have to admit to being disappointed. It was always going to be hard to top The Murder of Mary Russell, which was my favorite Holmes & Russell novel to date, but I had hoped Island of the Mad would at least come close. For me, it just fell flat. I never came to feel engaged by the story or to really care all that much about what happened one way or the other to Lady Vivian. Island of the Mad lacked any real sense of urgency. There was also something thrown in towards the end that is a serious topic, one that shouldn't be handled lightly or carelessly, but was casually tossed in as justification/explanation for Vivian's disappearance, and not really addressed. My issue isn't with the lack of detail, but rather with the fact that it was used as a plot device so flippantly. I can't say more without spoilers, but the more I think about it, the more it upsets me, and the more inclined I am to lower my rating, so I think I'm going to just stop here. I'm sure I will continue to auto-buy the series at least for another book or two, but I'm really disappointed with this one and can't help wishing that King had just ended the series with The Murder of Mary Russell, which was exquisite.
    • 4/5
      The latest Mary Russell book finds Mary and Sherlock traveling to Venice on the trail of a friend's missing aunt. The mystery gets put on the back burner in favor of describing the glitz of Venice in the Twenties, but King paints such an absorbing picture that I didn't really mind.
    • 4/5
      Laurie R. King’s Island of the Mad, the seventeenth book in her Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series, sees Mary assisting a friend in locating her aunt, the Lady Vivian, who had been previously confined to Bethlam Royal Hospital and is now missing along with her nurse. Vivian was in line to inherit a fortune and, as a result, Mary suspects possible foul play from Vivian’s brother the Marquess, or at least that he may have locked her away due to his misogyny and how he would have viewed his sister’s sexual orientation. Worse, the Marquess shows evinces support for the rising tide of fascism in Europe. King portrays Mary sneaking into Bedlam and discovering that, much as Dickensian fiction might continue to shade the public’s perception of the hospital, the reforms of Dr. T.B. Hyslop had created a more humane place. No wonder Lady Vivian felt safe there. An investigation into her tastes suggests Venice as a probable location for Lady Vivian and her nurse, so Mary and Sherlock depart for the continent. Prior to their departure, Mycroft asks Holmes to be observant, especially with the rise of Fascism under Benito Mussolini.In Venice, Mary and Sherlock move with the fashionable tourists in order to locate Lady Vivian, and Holmes takes a job as a violinist for Cole Porter from which he may observe the Porters’ parties without drawing attention to himself. The description of Mary shopping for clothing that will enable her to blend in with the fashionable set recalls other novels set in the 1920s, such as Agatha Christie or, more specifically, Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher novels (pg. 155-156). In keeping with the pattern of the best Holmes pastiches, King writes her books from the premise that both Holmes and Mary are real and that Arthur Conan Doyle was merely the publisher of John Watson’s earlier accounts of Holmes’ exploits. In one of her previous novels, O Jerusalem, King added verisimilitude by setting her books in our world through a reference to William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes stage play and film. As Gillette helped popularize the image of Holmes with meerschaum pipe and Inverness coat, King portrays Holmes’ derision to such fashion. When Mary suggests they attend a costume ball to find information, Holmes responds, “I refuse to attend in deerstalker and calabash,” leading Mary to reply, “I believe it’s to be Carnevale themed. Somewhat more glittery than a houndstooth Inverness” (pg. 176). Best of all, King’s writing demonstrates how relevant 1920s Venice is to our current historical moment. Fans of the Mary Russell series or interwar mysteries will find plenty to enjoy in Island of the Mad.
    • 3/5
      I've only read the first couple of books in this series so I've missed some elements of the character development between Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. My wife has read them all and she's kept me abreast of which can be read out of order without spoiling things later on. I've always had a fascination with Italy and especially with Venice, so I was excited to check out this Mary/Sherlock novel with the canals of Venice as the backdrop. Naturally then, I was a little let down that it took about half the book to finally arrive in Italy. I wasn't upset or overly disappointed with the story but I was hoping for a bit more Italian intrigue.The book starts out with a brief catch up of things mainly to set the stage and the state of Mary's mind. She's had a lot going on lately and so she's caught a little off guard (and perhaps also a little relieved) by a request from her old friend to help track down a missing person...her friend's aunt who disappeared from an asylum. Mary begins digging into the life of Aunt Vivian and the rest of her family. Slowly but surely she finds threads and hints of clues. In spite of very thorough and methodical searching it felt like any chance of success kept getting pulled away. Finally, about halfway through the book, Mary infers that dear Aunt Vivian may have run away to Venice and she heads off in pursuit.As the series promises, this is a book about Mary Russell AND Sherlock Holmes. Apparently, Sherlock's interactions are sometimes more backgrounded and such is the case in this book. He helps with a little legwork here and there and gives Mary bits of advice and helps her work through ideas but for the most part, the case of the missing aunt is a case that Mary works through on her own. In fact, Sherlock has alternate motives for going to Italy. His brother has asked him to look into the "fascist" influence in the city. While Holmes helps Mary with a few inquiries he also makes his own inquiries and investigation into Mussolini's Blackshirt militia that's appearing in the city and keeping his eye out for the elusive British Lord planning to make a deal with Il Duce.Without spoiling too much, the book ends with both