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    Garment of Shadows: A captivating mystery for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
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    Garment of Shadows: A captivating mystery for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
    Unavailable
    Garment of Shadows: A captivating mystery for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
    Ebook353 pages6 hours

    Garment of Shadows: A captivating mystery for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

    By Laurie R. King

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    In a strange room in Morocco, Mary Russell is trying to solve a pressing mystery: Who am I? She has awakened with shadows in her mind, blood on her hands, and soldiers pounding on the door. Out in the hive-like streets, she discovers herself strangely adept in the skills of the underworld, escaping through alleys and rooftops, picking pockets and locks. She is clothed like a man, and armed only with her wits and a scrap of paper containing a mysterious Arabic phrase.
    Meanwhile, Holmes is pulled into the growing war between France, Spain, and the Rif Revolt led by Emir Abd el-Krim-who may be a Robin Hood or a power mad tribesman. The shadows of war are drawing over the ancient city of Fez, and Holmes badly wants the wisdom and courage of his wife, whom he's learned has gone missing. As Holmes searches for her, and Russell searches for herself, each tries to crack deadly parallel puzzles before it's too late for them, for Africa, and for the peace of Europe.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAllison & Busby
    Release dateOct 29, 2012
    ISBN9780749012274
    Unavailable
    Garment of Shadows: A captivating mystery for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
    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 Garment of Shadows

    4/5

    297 ratings42 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I love the idea of this series and really liked the first book, so when I saw this one as a cheap audiobook I snapped it up. But frankly, parts of it were really tedious. There is a LOT of background/history of Morocco and international politics of the period, replete with unfamiliar names and geographic regions. I'm a visual learner, so listening to these history lessons was pretty futile; it took me a long time to keep the rebellion leaders straight. (As a side note, I don't think the machinations of a particular political figure should figure prominently in your plot if that figure is never going to make an appearance and interact with any of your characters. As a side-side note, I can't tell you who I'm talking about because I have no idea how to spell his name. Another downside to audiobooks.)

      Additionally, the book starts with Mary Russell in a fit of amnesia. I'm tired of amnesia as a plot device, and if she asked herself one more pointless question ("Who am I? What is this gold ring? Am I married? What country am I in? Why is there blood under my fingernails?") I would have been tempted to add to her head injuries myself.
    • 3/5
      After the moderately awful Pirate King and the just plain awful novels that proceeded it (Language of Bees/God of the Hive), I was about ready to give up on this series. Which broke my heart, because the first 3-4 books were amazing – refreshingly original, tensely plotted, and psychologically dense. Am so relieved that Garment of Shadows seems to signal a return (or at least a partial return) to King’s original form.This outing returns Holmes and Russell to the Middle East, the scene of several of the couple’s earlier adventures, and also reunites them with Mahmoud and Ali, two of my favorite characters from these earlier works. This time the four of them find themselves entangled in a struggle for Morocco’s future, being waged between Rif tribesmen (interested in retaking their traditional lands), Berber tribesmen (led by a brigand-pirate distantly related to the previous sultan), France (maintaining fairly liberal control of their southern protectorates – for now), Morocco’s titular sultan (a French puppet), Spain (rapidly losing control of their northern protectorates), Germany (lusting after iron deposits in the Spanish-controlled regions), and Great Britain (interested in any solution that keeps France from gaining control of the Straits of Gibralter). Russell’s initial amnesia allows King to gradually unfold the complicated plot so that it doesn’t overwhelm the action; also, there’s a twist at the end that provides a few pages of unexpected and welcome tension. In addition to heroic tribal warriors, dastardly brigands, and principled British officers, King also gives us an endearing young waif named Idir, clearly intended to infuse some much-needed levity and heart. As ever, however, Ali and Mahmoud steal the scenes that they appear in. Perhaps my favorite attribute of the novel is the developing relationship between Mahmoud and Russell, a relationship which was founded upon mentor/mentee loyalty, but which, in this outing, continues to deepens into something more profound.I admit I miss the days when Holmes and Russell were in the mystery business rather than the international politics business, but at least this outing avoids the sorts of gaping plot holes and embarrassingly sloppy writing that blighted the most recent books in the series. Even more reassuringly, Garment of Shadows manages to showcase the fierce independence of Russell and Holmes without ignoring (or actively sabotaging) the precarious emotional interdependence that both binds and separately polishes them, one of the very best qualities of King’s earliest outings. Though I remain a little trepidatious, based on the strength of this installment I may just give the next couple of books in this series a try.
