Rating: 
Summary: I Savored this Historical Melange
Review: Okay, I admit it. It took me a hundred pages to get into this book. But once I got swept up in this delicious melange of history, Arab customs, humor and political intrigue, I found myself turning pages as feverishly as I did with most of King's books. Unlike The Moor, King's previous rather rambling travelogue, all roads in O Jerusalem lead onward to a compelling conclusion. I liked the fact that the Holmes-Russell relationship took a backseat to the history, and that Mary Russell wasn't so smugly precocious. This is a balanced, well constructed book, and I applaud King for her courage in avoiding a formulaic approach to this series.
Rating:
Summary: King's Best!
Review: When I first discovered that the latest adventure of Holmes and Russell wasn't in chronological order with Kings' previous novels in the series, I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it. That thought didn't last long. Kings' latest is, in my opinion, her best. . She always writes well, but she out did herself with this latest edition to this very enjoyable series. This is a story rich with history, imagery and wonderful characters you really care about. Set in the Holy Land, the historical references meld neatly with Holmes' and Russell's present. Ancient history and post-WWI history is anything but dull as King paints a picture both realistic and captivating. Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell are, as always, strong characters, but the other central characters are well rounded and real as well. I came to care about them and hated to come to the end of this novel. I hope that we'll meet up with Ali and Mahmoud, the odd detecting duos reluctant cohorts, again soon. If you're uncertain about whether or not to buy this novel, don't be. Buy it now and feel the heat of the ancient desert between your toes. :o)
Rating: 
Summary: Sherlock holmes adventures from a woman's point of view
Review: O'Jerusalem by LAUIRE R.King Is a personal accounts of Sherlock Homels case written by his young partner Mary Russell.The plot is interging,devloping over the course of the noverl.This as a result can be a little tiresome. Tet don't the descriptive nature of which King has prepaired for you.
I found the historical content to be quite interesting and how the two Protagonist lived in the Middle East.I also found the quotes at the beginning of the chapter to be words of wisdom that I may use today.I suggest that the leader should catch up on all of Sherlock Holmes adventures and possibly include some with Mary Russel.
The book is very unique and insightful about the famous inhabitant of 221B Bakerstreet.
Rating:
Summary: I Don't Care What Others Say: I Loved It!
Review: I don't understand why I've seen so many reviews that put this book down so horribly! I loved this story personally, rivalling it with "The Beekeeper's Apprentice." The setting makes you feel like you're really there and adds to the tension of the story. The plot is superb, with enough red herrings all over the place to make your skin crawl with delight! I simply loved the way Laurie R. King (and because of this, Russell) really and truly understood and recognized these people as who they are and what they are, not trying to hide or disguise it at all. It is refreshing, truly. This fine piece of work was wrought well by the master story-teller Laurie R. King, and is sure to delight you. Just as Russell had to show she was competent to Holmes, so she does now once again, this time to two Arab males that believe women to be inferior to everything else in the world, especially them. It is comic yet heart-wrenching, serious yet light. A hard thing to explain, true...but if you read the book, you will understand.
Rating:
Summary: Smashing Read by King
Review: I have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since I was in grade school, and I feel very comfortable with King's insightful handling of the Holmes character. I have read all the Mary Russell series and look forward to each of the new ones that are published. In O Jersusalem, I was not sure why King had backtracked to an earlier time in Mary's and Holmes' relationship. However, after reading the book, I was very pleased because she added more depth to Mary's character and kept Holmes' character true to the Conan Doyle model. The Palestinean history that she weaves into the story adds great authenticity to the read. I especially enjoyed watching Mary's character (liberated as she is)deal with the midEastern culture and their treatment of women. King does a great job making her characters realistic. The book is well worth the readers time.( I have friends who are not Holmes fans who love the stories.)
Rating:
Summary: Best since The Beekeeper's Apprentice
Review: The fifth book In Laurie King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series is, in my opinion, the best since the initial book. Holmes and Russell explore their relationship while escaping from danger in the first book and investigating for Mycroft. I found the background of Jerusalem after the first world war intriguing, and the interplay of cultures compelling. It is interesting that the author made references to this adventure in previously written books since this one takes place at and earlier time than some books (the same time as The Beekeeper's Apprentice.) I suspect that she had in mind that she would tell this story at some point. Perhaps the research took some time.