Mary and Sherlock solving their case and melding the ends of the two cases together into a sort of slapstick finale.To a large extent, I felt like this book was less a mystery and more an expose on the attitudes and behavior towards women in the early 1900s. Perhaps its the social climate in present times that makes this theme feel even more weighty in the book but it felt like the commentary, while truthful and well formulated, overshadowed the plotline of the book. As Mary searches for Vivian and learns more about her confinement in asylums we learn more about how prevalant it was for families (primarily the men) to send their "inconvenient" female relations to be "treated" in asylums. As the book uncovers more details about this practice and others in Vivian's family, the discussion felt like a distant echo of 21st century news.Beyond the observations about women, another theme that skirted along the edges of the book was that of Mary's age and her life with Sherlock. Fortunately this theme was less overt than the feminist explorations but my problem with it was that I didn't feel it was satisfatorily surfaced enough to be resolved and as such I would have preferred it left out entirely. While there is clearly a significant age gap between Mary and Sherlock it's also been made clear that Mary is more interested in an intellectual connection than a physical one. As she interacts with people her own age in the social events of her age, it's clear from her behavior and thoughts that she's not interested in that kind of relationship so it felt odd that the question popped up from time to time. The idea of seemingly mismatched relationships is explored in multiple times and multiple ways in the book. In one case the relationship is shown to be very successful. In another case it appears to be a relationship of convenience for both parties but it's hinted that maybe there's a bit more. The question of where Mary and Sherlock's relationship fits is one that just didn't feel well answered mainly because the question was left hanging. To me, their relationship feels great but for some reason the book left inklings of doubt fluttering at the surface making me wonder if perhaps there's an intent to either sever them or to drive a wedge between them and force them to come back stronger. I suppose we'll have to wait and see.Overall I found the writing engaging, the attention to detail excellent and the story was entertaining. It reminded me in many ways of an original Conan Doyle Sherlock story. At the same time, I felt the book lacking in something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Missing person cases are naturally a little more slowly and with less tension than other mysteries and yet the pacing seemed adequate for the story being told. I think perhaps I wanted a little more interactive sleuthing with Holmes and Russell. In one brief scene they sneak onto a supposedly desert island with plans to break into a cabin there. That scene was still methodic and slower paced but was more engaging than many of the other mystery moments of the book. The tone was less mystery and more historic fiction. It was still a good read but I'd recommend earlier books in the series over this one.***3 out of 5 stars
    • 3/5
      I’ve been a fan of Laurie King’s Mary Russell series for years, but the last couple felt a little played out. This one, unfortunately, continued that trend. The younger Russell would have twigged on the reason for Lady Vivian’s “madness” long before this Mary Russell figured it out. I found myself shaking my head at her thickness by chapter 4. I think it’s time to move on.
    • 4/5
      This book was written more in the style of King's earlier books in the series which is what I like. It was adventurous and had the Venetian backdrop to give it that exotic atmosphere. I'm glad she chose to revert back to her 'tried and true' method. *Note: I was suppose to receive a hardcopy ARC from LibraryThing and the publisher months ago but never received it.
    • 5/5
      Another great Mary Russell mystery! In this Mary Russell has to find a woman who has been confined to a mental institution. Her search takes her and Sherlock Holmes to Venice. Of course, Venice is no match for these two indominable detectives. Not only was I caught up in the story but I leaned a lot about Venice after World War I.
    • 4/5
      Good Mary Russell book but not nearly the best. I found the information about Venice interesting but the book seemed to move slowly for me and I read bits of other things after breaking off and then going back to it a couple of times, The mystery didn't seem too mysterious to me. It was clear who the villain was early on and even the motive wasn't too difficult to figure out. The one thing that I really liked was the use of the Cole Porter character. That and Venice merited the fourth star. Although the description of Mussolini's rise to power reminds me of Drumpf's rise.
    • 4/5
      Another fine entry in this excellent series. Seeking the missing relative of her longtime friend, Holmes and Russell travel to Venice. Fascist influence and values are just beginning to infect Italy as Mussolini takes charge. Noted names, Cole Porter and Elsa Maxwell are the epicenters of activities for the rich and licentious crowds gather there. Laurie King aptly captures the Roaring Twenties mood as she seeks and later extricates the lost woman. Not much mystery but still a lively tale of logic and sleuthing.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable read. The mystery is very slight but I don't read these for whodunnit but to spend time with Mary and Sherlock Holmes and to visit somewhere in the past.
    • 4/5
      A very good installment of the Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes series! As always, the plot is intriguing, with sympathetic victims, wonderful disguises and subterfuge, and a nice ending. There is always a hint of feminism, and in this particular installment support for LGBT persons in the days preceding WWII. Good, satisfying read!
    • 4/5
      Mary Russell, the wife of Sherlock Holmes, searches for the lost relative of a friend and finds herself involved in a case involving Cole Porter, insane asylums, and homosexuals in Venice. The story was terrific, very fast-paced. Though I still find it hard to believe Sherlock Holmes would marry a much younger woman late in life.