by Laurie R. King

[Holmes] shot me a look of long-suffering impatience. “Russell, you do have the most disconcerting habit of stepping into the centre of things.”

Laurie R. King’s Russell/Holmes series is one of the series of books that I am really invested in and I am in it for the long haul. I buy them in Hardback, even though I prefer to read e-books. The Hardbacks are gorgeous, by the way. It’s a “till death do us part” kind of commitment. Literally. Since I knew that this one brought back Mrs. Hudson last seen 2 books and 4 years ago (a couple of months in book-time) I picked up The Murder of Mary Russell to refresh my memory of all that was revealed about her history in that installment. I’m glad I did re-establish that foundation because this book builds on what was revealed and, to me, can only be given a fair reading in the context of that novel.

In May, I had learned that my beloved Mrs. Hudson possessed a History that was scandalous, adventurous, and criminal. Mrs. Hudson, who had looked across her kitchen at a truculent fifteen-year-old girl…and perceived not the ink-stains of education and the accents of an upbringing, as Sherlock Holmes had seen, but the clear signs of pain and hunger and emptiness….But I was very young when I lost my family. The loss of Mrs. Hudson felt like a second abandonment…I realized…that what I wanted most was not to tell her that I forgave her. What I wanted was for her to forgive me, for having judged her.

Riviera Gold concerns the establishment of a new chapter in Mary Russell and her surrogate grandmother, Sherlock Holmes’ Mrs. Hudson’s relationship. Is it the final chapter? I doubt it. This book ends with some unresolved questions that will more than likely be satisfied another day in another installment.
As with all of the books, one of the strengths of this one was the exotic locale and meeting the historical people King’s books are peppered with. In this one, we are gifted with Sara and Gerald Murphy, Pablo Picasso, Basil Zaharoff, and, most prominently, Lily Langtry. We also get a passing glimpse of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, John Dos Passos, and a mention of Sidney Reilly (Ace of Spies). The reader is truly transported into the foreign country that is the past. And they do indeed do things differently there. The primary attraction of these books is not, for me, the adventure and the intrigue but the complex and deeply drawn personalities of Mary Russell, and Sherlock Holmes, and their intriguing and sometimes titillating relationship.

“…if I’m to face a taxi drive back along the coast, maybe I should drink myself unconscious.”…”As you like. Although when I checked in, I did mention that my wife might be joining me.” Nothing about him suggested that it mattered one way or the other to him-nothing but the quiet humour in the back of his eyes that traced a feather-light finger all the the way down my spine. I cleared my throat. “Well. I should hate to disappoint the management.”

I did not fool him one whit. But then, neither did I believe his apparent lack of interest in my preference.

So in Riviera Gold, besides relationship development of fascinating people that we also care for, we are immersed in a murder mystery with our Mrs. Hudson briefly jailed and under suspicion, lost Romanov gold, smugglers, casinos, being too close for comfort with a ruthless and powerful arms dealer, conspiracy and betrayal, Jazz Age society, and the daring and dramatic last-minute rescue of a principal in the stories.

On to the next adventure which will apparently involve Vampires in Romania! I’m all in. **4 stars out of 5**

July 24, 2020

by Laurie R. King

“If one plays on fear, takes away any remotely complicated ideas, and offers people a sense of confidence and right, one’s followers will beat to death any enemy they are pointed at.”

I enjoyed this installment very much. Mary and Sherlock spend a lot of time together and demonstrate both affection and respect for each other. Although it’s never mushy, you can see their devotion if you read between the lines. There is a welcome return to her featuring real-life famous people (or famous fictional people!) in her plots. This time it is Cole Porter and his wife, Linda, and also Elsa Maxwell. I love the way she places the sleuths in interesting and important historical places and times. This time, it is in Italy (Venice) as Mussolini has just come to power. We experience, through the duo’s adventures, the high times of the rich globe-trotting socialites before the depression. The rescue mission they embark upon, which leads them to Venice, is engaging and satisfactorily concluded with a diabolical scheme that neutralizes the bad guy most entertainingly.**4 stars out of 5**

June 20, 2018

By Laurie R. King

He shook out the match and dropped it into the laden bowl. “I met Clarissa Hudson in the autumn of 1879, when Samuel was an infant. A year later, she returned from Australia without him. Three months after that, in January, 1881, Watson and I took rooms in her house. Outside of that,” he said, “I made her a promise. That so long as her past remained behind her, I would make no further enquiries into her life, pursue no more investigation into any crimes and misdemeanours she might have committed. From that day, her slate was clean. I gave her my word,” he reiterated.

One of the very best in the series. It is Brilliantly conceived and executed, building on one of Holmes’ early cases written by Arthur Conan Doyle. At first, I was wondering what in the world Ms King was thinking going into so much detail about Mrs. Hudson’s parents, their courtship, her birth and terrible childhood, etc. But somehow, it worked. I still think she could have cut back on some of that, but the upshot was a very deep character study which made the former (almost) nonentity a fascinating and remarkable woman. Sherlock Holmes introduction into her life (at age 17 or 18) takes place on page 137 and it is classic. The mystery leaps back into the present at page 200 and all of the threads are tied together at the remarkable and thrilling finish.**5 stars out of 5**

April 22, 2016

by Laurie R. King

Great recovery from the disaster that was The Pirate King. As Always, Ms King folds in real historical personages into the story to interact appropriately with the fictional characters. Because of this and the little known but fascinating history of Morocco, I would strongly recommend keeping Wikipedia handy. If you like a little education, exotic locales, and history with your mysteries, this effort by Laurie King will appeal. Sherlock and Mary start off apart, and the first pages or so when Mary has amnesia is a little slow, but it picks up considerably when Sherlock makes the scene. She doesn’t keep the couple apart too long and doesn’t drag out Mary getting her memory back too long either. Actually, I would have liked to see more of her “fresh” take on her husband and more of how Sherlock deals with a wife who does not remember anything about the glory that is Sherlock Holmes. Still, their interactions are nicely done. As always, the puzzle takes second place, but there is a nice little WTF?? near the end. It seems as if Mary and Sherlock may be headed towards a final showdown with Mycroft, who is proving to be the worst sort of diabolical manipulator of history and politicians to advance his own agenda. **4 stars out of 5**

July 17, 2013