A Monstrous Regiment of Women (Hardcover)

by Laurie R. King (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Laurie R. King came up with a completely original story that had Sherlock Holmes as one of its principal characters but was in no way part of the Holmes canon. The focus of that book was a young woman, Mary Russell. Now in A Monstrous Regiment of Women, Mary Russell's adventures as a student of the famous detective continue. A series of murders claims members of a strange suffrage organization's wealthy young female volunteers, and Mary, with Holmes in the background, investigates, little knowing what danger she personally faces.

Laurie R. King is also the author of the Edgar Award-winning novel A Grave Talent.

From Publishers Weekly
King first teamed Mary Russell with Sherlock Holmes in the riveting The Beekeeper's Apprentice. Then Mary was a vulnerable, bright 15-year-old. Now, in 1920, Mary is a week away from her 21st birthday and has finished her studies at Oxford, and the relationship between these two forceful, eccentric and indelibly etched characters is charged with sexuality and issues of authority. A chance meeting with a friend in London introduces Mary to Margery Childe, leader of the New Temple of God, a burgeoning institution in which feminism powers both theological inquiry and programs of social activism. Skeptical, analytical Mary, who concentrated on theology at Oxford, is reluctantly drawn toward Childe and the temple's inner circle, most of whom are wealthy, educated young women. After one of them is murdered, Mary persuades Holmes to help in the recovery of the dead woman's brother, who became addicted to heroin while in the war. While Holmes is so occupied, Mary learns about other unexpected deaths of temple members and determines to investigate. Coming into her considerable inheritance, she displays her new wealth, leaps into temple activities and is soon in danger that threatens her soul as much as her life. King builds a riveting plot on the era's fervent feminism and crushing social order. Even more gripping, however, are the internal dilemmas faced by the deeply rational, fiercely independent Mary as she struggles to accept both Childe's possible mysticism and her deepening affection for Holmes. King's second Russell/Holmes tale lives up to all the accomplished promise of the first. Paperback rights to Bantam; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 326 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312135653
• ISBN-13: 978-0312135652
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #183,290 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 2 in The Mary Russell Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars British mystery done properly, September 10, 2004

By	B. Walker (Wisconsin, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Monstrous Regiment of Women (Mass Market Paperback)

Second in terms of release date but third in terms of the timeline (O Jerusalem should actually be read second, its story taking place right before the end of The Beekeeper's Apprentice when Mary is 19), A Monstrous Regiment of Women finds the brilliant Mary Russell approaching her 21st birthday, questioning the nature of her relationship with Sherlock Holmes.

In an effort to distance herself from him a bit, Mary renews an Oxford friendship and finds herself drawn to the charismatic leader of a feminist church/society movement, intellectually and spiritually. A series of deaths attached to the society sends Mary and by proxy, Holmes himself into the investigation.

As with the first book (and the following books), Regiment is primarily about Mary. Finally at an age where she inherits her parents vast estate, she struggles with her newfound freedom, the burden of responsibility and starts to look at parts of herself and Holmes that she'd been able to avoid when she was a girl. Mary is exposed to the seamiest sides of London as she tries to balance depending on Holmes with wanting to do things her own way.

A lot has been made of the romance between Mary and Holmes - something the author could have avoided entirely if she'd have just not mentioned Mary's age. She's written as far, far older than her calendar years; it also wasn't that uncommon around the turn of the century to find a young woman married off to a much older man. I'm not a Sherlock Holmes purist, which enables more suspension of logic, but the romance is still sparingly written and is actually kind of sweet. If anything, a reader looking for passionate clinches and sex is not going to find it in these books; even compared to the tamest of today's romance novels, the scenes here are the mildest of mild.

The mystery itself is well-written and paced, with the exception of the middle section about the society which are a little dull. The clues, confrontations and eventual solving are interesting, the extra little details about London in the early 20's is fun to read. There's a long passage towards the ending where Mary falls into the hands of some criminals that I thought was particularly well done; it goes a long way towards the aging of Mary and towards her understanding of Holmes.

This was a really enjoyable and fast book to read. I recommend it for anyone who likes authors as diverse as Agatha Christie, Patricia Cornwell, Elizabeth Peters, J.D. Robb and P.D. James. A Holmes purist would probably have some issues with Mary, but if you like the idea of a tough, intelligent and capable feminist solving crimes, then you'll enjoy these books.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The return of Mary Russell, August 1, 2004

By	J. Carroll "Jack" (Island Heights,NJ) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Monstrous Regiment of Women (Mass Market Paperback)

In this sequel to THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE, Laurie King gives us the now mature Mary Russell, claiming her inheritance and becoming involved in the investigation of a charitable organization run by an extremely charismatic woman, whose wealthy members seemed to be dying and leaving their inheritance to said organization. Mary works undercover and with her newly found wealth makes herself a target, with serious consequences. King creates a real sense of menace in this installment and Russell's peril is strongly rendered and will make the reader feel true compassion for her.
Holmes's presence is felt throughout the novel, and King does a fine job of staying true to this character, fleshing out some of his personality while never forgetting that he is the "world's greatest detective." The eventual match of Russell and Holmes may put some traditionalists out of sorts, but I find it a way to breathe new vitality into this legendary character, and in Mary Russell, King has developed a fine and equal partner for the detective.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A positively engaging follow-up.., April 15, 2001

By	Kait Rankins (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had heard mixed reviews of A Monstrous Regiment of Women before I read it, directly after its prequel, The Beekeeper's Apprentice. I didn't think I would enjoy it nearly as much as the first one--I was wrong. For fans of Mary Russell, this is surely a book to be enjoyed. I read the Holmes/Russell novel for Sherlock Holmes, however. Though he isn't in the book much at this time, the scenes he -is- in are absolutely charming and unforgettable. Many people don't enjoy Holmes in this book--To them he doesn't seem to be the Holmes of Watson. Naturally, he isn't. He's seen from an entirely different perspective in Russell's narration, he's allowing Russell to take the case on her own, rather than stepping in and doing the work for her--And he finally has a woman astute and edgy enough for him to realize that women aren't always something to scoff at. This woman happens to be Mary Russell, thirty-nine years his junior with an intelligence, arrogance, and attitude remniscent of Holmes himself. Mary Russell is, indeed, Holmes as a young woman--including her own weakness to opium derivatives.

I'm not a fan of mystery novels as it is, so I found the character work in the King novels fascinating. Russell's narrative focuses on the people involved, and personal matters, rather than just the case. You get a sense of who people are and why they're involved, not who did it in the where with the what. In order to grasp all of this development, you MUST read The Beekeeper's Apprentice before this book.

A Monstrous Regiment of Women contains some of the best scenes in all of the Holmes/Russell series--Short passages between Holmes and Russell will jump out from the page. You can hear them in your mind and the characters will suddenly become real. Anyone who followed Holmes and Russell through the first six years will find true delight in reading this book.