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It’s only the second day of 1924, but Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, find themselves embroiled in intrigue. It starts with a New Year’s visit from Holmes’s brother Mycroft, who comes bearing a strange package containing the papers of an English spy named Kimball O’Hara—the same Kimball known to the world through Kipling’s famed Kim. Inexplicably, O’Hara withdrew from the “Great Game” of espionage and now he has just as inexplicably disappeared.
When Russell discovers Holmes’s own secret friendship with the spy, she knows the die is cast: she will accompany her husband to India to search for the missing operative. But Russell soon learns that in this faraway and exotic land, it’s often impossible to tell friend from foe—and that some games aren’t played for fun but for the highest stakes of all…life and death.
When Russell discovers Holmes’s own secret friendship with the spy, she knows the die is cast: she will accompany her husband to India to search for the missing operative. But Russell soon learns that in this faraway and exotic land, it’s often impossible to tell friend from foe—and that some games aren’t played for fun but for the highest stakes of all…life and death.
14 pages, Audiobook
First published March 2, 2004
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About the author
Laurie R. King
135 books6,852 followersEdgar-winning mystery writer Laurie R. King writes series and standalone novels. Her official forum is
THE LRK VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB here on Goodreads--please join us for book-discussing fun.
King's 2018 novel, Island of the Mad, sees Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes travel from London's Bedlam to the glitter of Venice's Lido,where Young Things and the friends of Cole Porter pass Mussolini's Blackshirts in the streets. The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series follows a brilliant young woman who becomes the student, then partner, of the great detective. [click here for an excerpt of the first in the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice] The Stuyvesant and Grey series (Touchstone; The Bones of Paris) takes place in Europe between the Wars. The Kate Martinelli series follows an SFPD detective's cases on a female Rembrandt, a holy fool, and more. [Click for an excerpt of A Grave Talent]
King lives in northern California, which serves as backdrop for some of her books.
Please note that Laurie checks her Goodreads inbox intermittently, so it may take some time to receive a reply. A quicker response may be possible via email to info@laurierking.com.
THE LRK VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB here on Goodreads--please join us for book-discussing fun.
King's 2018 novel, Island of the Mad, sees Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes travel from London's Bedlam to the glitter of Venice's Lido,where Young Things and the friends of Cole Porter pass Mussolini's Blackshirts in the streets. The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series follows a brilliant young woman who becomes the student, then partner, of the great detective. [click here for an excerpt of the first in the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice] The Stuyvesant and Grey series (Touchstone; The Bones of Paris) takes place in Europe between the Wars. The Kate Martinelli series follows an SFPD detective's cases on a female Rembrandt, a holy fool, and more. [Click for an excerpt of A Grave Talent]
King lives in northern California, which serves as backdrop for some of her books.
Please note that Laurie checks her Goodreads inbox intermittently, so it may take some time to receive a reply. A quicker response may be possible via email to info@laurierking.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 891 reviews
May 28, 2012
This is the seventh novel in King’s Mary Russell series and one of my favourites so far. In this instalment, Sherlock Holmes and his wife and partner Mary Russell travel to India to look for Kimball O’Hara – the hero of Rudyard Kipling’s Kim. There is concern from on high that Kim, who has been missing for some three years, has either been captured or has turned traitor in the Great Game.
The conceit of the narrative is disarming. When Mary Russell, who only knows of Kim from reading Kipling, asks if he is a real person, Holmes responds “As real as I am”. With that, the adventure begins. There’s a rush to get away from England, an ocean voyage through the Suez Canal, an American flapper, her possibly sinister brother, disguise and magic in India, a Maharaja with secrets and a street urchin who may have secrets of his own. And then there’s Kim – the idea of him and, ultimately, the actuality of him – as believable as Kipling’s Kim, albeit some thirty years older.
For all of my general resistance to the concept of a novelist writing books using characters created by other writers, I love this series. King knows her source material well and treats it with love and respect. Her plotting is excellent and her characters are credible and interesting. She can also evoke the time and place in which her novels are set without fussy period detail. Of course, like a lot of fiction of this genre, this is a highly implausible tale and when I finished reading the book the silliness of it all struck home. But while reading, I was completely in the narrative and totally prepared to suspend disbelief.
Knowing that Kimball O’Hara was to make an appearance in this novel made me decide to read Kipling’s Kim for the first time. It’s a book I'd previously avoided because I’m not keen on boys’ own adventure stories and I felt a bit iffy about Kipling generally because of his reputation as a supporter of the British imperialist enterprise. However, I listened to an audiobook edition of Kim and it was wonderful. (My review, is here, should anyone be interested in reading it). My enjoyment of this novel was enhanced by the experience of listening to Kim and my experience of listening to Kim was enhanced by reading King’s homage to that work. Immersing myself in India under British rule for a few days has given me lots of reading and listening enjoyment.
