Rating: 
Summary: Holmes Has Met His Match
Review: Of all the books I have ever read, I think this is one of my favorites. The relationship between Russell and Holmes, especially their witty repartee and verbal swordplay, is so delightful that I have actually laughed out loud while reading (much to the irritation of those around me). Laurie R. King has managed to preserve the character and the intellect of Holmes while adding another, more human dimension to his character, something that was lacking in Doyle's stories. Russell is a delightfully assertive counterpart for Holmes, one who is his intellectual equal, providing for some highly enjoyable and mentally stimulating exchanges. This book provides an excellent character study of Russell and Holmes within the context of an exciting and ingenious case. Those who are interested in the evolution of their relationship will love this book, as well as those who are simply looking for a good thriller. Devoted fans of Doyle's series will appreciate the references to Holmes' past career, but new readers will not be at an extreme disadvantage. Congratulations to King on the creation of some wonderfully memorable characters. I am breathlessly awaiting her next Mary Russell book!
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommend....Lovely, textured writing
Review: What a great find! Laurie R. King has a wonderfully nuanced voice. I'll admit I usually enjoy first person narratives with female protagonists. Mary Russell is one of the great protagonists.
It's refreshing how Laurie R. King emphasizes Mary Russell's rational, logical intellect. Kudos. Sherlock Holmes has met his counterpart in Mary Russell. I enjoyed the growing relationship between Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes (Please note this story is not a romance.). I particularly enjoyed the format of the novel with a number of cases, rather than just one. That format effectively charts the development of the characters.
However, in the story, Holmes was portrayed as a brilliant and empathetic person. I didn't think it realistic that his intellectual arrogance would be tempered by a high degree of empathy. In my experience, that's not very common. Maybe he shows understated empathy. King does drop enough clues late in the book for the reader to piece together the identity of the villain. But the hints are deliberate and do not detract from the storytelling.
I've read the second book in the series, A Monstrous Regiment of Women and liked it almost as well as this one. This novel, set for the most part in Britain, uses British language and spelling. If you like Agatha Christie's mysteries you will like Laurie R. King's.
Thanks Ms. King for adding a fresh, feminist perspective to the the Sherlock Holmes canon!
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: Sherlock Holmes takes on an apprentice. Who just happens to be female. An intriguing premise. In the wrong hands, this could have been either a complete disaster, or some hardline feminist treatise. Happily, it is neither. Holmes takes on Russell as an apprentice casually, almost by accident. And only because he as, at last, found an intellect equal to his own. She's brilliant, has an incredible eye for detail... and is still human and likeable. Quite an accomplishment. The cases they work on together are very entertaining. Certainly on par, above in some cases, anything Doyle penned. We get to watch Russell's apprenticeship and training. Then, when things get dangerous, she turns out to be both brave and resourceful. This is an extrememly well-written extension of the Holmes canon. The tone is period-perfect. Appearances by Mrs. Hudson, Dr. Watson, and Mycroft make this feel like a homecoming for any fan of Holmes. Excellent!
Rating:
Summary: Solid entertainment for non-purists.
Review: Sherlock Holmes purists will, of course, froth at the mouth over The Beekeeper's Apprentice and the books that follow it. This is true of most pastiches. They are, after all, pastiches. I went into this book with a number of grave misgivings; the premise--retired and aging Holmes picks up an almost-as-brilliant student/partner in the person of a fifteen-year-old girl--doesn't really inspire much confidence. I am /not/ a purist, but Sherlock Holmes is one of my most beloved literary figures and there is a line of interpretation that I really don't like to see crossed. It didn't help that, initially, Mary Russell (the aforementioned 15-year-old and the narrator of the book) wasn't very endearing. I like a sharp sense of humor as much as anyone and I don't tolerate foolishness well, but Russell seemed, starting off, a little too aware of her own intelligence and therefore a little too disparaging of everyone else's (particularly poor loyal Watson's). But a funny thing happened as I continued reading--I started to warm to Russell somewhere along the way, and from there things just went downhill. Most of my liking for The Beekeper's Apprentice comes from the fact that, despite occasional liberties taken, on the whole Laurie King has poached Holmes very well. He appears in the book rather like an old friend, older but as sharp (and as superior) as ever. Yes, his character is altered a little bit; he's made slightly more human, and more fallible, than the Holmes of Conan Doyle's stores. This humanity is, however, very close to Holmes' character--it reads not so much like an addition or a change as it does like an elaboration on the original, more like a deeper understanding of the man than a deviation. And as I said, as the book wore on I found myself liking Russell as well. Her voice, narrating, becomes very distinct and unique, and strikes a chord with me (though she probably won't with everyone). She and Holmes can't go for very long at all without snarking at one another, providing a steady thread of amusement through the whole book. Holmes' brother Mycroft makes a number of appearances as well, which is gratifying. I've always liked Mycroft. The plot isn't so much one story as a collection of episodes: Holmes and Russell's first meeting and early acquaintance, a few comparatively non-pressing mysteries involving things like some stolen hams and a mysterious recurring illness, a more serious case of a kidnapping, and finally, starting right about in the middle of the book, a tense and convoluted case in which Holmes himself, and Russell by association, are the villain's targets. By the time the last and most serious plotline kicked in, I was hooked enough to be held in suspense and worry over both of the main characters. The verdict: for people who just can't get enough of Sherlock Holmes, and who can appreciate dry humor and forgive the occasional small liberties taken with the Detective's character, The Beekeeper's Apprentice is a good, entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent adventure ... though I won't follow the series