    • 4/5
      A return to form after the rather disappointing "Pirate King". Good characters and location, a pleasant return of old friends, and a satisfying amount of Holmes, largely missing in the previous installment.
    • 3/5
      I liked this, I just didn't love it. It seemed low on the detection, high on the needless political details. More detection, please!
    • 4/5
      Another great, fun Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmrs story. What more can I say!
    • 4/5
      These later ones just aren't nearly as interesting as the earlier volumes in the series. This one is a fine, fast read, and better than the last (at least there's something of a mystery) but it's still not as good as the first few stories were.
    • 4/5
      After the lightheartedness of the previous book in the series, this book returns to the excitement, depth, and suspense that fans of the Mary Russell series have come to expect.This book also picks up right where the last one left off. Russell is in Morocco finishing up a film for Fflytte Films. In the meantime Holmes is off exploring Morocco and visiting a distant cousin. When he keeps his rendezvous with her, he finds out she has gone missing.Russell is having problems of her own. She wakes up in mens' clothes, with blood on her hands and a bump on her head. She has no memory of what happened or even who she is. She discovers she has special skills but doesn't know why.Of course, at the same time, political maneuvering is going on that will either prevent war or bring war to their area. Holmes is involved, and so is Russell, if she only knew.To say anything more would be a spoiler. This book was fun, fast paced, suspenseful, and occasionally funny. I enjoyed every minute of it! (I received this book via Amazon's Vine Program.)
    • 3/5
      This one just didn't do it for me. While I typically enjoy historical fiction in/around/between the two world wars, the politics of what was going on in Morocco then, as experienced by Russel & Holmes just wasn't very interesting to me. I just prefer them better in their local environs. The audio version was well done.
    • 5/5
      In a continuation from The Pirate King, this story follows Russell and Holmes as they are led into the intrigues of politics in Morocco. Holmes, becoming bored with the film crew, has taken off for a bit of a walkabout, but when he returns he finds that Russell is gone and no one knows where. While he begins his search for her, we know that she has awoken with amnesia in a place she doesn't know, in the disguise of a man.I qualify this one as an outstanding mystery for me, because although I could pick out the villains in what I thought was going on, I found at the end that something else entirely was happening, and of course the clues had been there all along for the reader to see, but the author has the art of misdirection. Very satisfying and rare. Of course I love being with Holmes and Russell, and I thought their relationship very special in this volume. I also enjoyed the details of history and culture in Morocco.
    • 4/5
      Another good episode in the series as Mary Russell continues her evolution into Jane Bond. Much intrigue and Lawrence-like traveling in the desert as the seeds for future Moroccan independence begin to germinate. The 1920's era in European politics continues to be a rich lode for Laurie King to mine. Long live, hopefully, Sherlock Holmes!
    • 4/5
      The latest Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes arrived at our public library, so I picked it up on Saturday, and proceeded to devour it in two sittings!After the last few books seemed to be missing something, Laurie King is back on track with Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes in Garment of Shadows.Russell has finished filming a movie in the desert, but leaves the security of her tent to follow a small beckoning boy. She doesn't return...Injured and suffering from memory loss, Russell navigates the streets of a Moroccan town as Holmes works his way through the politics and intrigue of northern Africa in the early 1920s.Not the best Russell/Holmes offering from Ms. King, but a very satisfying one.