March 14, 2016
$1.99 on Amazon today!
1924. Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes gets a New Year’s visit from Mycroft Holmes with a strange package from an English spy called Kimball O’Hara, more known as the Kim Kipling wrote about. He has withdrawn from the “Great Game” of espionage and disappeared. So Russell and Homes travels to India to search for the missing Kim.
I like this book very much, a missing spy, India and Mary Russell that has to disguise herself to save Sherlock Holmes. It's a wonderful entertaining and engrossing book.
1924. Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes gets a New Year’s visit from Mycroft Holmes with a strange package from an English spy called Kimball O’Hara, more known as the Kim Kipling wrote about. He has withdrawn from the “Great Game” of espionage and disappeared. So Russell and Homes travels to India to search for the missing Kim.
I like this book very much, a missing spy, India and Mary Russell that has to disguise herself to save Sherlock Holmes. It's a wonderful entertaining and engrossing book.
September 3, 2016
Book 7 in my continuing Mary Russell audio project. I really like this installment - one of my favorite things that Laurie King does is bring in other literary characters. We've previously briefly met Lord Peter Wimsey, and now Kimball O'Hara of Rudyard Kipling fame becomes a central character in The Game.
I'm also a huge fan of books set during the colonial England era, when the sun never set on the British empire. I feel a bit bad for liking these books as much as I do, because, of course, imperial Britain was utterly abominable. Oppressive, overbearing and abusive to the native people, who did not need nor want their so-called "civilizing," thank you very much. But, to my shame, I do love reading these books.
This isn't my favorite of the series - Justice Hall still remains the high water mark for me. And it lacks the atmospheric deliciousness of The Moor. But, I prefer it to A Letter of Mary and O Jerusalem.
If my recollection serves me correctly, Locked Rooms - coming up next - is a favorite.
I'm also a huge fan of books set during the colonial England era, when the sun never set on the British empire. I feel a bit bad for liking these books as much as I do, because, of course, imperial Britain was utterly abominable. Oppressive, overbearing and abusive to the native people, who did not need nor want their so-called "civilizing," thank you very much. But, to my shame, I do love reading these books.
This isn't my favorite of the series - Justice Hall still remains the high water mark for me. And it lacks the atmospheric deliciousness of The Moor. But, I prefer it to A Letter of Mary and O Jerusalem.
If my recollection serves me correctly, Locked Rooms - coming up next - is a favorite.
March 11, 2022
Though my attention wandered at times with this one, and I never really engaged with the idea of Russell and Holmes journeying (and journeying and journeying) to India to track down a missing spy who is unaccountably a secret old friend of Holmes, the quality of the writing and its ability to evoke unfamiliar times and places makes this an obligatory four stars.
December 25, 2013
This is the seventh book in the Mary Russell series, which involve partnering Sherlock Holmes, professionally and romantically, with an unlikely female counterpart: and I love them--ever since I discovered one of the middle books in the series, A Letter of Mary. Well, this particular book is a twofer. As King states in her Author's Thanks, "The Game may be read as a humble and profoundly felt homage to Rudyard Kipling's Kim, one of the great novels of the English language. If you, the reader, do not know the book, please do not delay that acquaintance." I hadn't read the book, and it's probably not necessary, but once I realized that The Game was based on that novel, I put this book down for a little detour to read Kim. I'm glad I did, not only because it was a great read in its own right, but I think doing so made this only more fun. And it seems a natural combination--Kipling's Kimball O'Hara and Doyle's Sherlock Holmes--two immortal characters of the British Empire, both with links to the "Great Game" of espionage.
A friend who also loves the Russell series says one thing she appreciates is how each book is so different, in theme and setting, so the books don't get stale. The last one, Justice Hall, was set in England, this one certainly developed a very rich and different setting--that of India during the British Raj. I didn't perhaps love this quite as much as Justice Hall, but then so far that's my favorite of the lot. This one was certainly entertaining from beginning to end--a gripping and suspenseful read. And as my friend also pointed out in her own review, I think the Holmes/Russell relationship is even more to the fore here than usual--I love the chemistry between them--and yet Holmes never seemed to me out of the bounds of the character Conan Doyle created. Now the only thing I have to decide is whether or not to go on to the next in this series immediately or begin to space them out. At this rate I'll run out of the books soon, and sadly go into withdrawal until King writes the next one.
