O Jerusalem: A Mary Russell Story [Unabridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Laurie R. King (Author), Jenny Sterlin (Narrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

King has received both the Edgar and the John Creasey Award. O Jerusalem is the newest in a series about Sherlock Holmes and his young apprentice, Mary Russell. It is a flashback to a chapter in the Beekeeper!s Apprentice in which Holmes and Russell flee danger in London, traveling to Palestine in the service of Microft, Holmes!s older brother. When Holmes and Russell reach Palestine, they join Mahmoud and Ali, all four traveling in the garb of Bedouins. Their journey begins with the investigation of a murder and ends with preventing the destruction of Jerusalem. The narrator, Jenny Sterlin, is most convincing as the arrogant and condescending older Holmes, and the voices she uses for each character are distinct and believable. Essential for listeners or readers of the Holmes and Russell series.?Patsy E. Gray, Huntsville P.L., AL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile

In the interview with the author that follows this book, King says that she developed this series (which began with the THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE), in part, to see what a female Sherlock Holmes would look like. Jennie Stirlin provides the listener with the opportunity to discover what the "female Holmes" would sound like. Sterlin's Mary Russell shares core attributes with Holmes-particularly his haughty, impervious manner. But she's more than just a younger, female version of Holmes or his alter ego. The ancillary characters are presented distinctly, although less subtly, playing their roles without being distracting. Sterlin is comfortable with the formal British English of the time period. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Recorded Books; Unabridged edition (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0788737465
• ISBN-13: 978-0788737466
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 4.9 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,568,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times bestselling crime writer Laurie R. King writes both series and standalone novels.

In the Mary Russell series (first entry: The Beekeeper's Apprentice), fifteen-year-old Russell meets Sherlock Holmes on the Sussex Downs in 1915, becoming his apprentice, then his partner. The series follows their amiably contentious partnership into the 1920s as they challenge each other to ever greater feats of detection.

The Kate Martinelli series, starting with A Grave Talent, concerns a San Francisco homicide inspector, her SFPD partner, and her life partner. In the course of the series, Kate encounters a female Rembrandt, a modern-day Holy Fool, two difficult teenagers, a manifestation of the goddess Kali and an eighty-year-old manuscript concerning'Sherlock Holmes.

King also has written stand-alone novels--the historical thriller Touchstone, A Darker Place, two loosely linked novels'Folly and Keeping Watch--and a science fiction novel, Califia's Daughters, under the pseudonym Leigh Richards.

King grew up reading her way through libraries like a termite through balsa before going on to become a mother, builder, world traveler, and theologian.

She has now settled into a genteel life of crime, back in her native northern California. She has a secondary residence in cyberspace, where she enjoys meeting readers in her Virtual Book Club and on her blog.

King has won the Edgar and Creasey awards (for A Grave Talent), the Nero (for A Monstrous Regiment of Women) and the MacCavity (for Folly); her nominations include the Agatha, the Orange, the Barry, and two more Edgars. She was also given an honorary doctorate from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

Check out King's website, http://laurierking.com/, and follow the links to her blog and Virtual Book Club, featuring monthly discussions of her work, with regular visits from the author herself. And for regular LRK updates, follow the link to sign up for her email newsletter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars I tried, January 31, 2008

By 

C. Williams "cdwbear" (UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: O Jerusalem: A Mary Russell Story (Audio Cassette)

I listened to 6 of all 14 hours of this. It was somewhat interesting to hear all of the detailed description of everything going on . . . but it just moved WAY too slow. I don't know when the action is supposed to pick up or the plot to thicken, but my patience has run out. I know I am not giving this a completely fair review because I never finished listening to it from beginning to end.

It could also be that reading it is a much more interesting experience than listening to it. I also borrowed this and did not actually purchase it, but I just can't keep going on this. Every time I pick up where I left off, I feel like I am trying to finish it just to say that I did, or for the feeling of accomplishment - finishing it like I used to finish my dinner as kid to become a member of the clean plate club, not because I actually WANTED to finish it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good!, September 28, 2007

By 

KerryLeanne (Bristol, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: O Jerusalem: A Mary Russell Story (Audio Cassette)

I love this series of books, if you haven't read the others, I recommend them. Ok, purist Sherlock Holmes fans might be appalled! But, I for one, speaking as a female with a fascination for Sherlock Holmes, love the idea of introducing a female relationship into the great man's life. In my view Laurie R King manages to retain SH's aloofness and mystery while slowly revealing a hidden human side with needs and feelings. I need that sometimes!