Laurie R. King
Paperback | Pages: 425 pages Rating: 4.15 | 16199 Users | 812 Reviews
Itemize Of Books O Jerusalem (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #5)
| Title | : | O Jerusalem (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #5) |
| Author | : | Laurie R. King |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 425 pages |
| Published | : | June 28th 2000 by Bantam Books (first published 1999) |
| Categories | : | Mystery. Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Historical Mystery |
Chronicle To Books O Jerusalem (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #5)
With her bestselling mystery series featuring Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell, Laurie R. King has created "lively adventure in the very best of intellectual company," according to The New York Times Book Review. Now the author of The Beekeeper's Apprentice and The Moor--the first writer since Patricia Cornwell to win both the American Edgar and British Creasey Awards for a debut novel (A Grave Talent)--unfolds a hitherto unknown chapter in the history of Russell's apprenticeship to the great detective.At the close of the year 1918, forced to flee England's green and pleasant land, Russell and Holmes enter British-occupied Palestine under the auspices of Holmes' enigmatic brother, Mycroft.
"Gentlemen, we are at your service." Thus Holmes greets the two travel-grimed Arab figures who receive them in the orange groves fringing the Holy Land. Whatever role could the volatile Ali and the taciturn Mahmoud play in Mycroft's design for this land the British so recently wrested from the Turks? After passing a series of tests, Holmes and Russell learn their guides are engaged in a mission for His Majesty's Government, and disguise themselves as Bedouins--Russell as the beardless youth "Amir"--to join them in a stealthy reconnaissance through the dusty countryside.
A recent rash of murders seems unrelated to the growing tensions between Jew, Moslem, and Christian, yet Holmes is adamant that he must reconstruct the most recent one in the desert gully where it occurred. His singular findings will lead him and Russell through labyrinthine bazaars, verminous inns, cliff-hung monasteries--and into mortal danger. When her mentor's inquiries jeopardize his life, Russell fearlessly wields a pistol and even assays the arts of seduction to save him. Bruised and bloodied, the pair ascend to the jewellike city of Jerusalem, where they will at last meet their adversary, whose lust for savagery and power could reduce the city's most ancient and sacred place to rubble and ignite this tinderbox of a land....
Classically Holmesian yet enchantingly fresh, sinuously plotted, with colorful characters and a dazzling historic ambience, O Jerusalem sweeps readers ever onward in the thrill of the chase.
From the Hardcover edition.
Point Books As O Jerusalem (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #5)
| Original Title: | O Jerusalem |
| ISBN: | 0553581058 (ISBN13: 9780553581058) |
| Edition Language: | English URL http://www.laurierking.com/?page_id=1211 |
| Series: | Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #5 |
| Characters: | Mary Russell, Ali Hazr, Mahmoud Hazr, Sherlock Holmes |
| Setting: | Israel Jerusalem(Israel) |
Rating Of Books O Jerusalem (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #5)
Ratings: 4.15 From 16199 Users | 812 ReviewsEvaluation Of Books O Jerusalem (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #5)
"O Jerusalem" describes the glorious adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Marry Russel in... Palestine, in 1919. And of course, as usual, Holmes and Russel save the day -- not much of a spoiler. I would prefer to give this book 5 stars or 4 or at least 3. And I might have done it if:1) I knew nothing about the Dome of the Rock2)I had never tried to learn a foreign language, and especially learn Arabic after learning HebrewUnfortunately, as these two conditions were not met, I couldn't suspend myThis is the fifth book. In the Sherlock Holmes-Mary Russel series, although it takes place in an earlier time period than the last one--1918. Sherlock and Mary are forced to flee England and choose British-occupied Palestine as their escape. Their trip coincides with a series of unsolved murders which exacerbates tensions between the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian populations in the city. Unlike the previous four books in this series, there was very little detective work or character development
I started reading this series loving them, but I have to say they are getting more and more disappointing. The characters are still the highlight, but King is having a worse and worse time with plots - this one felt so unresolved that I literally checked to see if there had been pages ripped out to explain what had just happened. I did like the descriptions of Palestine and the nomadic life of Holmes and Russell, but King's attention seemed to be so focused on that that the mystery element
Fun, fresh entry transplanting the typically British Holmes stories to the Middle East. A pleasant shift from the previous entry, The Moor, which felt quite a bit slower-paced, or perhaps simply of a different, less appealing form of exoticism. Great cast, with some rather James Bond dashing about and intrigue.
Getting through a series of novels with more than three or four books can be, in many ways, rather tedious. It is entirely easy to simply lose interest in the whole thing if the individual novels are unable to sustain interest, or the reader simply lacks the stamina to see the whole thing through from beginning to end. Although I do have a personal reading policy about finishing any series I start if I like the first book, I will admit that there are difficulties in seeing this through,
It's a little out of sequence with the book before, but Laurie King writes so deliciously that it really doesn't matter where you follow Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes as they help to solve mysteries. It's a nice change to go into the country where Mary has her educational training so we get to see some of the depths of her passions play out in what must be a real treasure house for her. Fast paced and a good change from the expected. Such a great series.
I find this to be the best fit after reading The Beekeepers Apprentice. The three books between this one and the first of the series are very good but O Jerusalem describes the journey that Mary Russell and Holmes made in the Beekeepers Apprentice. I really loved the lush descriptions of the land and for those who enjoy reading about adventure this aspect was wonderfully well done.
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