A friend who also loves the Russell series says one thing she appreciates is how each book is so different, in theme and setting, so the books don't get stale. The last one, Justice Hall, was set in England, this one certainly developed a very rich and different setting--that of India during the British Raj. I didn't perhaps love this quite as much as Justice Hall, but then so far that's my favorite of the lot. This one was certainly entertaining from beginning to end--a gripping and suspenseful read. And as my friend also pointed out in her own review, I think the Holmes/Russell relationship is even more to the fore here than usual--I love the chemistry between them--and yet Holmes never seemed to me out of the bounds of the character Conan Doyle created. Now the only thing I have to decide is whether or not to go on to the next in this series immediately or begin to space them out. At this rate I'll run out of the books soon, and sadly go into withdrawal until King writes the next one.
February 17, 2018
Laurie King's The Game is a pleasure for the senses and mind. The Gameis chock full of interesting and beloved characters: Sherlock Holmes; his equally smart, competent, and courageous wife; and the grown-up version of Rudyard Kipling's Kim (and, perhaps, his reincarnation). King both writes and thinks beautifully. And, like other Holmes novels – King's and Doyle's – The Game is both cerebral and adventurous.
The Game is the seventh book in King's Mary Russell series. This book largely takes place in India, a land that is fertile ground for the novelist:
Unlike some series, King's Russell series works both when read in order, but also out of order (which I think I've done).
Finally, I enjoyed King's allusions to Kim and have started reading and enjoying Kipling's book. A good recommendation is always appreciated.
The Game is the seventh book in King's Mary Russell series. This book largely takes place in India, a land that is fertile ground for the novelist:
This is a land that gives one little of what is expected or desired, but an abundance of what proves later to have been needed. The process proves hugely disorientating, with the result that even the most stable of individuals rather go to pieces. (p. 73)Like some other books from this series, Ms. Russell goes undercover as a man. I wouldn't be able to pull off this gender-bendering – even with my hair cut and a change in clothing; nonetheless, I enjoy reading about characters who convince me that they can do this successfully (this is at least the third book that I've read this year with characters successfully passing). I enjoy it both for the unexpected twist, but also for the opportunities it allows the novelist – and us – to consider the meaning of gender (and in the case of this book, to a lesser extent race and religion): the male’s passion for games often led him to become frivolous towards those things requiring serious thought, and to be serious about the essentially frivolous (p. 151).
Unlike some series, King's Russell series works both when read in order, but also out of order (which I think I've done).
Finally, I enjoyed King's allusions to Kim and have started reading and enjoying Kipling's book. A good recommendation is always appreciated.
July 15, 2015
It is 1924, and in England, Mycroft Holmes summons his brother Sherlock and Sherlock's wife, Mary Russell, to a meeting. Mycroft has a request on behalf of the government: go to India to find Kimball O'Hara, the Kim of Rudyard Kipling's book. No, not a fictional character, but a flesh-and-blood man who was part of British Intelligence in India for many years, and has been missing for three years. With a Bolshevik Russia making restless noises to the north and Indian hill rajas ever susceptible to turning their coats and going over to the Reds to help them oust the British, Kim is needed.
So Holmes and Russell go off to India, where they receive yet another assignment: to go to the hill state of Khanpur, whose maharaja, Jumalpandra 'Jimmy', seems to be up to something sneaky. Therefore, disguised as itinerant magicians and assisted by a cheeky little imp named Bindra, the couple set off from Delhi...
I've read a few Holmes tributes over the past few years, and I approach each new one I come across with some hesitation. Laurie R King's book (this is the first I've read, though it is the seventh in the series) is not exactly a homage to Holmes, because its central character is the narrator Mary Russell. And she is no Watson. She is Russ, equal (or so it would seem) in every way to Holmes himself. In dexterity, deftness, resourcefulness, everything. But then, why bung in Holmes, anyway? If you're writing about the greatest fictional detective, why relegate him to an adventure which doesn't require him to do any sleuthing? Because that's what The Game is: an adventure story, not a detective story.
And an adventure story that jars at every twist and turn. As an Indian, reading badly-researched books set in India can be thoroughly off putting, and this one was right there at the top. As soon as I saw that 'Jumalpandra' (which, if you know Hindi, sounds like a cross between the Hindi words for a laxative and 'to break wind'), I knew this was not going to be an easy ride. And it wasn't. Not with someone called Rambachadur. Not with descriptions of saris worn tucked into little more than a string, and with a scarf draped over the head and shoulders. Not with the awful Hindi mentioned (thankfully only occasionally) as being spoken by supposed natives. Not with the many other errors relating to food, geography, costume, local tradition, etc. (And the tone of the narrator, while possibly true to the period, struck me as offensive and patronising by turn).
