I spent two hours at Starbuck’s today, finishing this…
“The Language of Bees (Mary Russell Novels)” (Laurie R. King)
Most historical mysteries with female protagonists go the route of choosing a supposedly innocent, inexperienced young woman who will, over the course of the plot, become awakened to her own inner power, stand up for herself in difficult circumstances, and generally show promise of becoming a multi-faceted, worldly sort of person.
We don’t have that here. What we have is a fully developed protagonist who can do quite well in the world, regardless of what life throws at her. Since Mary Russell is married to Sherlock Holmes, that turns out to be a lot.
In this latest installment, our antagonist is a spiritual con artist, whose plans have to be foiled by Russell and Holmes. Ah, the spiritual con artist, a concept of particular interest to me. I think I will not go into further particulars, especially since it is late, and I have to start reading my next book. This novel, though, is worth one’s time.
white pebble 