    • 4/5
      Mary Russell wakes in a strange place, injured, with the feeling she is in danger. She is missing critical pieces of information, such as who she is and where she is. The sense of danger takes her out of the place she is in. Discovering the skills of a pickpocket and lockpick get her food and a safe place to stay. By eavesdropping she discovers she is in Fez, Morocco, and by hearing English remembers she is English.Meanwhile her husband, Sherlock Holmes, believes her to be involved in making a movie (see Pirate King, the last book in the series) and sets off to explore Morocco. He spends time with Marechal Lautevy, the highest ranking official in the French part of the protectorate of Morocco. A mute child brings Holmes and Russell back together, and as her head injury heals, her memories slowly trickle back. Her friend Mahmoud, the mute boy, and she had set off on a dangerous mission and were attacked. Mahmoud is missing.While not my favorite in the series, anything by Laurie King is better than 99% of other books, making it a good read. I resisted the series for years, as most non-Conan Doyle Holmes books I really hate. After reading and loving other books by King and loving them, I finally gave in and read the Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes series and consider it one of my favorites. I highly recommend all twelve books to you.
    • 4/5
      It is hard for me to find fault with any books of this series because I just love reading them. My daughter went to Morocco last year for 6 wks. and fell in love with the country and the people. This is the first book I have read set there and as usual King did a great job of making the reader see and feel this country. Loved the amnesiac part of the plot and as always love Sherlock and Mary, but I felt that at times the political turmoil of this country between France and Spain was gone over in such length that it almost became burdensome. Loved the action scenes and as always look forward to the next installment in this series.
    • 4/5
      This is the last in the Mary Russell - Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie King to date, and it continues her detailed background work, this time set in Morocco. A search for a missing friend turns into a problem for both Holmes and Russell who become separated. The writing is very good, the story is tense from the beginning, and the resolution is more complex than events leading to it reveal. I hope there are more in the pipeline, although I respect how long it takes King to research these adventure locations and customs.
    • 3/5
      This book was okay and I liked that there was more interaction between Mary and Sherlock but I skipped through lots of pages because of the unprounounceable names which was confusing for me. Also, Mary disguising herself as a man is old and tired. I did like the reawakening of Mary's memory from amnesia but can Mary and Sherlock please go home to England or back to San Francisco.
    • 4/5
      It takes a little while for it to become obvious in which direction this story is heading, but then as usual the excitement builds and the mystery deepens and you've just got to read one more chapter! Certainly a good yarn that leaves you wanting even more.
    • 3/5
      Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King features Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. As the book begins, in Fez. in the Middle East, Russell has temporary amnesia. Her quest to regain her memory takes up at least a quarter of the book but is interesting as it acquaints us with the area and the characters who play a part in this mystery. As always, Russell and Holmes make an indomitable pair as they tirelessly pursue the truth. I enjoy the fact that they have aches and pains and boost each other up as they age together gracefully, always with a fighting spirit.
    • 3/5
      Quite a disappointment. I love the Mary Russell books, but found this was to be rambling with too many odd plot devices. Mary's amnesia in particular seemed to serve no real purpose. Still, a Laurie R. King novel is still going to be a cut above many other titles out there.
    • 3/5
      I've liked all of the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes books except for this one. Set in Morocco, it has a convoluted plot that was hard to follow and far less of the atmosphere I have loved in the novels set in India and other countries. Perhaps if I knew more about Moroccan history, I would have understood the various factions better. Even having spent time in Morocco didn't help me much.
    • 5/5
      Twisted. Very twisted.
    • 5/5
      This is absolutely my most favorite Holmes series ever! Every book in the series is fantastic-5 star! If you like Sherlock Holmes, you have to read this pastiche. King's is the best one I've read yet.