My cribs with the book didn't stop there. The maharajas, true, did lead lives of debauchery more fantastic than fiction can probably make it, but the description of the maharaja's excesses in The Game are just too over the top to be believable. It's almost as if Laurie King decided that if she were going to set a book in the exotic East, it had to be as exotic as she could make it. Leave no stone unturned, so to say.
Plus, I found something very icky about a 24-year old woman married to a 63-year old man. Even if the man is Sherlock Holmes. A domesticated Holmes, perhaps, though, who seems singularly adept at combing Mary Russell's long hair and pinning it up.
If you like the Holmes canon, give this as wide a berth as you possibly can. And if you're Indian, the same applies. Avoid.
So Holmes and Russell go off to India, where they receive yet another assignment: to go to the hill state of Khanpur, whose maharaja, Jumalpandra 'Jimmy', seems to be up to something sneaky. Therefore, disguised as itinerant magicians and assisted by a cheeky little imp named Bindra, the couple set off from Delhi...
I've read a few Holmes tributes over the past few years, and I approach each new one I come across with some hesitation. Laurie R King's book (this is the first I've read, though it is the seventh in the series) is not exactly a homage to Holmes, because its central character is the narrator Mary Russell. And she is no Watson. She is Russ, equal (or so it would seem) in every way to Holmes himself. In dexterity, deftness, resourcefulness, everything. But then, why bung in Holmes, anyway? If you're writing about the greatest fictional detective, why relegate him to an adventure which doesn't require him to do any sleuthing? Because that's what The Game is: an adventure story, not a detective story.
And an adventure story that jars at every twist and turn. As an Indian, reading badly-researched books set in India can be thoroughly off putting, and this one was right there at the top. As soon as I saw that 'Jumalpandra' (which, if you know Hindi, sounds like a cross between the Hindi words for a laxative and 'to break wind'), I knew this was not going to be an easy ride. And it wasn't. Not with someone called Rambachadur. Not with descriptions of saris worn tucked into little more than a string, and with a scarf draped over the head and shoulders. Not with the awful Hindi mentioned (thankfully only occasionally) as being spoken by supposed natives. Not with the many other errors relating to food, geography, costume, local tradition, etc. (And the tone of the narrator, while possibly true to the period, struck me as offensive and patronising by turn).
My cribs with the book didn't stop there. The maharajas, true, did lead lives of debauchery more fantastic than fiction can probably make it, but the description of the maharaja's excesses in The Game are just too over the top to be believable. It's almost as if Laurie King decided that if she were going to set a book in the exotic East, it had to be as exotic as she could make it. Leave no stone unturned, so to say.
Plus, I found something very icky about a 24-year old woman married to a 63-year old man. Even if the man is Sherlock Holmes. A domesticated Holmes, perhaps, though, who seems singularly adept at combing Mary Russell's long hair and pinning it up.
If you like the Holmes canon, give this as wide a berth as you possibly can. And if you're Indian, the same applies. Avoid.
February 7, 2024
Overall: 1.5 stars
I understand that this series has a diehard fan base, and that’s great, but pretty much nothing about this worked for me. The narration is very, very “tell vs show,” which is true to the source material inspiration, but it’s not very fun. Also there’s like, a lot, of casual racism and colonialism in this, friends. I get that it would be appropriate to the time period, but, again, that’s no fun.
Also brown face. Yiiiiiiiikes.
I understand that this series has a diehard fan base, and that’s great, but pretty much nothing about this worked for me. The narration is very, very “tell vs show,” which is true to the source material inspiration, but it’s not very fun. Also there’s like, a lot, of casual racism and colonialism in this, friends. I get that it would be appropriate to the time period, but, again, that’s no fun.
Also brown face. Yiiiiiiiikes.
July 6, 2008
How audacious of Laurie R. King - to reason that if Sherlock Holmes was actually a real person, then why couldn't Kim (of Kipling's book) also be a real person! Hence, the "Game" of this title refers to the "Great Game" of Victorian times. This book was a lot of fun.
December 23, 2008
We'd talked on a prior entry on my journal about how the entire Mary Russell series can be easily argued to be one of the most successful and longest-running Mary Sue storylines ever. This is not to say that the storyline and concept suck--just that the notion of sticking a new character into the established canon of a popular set of stories, having her be every bit as brilliant as the main character, having her be the main driving force behind the resolution of a lot of the storylines, and winding up as the wife of the aforementioned main character is, well, rife with Sue-ishness.