The testing that Russell and Holmes go through in this book make the changes in the characters when they return to London in the first book realistic. I admire the writing craft as true to the individual plot and true to the development of the characters during the series. I'd love to sit down and talk to the author about this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven Holmes pastiche
Review: Laurie King has written a number of these books now, with the main character a young girl who shows Sherlock Holmes how a woman can be just as effective as a man in a whole list of different ways. This is of course a very modern idea, and it's doubtful that the real Sherlock Holmes, written by the real Conan Doyle, would have espoused this view, but we give her the benefit of the doubt because the premise is fun. Here, though, the premise isn't that fun. For mysterious reasons (apparently regarding the end of The Beekeeper's Apprentice, which I don't remember very well) Holmes and his young friend Mary Russell are thrown ashore in Palestine ca. 1919, courtesy of Sherlock Holmes' brother Mycroft. They immediately hook up with a couple of mysterious local Arabs, who guide them about the country aimlessly, after making clear how useless they think Holmes and Russell are. It takes several hundred pages before things actually get going. The difficulty is that this really isn't a detective novel: instead, it's a spy novel, and a slow-moving one at that. It's 300 pages or so before the plot actually takes shape and we know what Holmes and Russell are looking for. It's slow and not very suspenseful, and it takes so long to get going that by the time it does, we don't care what's going on. I have to confess that while some of the characters were interesting, the plot was so moribund that I wasn't that impressed. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone other than Holmes fanatics.
Rating:
Summary: Evocatively written, but difficult to get into
Review: Laurie R King's "O Jerusalem" is another instalment in her series dealing with turn-of-the-century feminist Mary Russell's professional (and marriage) relationship to the most famous detective in the English-speaking world - Sherlock Holmes. Readers who have not begun with the first book in the series ("The Beekeeper's Apprentice") may have a difficult time if they join the series at this juncture, as much of Mary's back-story is taken as read. That said, "Jerusalem" is not necessarily the sequel to the previous work ("The Moor") in the way that "The Moor" was the sequel to "A Letter of Mary".
As fans of the series will recall, during "Beekeeper" Holmes and Russell were forced to leave England for a time under threat of their lives. Choosing to do something productive during their enforced absence, the duo are referred to as having done some work for Holmes' brother - the inimitable Mycroft Holmes - in Palestine. "Beekeeper" does not contain any more of this interesting episode, however King promised that it would be written. "O Jerusalem" is that episode. As a result, the reader needs to remember that Mary Russell is now 19 again and most decidedly not married to Holmes. While there are certain overtones in the book implying that it was in Palestine that Russell realised whatever feelings she had for her partner-in-sleuthing, King does not dwell on any romantic implications. The scene is Palestine at the end of the First World War. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire from within has resulted in the attempts by many of its former constituent parts to declare independence. In all of this, Palestine is governed by General Robert Allenby and his officers.
It is into this interesting milieu that Holmes and Russell arrive to work with Mycroft's men-on-the-spot. These men turn out to be the incomparable Mahmoud and Ali Hazr, two Bedu (Bedouin) brothers who work as itinerant scribes for local villagers. The brothers are anything but pleased to see that Mycroft has given them extra help - especially when they realise that one of their assistants is a woman. One of the main themes of this novel is the growing trust between the Hazrs and Mary Russell. King phrases this, in parts, as being almost a feminist victory in what was then (and is now) a strongly male-dominated society. Mary's skill at dagger-throwing, for example, becomes a great asset to her in a memorable scene set in a remote village.