    • 4/5
      Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell find themselves in Fez, Morocco, this time. Mary and Sherlock are separated. Mary wakes up in a strange place, injured, and without her memory. She runs from soldiers and wanders the poorer area trying to remember who she is and learn where she is. She does learn that she has some skills as a pickpocket, acrobat, and thief but doesn't really learn much about herself in her explorations.Meanwhile, Sherlock who had been off visiting a distant cousin, returns to rejoin Mary only to discover that she is missing. He immediately begins a hunt for her which leads him to Fez. In 1924, things in Morocco are tense. The country is divided between the Spanish and the French and the natives are unhappy with both. The man in charge of the French Protectorate is Holmes' cousin. The native rebel forces are well-armed because they have had victories over the Spanish and gotten a lot of their arms from the captured armies.The rebels themselves are not united. The two factions are controlled by Raisuni who is the last of Barbary pirates and who has made substantial funds by kidnapping and ransoming Europeans and the Abd al-Klims who are Western educated and anxious for independence for their country. The land is full of spies and supporters of all political interests. Mary soon learns that her friends Mahmoud and Ali Hzir (from O Jerusalem and Justice Hall) who are British agents controlled by Mycroft Holmes are deep in the mix of spies.Mary has to recover her memory, rescue her friend Mahmoud, and determine who is pulling the strings, and what strings they are pulling, in this very troubled region. She is battered, shot at, and kidnapped in the course of her investigation.What I really like about this series of historical mysteries is that I learn so much about pieces of history that I never knew about. I also really like Mary as a main character. She is an intellectual and physical equal to her husband Sherlock Holmes even though she is probably 50 years his junior and only about 24. She is a scholar and a reluctant investigator. She also has a strong moral compass that has been putting her at odds with Mycroft's machinations in these last couple books. The language, because the stories are told in Mary's voice, is articulate and descriptive without being flowery. Mary has a dry sense of humor.Fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy this series and this latest episode of Mary Rusell's and Sherlock Holmes' adventures.
    • 4/5
      Synopsis: Russell walks out into the desert near Fez with a small child and disappears. Holmes must not only find Russell, but Mahmond without getting caught up in the Spanish, French, Bedouin, Moroccan conflicts. With the help of a young child, a plot is uncovered that will change the course of the war and the progress of Britain.Review: This is one of the better of King's books. The setting reflects the war that was brewing in the 1920s and sets the stage for the independence of Algeria and Morocco in the 1960s.
    • 4/5
      This was much better than Pirate King which was boring. Ali and Mahmoud are two of my favourite characters from the earlier books so it was great to have them back. And I learnt a little of Morocco's history - of which I knew nothing.
    • 4/5
      Russell wakes up with no memory while Holmes searches for her. The story is based in Morocco. A very enjoyable audio.
    • 4/5
      Ms. King paints a vivid picture of Morocco in the period between the World Wars. Mary and Sherlock find themselves mixed in with state affairs between France and a local movement for Moroccan independence. As always, an enjoyable adventure.
    • 4/5
      This latest addition to the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series picks up shortly after the end of Pirate King. Holmes has gone off on his own to explore leaving Mary to continue on with the film crew but upon his return he discovers that Mary is missing. Mary, in the meantime, has awoke in a strange place with amnesia.Their combined adventures and reunion are thoroughly entertaining and remind the reader of the earlier books where Holmes and Russell collaborated so well and why their unusual marriage works.I love any book that these two are in together, however, the plot did seem a bit thin this time but there were a few surprises.
    • 3/5
      It's better than the predecessor but certainly not as good as the first in the series. Still, you get Mary back as a detective and Sherlock working with her rather than largely absent, so what's not to enjoy.
    • 3/5
      Good read, but this late in the series I'm getting tired of the suspense. I'd like to see more mystery and less political intrigue.
    • 4/5
      I love Laurie R. King's series about Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes! This wasn't necessarily my favorite in the series but I liked it. It was fun to get a taste of Morocco in the 1920's and to have Russell lose her memory was very fun, particularly when she finally meets up with Holmes. King's series is very intelligent and imaginatively written.