And unfortunately, that kept lingering in the back of my mind as I was reading The Game. Another Mary Sue symptom is how the "new character" is (to borrow a word from LJ user waysofseeing) omni-competent, able to do everything that the canon characters do and oftentimes better. Russell does a lot of this in The Game. She slurps up Hindustani in the course of several days' hardcore studying, and while she claims to the reader that she gets to the point of being able to sound like an "amiable idiot", her presumed lack of true facility with the language does not seem to impact her ability to communicate later on through the book. She takes a scant nineteen hours to practice passing herself off as a male British officer, despite her assertion that to do it properly would take longer. And naturally, despite her lack of experience with the entire concept of an Indian pig hunt, she manages to achieve the honor of a first blood on an animal--and then later actually kills it when she and the maharaja go back out to take care of it.
A Mary Sue can also frequently be identified by how often everyone around her likes her. In this plot, we got a young woman (Sunny Goodheart--and what a name, I might add) who more than once gushingly admired how Mary was, well, omni-competent--and it is further hinted that the young woman's brother Thomas is attracted to her. Nor is he the only one--the aforementioned maharaja, nicknamed Jimmy, is clearly also drawn to Russell and wants to keep her around. While he shows no sign of actual attraction, the British agent Russell and Holmes meet up with, Nesbit, certainly seems to exude masculine respect for Russell's competence. So does Kimball O'Hara, once he finally comes on camera (and I'll get back to him in a minute). And even aside from all the major characters in the plot, none of the minor ones present Russell with any real difficulty. No one hinders her in any interesting fashion or even takes ill to her in any way.
All of this combined to pretty much make me really wish that Russell had run into more challenges in this book. The previous entries in the series did not seem to come across to me as having this problem so much, but in this one, I fear I kept mentally rolling my eyes and thinking, "yeah yeah yeah, of course she's going to kill the pig" and other similar thoughts. I was actively disappointed when she started telling the reader about how she'd pissed off the maharaja by stating her intention to leave--and how she then lobbed the red herring of starting to talk about how she didn't hear the men sneaking in to lock her into her rooms, making you think "oh, finally, things are getting interesting." Except that the reason that she didn't hear them coming was of course because she wasn't there, because of course she already knew that they were on to her and she'd escaped already. Sigh.
Aside from all of the Mary Sue issues, the plot struck me as shaky as well--mostly due to the whole idea of Russell and Holmes going to India to look for O'Hara, except oh look, here's this potential Russian spy wandering around, and he's got connections to this maharaja, so let's send Russell over to check the maharaja out instead. Except oh look! Of course this maharaja's had O'Hara locked up for the last three years! And oh yeah, did we mention that the mysterious smart kid (see previous comments I have made about how an Uncannily Smart Kid is a sign that a plot is going to suck) who's attached himself to Holmes and Russell is of course O'Hara's son? Way, way, way too much convenience all around.
Last but not least we have O'Hara himself. Now, I'm already well aware that it's very gimmicky to have Russell, King's protagonist, running around in the Sherlock Holmes universe to begin with--King is already invoking the gimmick of using someone else's long-established and by now public-domain characters in her work. So one could argue that for her to also pull in O'Hara from the work of Rudyard Kipling is hardly unexpected. But the problem is, for me that crossed a line somewhere and made his presence feel almost "gimmicky" to me. I've had a similar feeling from oh, say, episodes of the Young Indiana Jones TV series, where Young Indiana Jones had a pile of adventures meeting all sorts of Famous Historical Persons and as I recall, some Famous Actually Fictional But Real In the Series Persons as well. Handled well, it can be entertaining--and from what little we saw of O'Hara, he seemed like an interesting character. But I also suffered from never actually having read Kim in the first place, and I can't help but think that The Game might have been way more interesting to someone who's read that book.
Which leads me also into thinking that it may well have relied too heavily upon a reader's previous familiarity with Kim to evoke interest in this new plot. A good bit of O'Hara's backstory was given, except that it went into the territory of "too much tell and not enough show". O'Hara is on camera for so little a portion of the book that I felt kind of cheated, given all this buildup and hardly any payoff.
So overall, not terribly satisfying. King has done better--and in fact did do better with Locked Rooms.
And unfortunately, that kept lingering in the back of my mind as I was reading The Game. Another Mary Sue symptom is how the "new character" is (to borrow a word from LJ user waysofseeing) omni-competent, able to do everything that the canon characters do and oftentimes better. Russell does a lot of this in The Game. She slurps up Hindustani in the course of several days' hardcore studying, and while she claims to the reader that she gets to the point of being able to sound like an "amiable idiot", her presumed lack of true facility with the language does not seem to impact her ability to communicate later on through the book. She takes a scant nineteen hours to practice passing herself off as a male British officer, despite her assertion that to do it properly would take longer. And naturally, despite her lack of experience with the entire concept of an Indian pig hunt, she manages to achieve the honor of a first blood on an animal--and then later actually kills it when she and the maharaja go back out to take care of it.