Review: The book is about how Mary Russell became first the apprentice, then the intern and last the partner of Holmes. It contains a few cases, each characterizing a different phase of Russell's deepening association with Holmes. The first case involving Richard Barker is a nice touch, echoing the theme of "The Hound of the Baskervilles": the signals, the hounds, the butler, and so on. It teases a bit, and whets the readers' appetite. The middle two cases are not particularly mysterious themselves, but do well in establishing the relationship between Russell and Holmes, making the trust Holmes later placed in Russell more credible. The last case is the most interesting. Though I would say the deductions are not very brilliant, and the way the criminal was finally caught is a bit of an anti-climax, the story is well fleshed out nonetheless. The plot is rich with a lot of adventures. And it does not cheat. It is pssible for careful readers to use the little hints to "guess" (pardon me, I know Holmes doesn't like this word) who the criminal is. Indeed, the way the identity of the criminal was revealed is much more satisfying than how Russell and Holmes tried to outwit the criminal (and with the wisdom of Holmes, it is hard to believe that it takes a game of chess to make him realize the possibility of the diversion strategy...). But how they got the criminal in the final confrontation does echo well with the last game of chess they played before they returned to England. Some reviewers say there's too much digression (especially referring to the journey in the middle east). But I think the "digression" is actually a valuable addition to the WHOLE story. Although one can divide the book into a few different cases, the book as a whole is stronger than the sum of these individual cases. Maybe the "digression" is not very relevant to any particular case, it does, however, give the book a more solid structure, and help balance the two equally important purposes of the book: dectective mysteries and character development. And arguably it's the excellence of the latter that gives the book its edge. Speaking of that, I have to say that I find the character of Mary Russell very likable. Although her background is a bit cliched (you know, she's orphan, and was partly responsible for a tragedy that happened early in life...), the formula somehow works here. Also, the sometimes humorous narration and witty exchanges between Russell and Holmes scattered throughout the book make a very good complement to the suspense of the cases. This book is as much about adventures as about mysteries. Over all, I would say it's a very very good book. But as said in the title of this review, I won't read the follow-ups of the Russell/Holmes series despite this very delightful first installment. I read this book's "Prelude: Author's note" after I finished the story, and I was appalled to find that the "Prelude" was signed off by "MRH." Why can't the author keep the affection between Russell and Holmes as that between a daughter and father?? Holmes' over 50 when Russell's only 15! Plus, while it is welcome to make Holmes more human, it's too much to make Holmes a husband. Arr... I think I'd be better off closing the book still pretending that Russell is just like a daughter to Holmes. With that, to me their adventure comes to a close with this wonderful book.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable read...new light on old hero!
Review: I enjoyed Laurie King's new take on Sherlock Holmes. Putting him in partnership with smart, sassy Mary Russell, a feminist long before her time, breathes new life into a jaded character. It's fun to watch Holmes teach AND learn from Ms. Russell and it's great to observe Ms. Russell's growth during story. The mysteries are almost secondary to the story of Holmes and his young, headstrong pupil. I'll be reading more of this series. King has done a superb job in bringing one of my all time fictional heroes back to life! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly Readable
Review: It's a rare book indeed that I find myself compelled to read straight through, and this has become an even more rare occurrence in recent years due to an increasingly busy life. So when I tell you that I read this book in two days in two sittings, that should give you a good indication of just how compelling this book is. Yes, it's a Sherlock Holmes book. Yes, it's not by Conan Doyle. I'm not normally one to recommend a book that uses characters created by other writers, but there's an exception to everything, and King is the exception. Give her credit for the creation of a character just as interesting as Holmes, and for portraying Holmes in not just a reverential manner, but a professional one. That is, she lets him grow as a character, rather than keeping him static. This is a huge improvement over Doyle (albeit Holmes changed under his pen, but not quite as believably). King also has a wonderful plot here, and a wonderful villain. The combination kept me up until 1 a.m. on two nights running. Likely it will do the same for you.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I really did love this book. I couldn't put it down. I don't think there was one thing in it that I wished the author had changed. Bottom line: Does this book deserve 5 stars? Well, maybe 4.8 (who's perfect?)
If I lend it out, do I want it back? I get your driver's license, you get my copy of this book. (just kidding! but you'd better not dogear the pages or get coffee on the cover)
Do I want to read more by this author? Yes - and I've already read the others in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Mary Russell and her mentor (You may have heard of him)
Review: Laurie King does something in The Beekeeper's Apprentice that few have been able to accomplish; bring back a beloved character successfully. The Holmes presented in King's novel is more accessible than Doyle's , more human and maybe, more believable. By presenting the reader with an intellectual match for Holmes, in the form of Mary Russell, King has given Holmes an equal to play off of, not a Watson who stood in constant awe of Holmes' skills. The storyline itself presents the author with the typical problem of how to introduce the characters without boring the reader with exposition, and King does an admirable job in solving this difficulty. The mysteries and their solutions are well thought out and fit well into the established Holmes mythology. Any Holmes' fan should be will be well satisfied with this version of the "Great Detective."
Rating:
Summary: Mystery...
Review: The Beekeeper's Apprentice is a book about a girl called Mary Russell and her adventures with the legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes. Russell (as she is called by Holmes) becomes Holmes' protégé and works with him on several cases. In the first case, Holmes shows her how to conduct a case and the second is a miniature case, not something great enough to make the front page of the Times. However in the third one, Russell becomes the hero and Holmes, her sidekick. The author connects that case and last of the book. "Our only clients are ourselves and the only payment is our lives." They merely try to save their lives during the case. This is the longest and the most interesting case in the book, where Russell works with Holmes as his partner, not his apprentice. The chapter before the last appears to be the anticlimax but it stops at the peak. The last chapter just wraps it up. The book is very interesting and is the best of the sequence. I would urge all mystery lovers to read, for once you start, you just cannot stop.
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