[Review] Dreaming Spies--Laurie R. King

[Originally posted Nov. 3, 2014 on NetGalley and Goodreads]

For fans of Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes this 13th book in the series will not disappoint. The central story goes back in time a bit to the months prior to Russell and Holmes arriving in San Francisco, the setting of 2005's "Locked Rooms." During those months we learn that they were aboard a ship headed for Japan. Onboard they encounter the mysterious Haruki, a young woman who readily agrees to tutor them and their shipmates in the ways of Japanese culture and language. She tells them she is from a family of well-known acrobats, but there is clearly more to her story. Once in Japan, they learn her true motives, which involve the young Prince Hirohito, who has yet to become Emperor, and a book of poems given away by mistake that holds a secret that many will kill to protect. 

In "Dreaming Spies," King continues what she does best, adding layers to the unconventional relationship between Russell and her much older husband Holmes. We learn that Russell in fact has her own home in Oxford, where she goes apparently to study and spend time alone. These revelations are part of the 20-year process by which King has transformed the character of Mary Russell from an orphaned and spunky young girl to the independent and feminist mate of one of the greatest literary detectives of all time. 

As a long-time fan of the series I was thrilled to receive this ARC from Netgalley and thoroughly enjoyed it.