A Mary Sue can also frequently be identified by how often everyone around her likes her. In this plot, we got a young woman (Sunny Goodheart--and what a name, I might add) who more than once gushingly admired how Mary was, well, omni-competent--and it is further hinted that the young woman's brother Thomas is attracted to her. Nor is he the only one--the aforementioned maharaja, nicknamed Jimmy, is clearly also drawn to Russell and wants to keep her around. While he shows no sign of actual attraction, the British agent Russell and Holmes meet up with, Nesbit, certainly seems to exude masculine respect for Russell's competence. So does Kimball O'Hara, once he finally comes on camera (and I'll get back to him in a minute). And even aside from all the major characters in the plot, none of the minor ones present Russell with any real difficulty. No one hinders her in any interesting fashion or even takes ill to her in any way.
All of this combined to pretty much make me really wish that Russell had run into more challenges in this book. The previous entries in the series did not seem to come across to me as having this problem so much, but in this one, I fear I kept mentally rolling my eyes and thinking, "yeah yeah yeah, of course she's going to kill the pig" and other similar thoughts. I was actively disappointed when she started telling the reader about how she'd pissed off the maharaja by stating her intention to leave--and how she then lobbed the red herring of starting to talk about how she didn't hear the men sneaking in to lock her into her rooms, making you think "oh, finally, things are getting interesting." Except that the reason that she didn't hear them coming was of course because she wasn't there, because of course she already knew that they were on to her and she'd escaped already. Sigh.
Aside from all of the Mary Sue issues, the plot struck me as shaky as well--mostly due to the whole idea of Russell and Holmes going to India to look for O'Hara, except oh look, here's this potential Russian spy wandering around, and he's got connections to this maharaja, so let's send Russell over to check the maharaja out instead. Except oh look! Of course this maharaja's had O'Hara locked up for the last three years! And oh yeah, did we mention that the mysterious smart kid (see previous comments I have made about how an Uncannily Smart Kid is a sign that a plot is going to suck) who's attached himself to Holmes and Russell is of course O'Hara's son? Way, way, way too much convenience all around.
Last but not least we have O'Hara himself. Now, I'm already well aware that it's very gimmicky to have Russell, King's protagonist, running around in the Sherlock Holmes universe to begin with--King is already invoking the gimmick of using someone else's long-established and by now public-domain characters in her work. So one could argue that for her to also pull in O'Hara from the work of Rudyard Kipling is hardly unexpected. But the problem is, for me that crossed a line somewhere and made his presence feel almost "gimmicky" to me. I've had a similar feeling from oh, say, episodes of the Young Indiana Jones TV series, where Young Indiana Jones had a pile of adventures meeting all sorts of Famous Historical Persons and as I recall, some Famous Actually Fictional But Real In the Series Persons as well. Handled well, it can be entertaining--and from what little we saw of O'Hara, he seemed like an interesting character. But I also suffered from never actually having read Kim in the first place, and I can't help but think that The Game might have been way more interesting to someone who's read that book.
Which leads me also into thinking that it may well have relied too heavily upon a reader's previous familiarity with Kim to evoke interest in this new plot. A good bit of O'Hara's backstory was given, except that it went into the territory of "too much tell and not enough show". O'Hara is on camera for so little a portion of the book that I felt kind of cheated, given all this buildup and hardly any payoff.
So overall, not terribly satisfying. King has done better--and in fact did do better with Locked Rooms.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2021
A birthday dinner with Mycroft on Mary's twenty-fourth birthday in January, 1924, sends Holmes and Russell to India to search for Kimball O'Hara who hasn't been seen for three years. Tensions are rising in India. The nationalist uprising under Ghandi is gaining momentum and the rivalry between Russia and the British is also fierce. The change from a Tsar to the Bolsheviks didn't really change the desire to gain control of India. Neither did the newly elected Socialist Party change Britain's.
The story begins with the ocean voyage to India where Mary undergoes a crash course in Hindustani and immersion in the Mahabharata to gain an understanding of the culture. She also meets Sunny Goodheart, her mother who is inspired by an Indian Teacher, and her brother who is a budding Communist. Repeated run-ins with the Goodhearts raise suspicions in both Mary and Sherlock. The suspicions reach their peak when the Goodhearts are found to be visitors to the Maharajah of Khanpur. The Maharajah is supposed to be a staunch ally of Britain but there are some questions since his country is near where O'Hara was last seen.