While it is debatable whether or not the Hazrs actually become friends of Holmes and Russell by the end of the book, it is certainly clear that a grudging respect is afforded Mary - or "Amir" as she is known while in disguise. Another important theme is that of Mary's Judaism. King devotes many passages to the emotions brought about by Mary's entrance into Jerusalem, seeing the fortress of Masada and swimming in the Dead Sea. Indeed, much of "O Jerusalem" verges on a travelogue of the area. Finally, there is also the contrast between the simple Bedu existence of Ali and Mahmoud and the transplanted English society of Allenby's men and the people of Jerusalem. King clearly relishes the irony in these differences and communicates this relish well. You may have noticed that there has not been any mention of plot as yet. This is because the plot itself is secondary to the character development and - one imagines - Ms King's demonstration that she can be a serious writer if the mood takes her. To be sure, her descriptions of things ranging from turn-of-the-century Jerusalem to Bedu society are right on the money, but the "Sherlock Holmes in Palestine" part of the plot is a hastily-assembled business dealing with espionage with vague political overtones. It never really gets adequately explained, but it serves as a great excuse to wander four well-written characters around one of the most mystical settings a writer could ever find. In the final analysis, this is one of those books you'll either love or hate. Don't read it expecting the customary "Holmes deduces the most obscure facts" ending, because such deduction as appears here (the location of a particular monastery) doesn't appear to have a great bearing on the end result. Read it instead as an evocative account of the Middle East after the First World War and you'll probably get more out of it.
King has managed, I think, to get inside Russell's head much better here than before. Earlier novels in this series featured Russell every so often doing a good impression of a plot device - and the same goes for Holmes. Here, Russell appears to be a much more authentic character. My recommendation is that the reader try to get their hands on a copy of "Justice Hall" as rapidly as possible after reading this book. King makes the point in her foreword that the two books are connected, and the connection is much stronger when they are read back-to-back.
Rating:
Summary: Desert story leaves the reader with a terrible thirst!
Review: Despite the low rating I have offered on this book, I have to admit that I enjoyed a good deal of it thanks mostly to Ms. King's wonderful ability to paint the story with detail and description that approaches the turn-of-the-century writing fitting for Holmes. Unfortunately, the excellent descriptive elements of the narrative are wasted due primarily to the creeping paralysis of modern social views that take over the story from time to time. The book strays a bit too often into the desert of political correctness, if not blatant feminism (why, *naturally* a nineteen year old girl can be the intellectual equal of Sherlock Holmes, beat up a man twice her size, properly enlighten Arabs on respecting women, etc.). Perhaps it is simply the author's personal need to speak out about the injustices of past history and lierature in the only way that she felt was open to her. While a noble cause (albeit somewhat misguided), I'd much prefer it be done on her own time and not on the time of those who enjoy a good Holmes story. Even if the reader is not nettled by the "enlightning" of characters set a century in the past, there are still other problems with the book. For example, the main character (Russell of course, not Holmes), seems drawn to prattling about her religion (another personal stake for the author?). Doesn't seem to fit a Holmes story, but that isn't what we really have with "O Jerusalem" anyway. The banner at the top of the paperback's cover reads: "A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and her partner Sherlock Holmes" (HER partner?! Holmes a second-stringer?!). Clearly this implies that Russell, not Holmes, is the star of the story (and she is), so why bother with Holmes at all? Why not just introduce the character and let her grow on her own as a 1920's detective? If the author desires to create a character such as Mary Russell, why not just do so? The answer is that what we have here is yet another writer attempting to graft their own, new characters into the already well-established world of Holmes, both for support as well as marketing. After all, unless an author has name value (such as a Stephen King or John Grisham), chances are a reader will purchase a new book with an established character like Holmes rather than take a chance on a new series with an unknown lead like Russell. If the new character being introduced has any worth at all (as the Russell character seems to have), then it should be able to stand on its own without the crutch of Holmes to support it. The fact that the author chose to tack on to her series the immortal name of Sherlock Holmes speaks more of a lack of faith in her new character rather than an honest desire to expand upon the world founded by Doyle. Compare this series to the excellent work of Quinn Fawcett and his Mycroft Holmes books, and you'll see what I mean. Fawcett obviously respects the characters as offered by Doyle, in the world offered by Doyle. He expands upon them in a proper and fitting way, while at the same time introducing his new characters into the story. At no time do any modern, pet personal causes of the author take over the narrative, and so there are no distractions from the late Victorian setting of the story. The pity is that Ms. King has a great talent for description and action that fits nicely with the style of Doyle. If only Ms. King would undertake to write a straight, old-fashioned Holmes/Watson mystery, rather than bowdlerizing the works of Doyle with modern viewpoints and characters, the Holmes audience would be much better served.
Rating:
Summary: vivid, imaginative, well worth reading
Review: Great cast of characters, wonderful history, and the scenery comes alive before your eyes. I recommend this book!
| 