Holmes and Russell begin their investigation by taking on the personas of traveling magicians. They gather a young donkey boy named Bindra along with his donkey and cart and begin to make their way across India. I loved the descriptions of the land and people as seen through Mary's eyes.
Mary becomes herself again when she meets the Goodhearts and has a chance to enter Khanpur as their guest. However, Holmes and Bindra are keeping their personas and will meet her later in Khanpur. Mary gets a chance to get to know the Maharajah and finds him to be a volatile personality with a secret political agenda. He seems fascinated by Mary especially after she joined him on a hunt for feral hogs and did well. When she wants to leave, he tries to keep her there. Fortunately, she managed to resume her identity as a traveling magician and slip away from him for a while leaving him in a rage.
She and Sherlock are traveling to get out of Khanpur when the Maharajah catches up to them. He captures Sherlock but Mary is able to make her escape out of Khanpur and to a trusted British agent. Then the two of them need to find a way back in to confirm suspicions about the Maharajah's goals and, more importantly to Mary, to rescue Holmes.
This story was filled with adventure and danger and political intrigue. I loved the mystery and Mary's world. I enjoyed the ties to Rudyard Kipling's KIM and the look at India through Mary's eyes.
The story begins with the ocean voyage to India where Mary undergoes a crash course in Hindustani and immersion in the Mahabharata to gain an understanding of the culture. She also meets Sunny Goodheart, her mother who is inspired by an Indian Teacher, and her brother who is a budding Communist. Repeated run-ins with the Goodhearts raise suspicions in both Mary and Sherlock. The suspicions reach their peak when the Goodhearts are found to be visitors to the Maharajah of Khanpur. The Maharajah is supposed to be a staunch ally of Britain but there are some questions since his country is near where O'Hara was last seen.
Holmes and Russell begin their investigation by taking on the personas of traveling magicians. They gather a young donkey boy named Bindra along with his donkey and cart and begin to make their way across India. I loved the descriptions of the land and people as seen through Mary's eyes.
Mary becomes herself again when she meets the Goodhearts and has a chance to enter Khanpur as their guest. However, Holmes and Bindra are keeping their personas and will meet her later in Khanpur. Mary gets a chance to get to know the Maharajah and finds him to be a volatile personality with a secret political agenda. He seems fascinated by Mary especially after she joined him on a hunt for feral hogs and did well. When she wants to leave, he tries to keep her there. Fortunately, she managed to resume her identity as a traveling magician and slip away from him for a while leaving him in a rage.
She and Sherlock are traveling to get out of Khanpur when the Maharajah catches up to them. He captures Sherlock but Mary is able to make her escape out of Khanpur and to a trusted British agent. Then the two of them need to find a way back in to confirm suspicions about the Maharajah's goals and, more importantly to Mary, to rescue Holmes.
This story was filled with adventure and danger and political intrigue. I loved the mystery and Mary's world. I enjoyed the ties to Rudyard Kipling's KIM and the look at India through Mary's eyes.
July 15, 2014
This seventh book of the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series ranks as my second favorite so far (after the first of the series,The Beekeeper's Apprentice). This time around sees the couple off to British India in 1924 in search of the missing Kimball O’Hara. This is a very intriguing concept since Kimball O’Hara is better known to us as the fictional character “Kim” from Rudyard Kipling’s masterwork. To combine such prominent fictional British characters as Sherlock Holmes and Kim is ingenious and when you throw in the incredibly original character of Mary Russell as Sherlock’s young but equally brilliant wife, we get the foundation for a great story.
The subcontinent of India, especially at the time in which this novel takes place has always fascinated me. It’s just crying out for adventure and this novel doesn’t disappoint. It’s really more of an international espionage novel than a traditional Sherlock Holmes detective novel, something that can be said about all of the novels in this series. Kim is a trained British spy but has disappeared and so Mary and Sherlock act as spies themselves, going undercover as native travelling magicians to gather clues. The title, “The Game” refers to the Great Game of espionage. This was the time of Gandhi; political strife between Britain and Russia was prominent with India caught in between. It’s a lush landscape and to watch the characters play out the plot is a lot of fun.
The subcontinent of India, especially at the time in which this novel takes place has always fascinated me. It’s just crying out for adventure and this novel doesn’t disappoint. It’s really more of an international espionage novel than a traditional Sherlock Holmes detective novel, something that can be said about all of the novels in this series. Kim is a trained British spy but has disappeared and so Mary and Sherlock act as spies themselves, going undercover as native travelling magicians to gather clues. The title, “The Game” refers to the Great Game of espionage. This was the time of Gandhi; political strife between Britain and Russia was prominent with India caught in between. It’s a lush landscape and to watch the characters play out the plot is a lot of fun.
August 20, 2013
I'm trying so hard to pace myself with these books, because I just don't want to risk getting tired before getting done, or exhausting the series too quickly, but, well, best laid plans and all that.
Anyway, this was another very enjoyable read. It did take me a bit to get into the right mindset this time - I'm not really sure why - and certain things, while absolutely understandable and reasonable in context of time period, class, necessity and so on and so forth do require a conscious decision to accept and/or ignore.
On the plus side, while Russell and Holmes spend a considerable amount of time separated, as usual, I almost found their relationship stronger than in some of the previous books, perhaps because the affection they have for each other was a little more obvious this time. I love them as partners in crime (or in the solving of crime, as it may be), but while I don't require a lot of overt romance, it is good to see a glimpse of these two being more than merely two people working together.
Anyway, this was another very enjoyable read. It did take me a bit to get into the right mindset this time - I'm not really sure why - and certain things, while absolutely understandable and reasonable in context of time period, class, necessity and so on and so forth do require a conscious decision to accept and/or ignore.
On the plus side, while Russell and Holmes spend a considerable amount of time separated, as usual, I almost found their relationship stronger than in some of the previous books, perhaps because the affection they have for each other was a little more obvious this time. I love them as partners in crime (or in the solving of crime, as it may be), but while I don't require a lot of overt romance, it is good to see a glimpse of these two being more than merely two people working together.
August 19, 2025
Another amazing installment to the Mary Russell series. I very much enjoyed this adventure, where Russell and Holmes set off from their home turf to the politically tense and potentially explosive land of India. King does an amazing job setting her characters down in early 1920s British-controlled India, throwing all the complexities of the time at the characters and forcing them to juggle them throughout their investigation.
Very enjoyable.
Very enjoyable.
February 24, 2014
I think Laurie King must have been channeling Ian Fleming for this one. We have a British spy (actually both Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell) being instructed by "M" on an important undercover mission to India in which they have to leave England and make their way without attracting any notice.
Like many Bond novels, we have a smart and demented bad guy who has many ways of toying with his "guests" and victims. The characters are well-drawn and King shows her talent at getting the details of time and place just right. This is the British Raj at the point of diminishing returns. England, with its new Labour government, has no interest in giving attention to propping up the Empire in far off places. But the new Bolshevik rulers of Russia may have their eyes on the prize. Very entertaining.
Like many Bond novels, we have a smart and demented bad guy who has many ways of toying with his "guests" and victims. The characters are well-drawn and King shows her talent at getting the details of time and place just right. This is the British Raj at the point of diminishing returns. England, with its new Labour government, has no interest in giving attention to propping up the Empire in far off places. But the new Bolshevik rulers of Russia may have their eyes on the prize. Very entertaining.
May 19, 2010
Excellent! A good mixture of mystery, adventure, and history all rolled into a yarn that's hard to put down.
But, as usual in her books, Ms King challenges me to go off and expand my horizons. For "The Game" of course I had to go read Kipling's "Kim". (Can't imagine why I'd never read it before, and I really wish I had!)
With Justice Hall I learned about the "Shot at Dawn Memorial" (http://www.flickr.com/search/?ss=2&am...), and
as "Locked Rooms" is next up for me, obviously I'm off to brush up on Hammett's Sam Spade, Nick and Nora Charles, etc., before tackling it.
A "Good Read"!
But, as usual in her books, Ms King challenges me to go off and expand my horizons. For "The Game" of course I had to go read Kipling's "Kim". (Can't imagine why I'd never read it before, and I really wish I had!)
With Justice Hall I learned about the "Shot at Dawn Memorial" (http://www.flickr.com/search/?ss=2&am...), and
as "Locked Rooms" is next up for me, obviously I'm off to brush up on Hammett's Sam Spade, Nick and Nora Charles, etc., before tackling it.
A "Good Read"!
Read
November 8, 2024I started off loving this series. I adored book one. I was pretty good through the first few books and I've progressively found myself struggling to stay interested. You know how it is. You think of other things, do other things and yet I kept trying cuz so many people love this series. But, I finally quit last night and decided I don't have to feel bad because I don't love what other people love. Lots of people love sardines. Not me!
So, I'm glad it's a successful series and I did enjoy the first few. I think what changed for me is the books got slower, less action in my opinion. More talking and describing.
So, I'm glad it's a successful series and I did enjoy the first few. I think what changed for me is the books got slower, less action in my opinion. More talking and describing.
January 2, 2020
I’m so glad I put Mary and SH on pause while I finally read Kipling’s Kim. It made the game just that much more satisfying. I had intended to read the classic story for years. I really enjoy how the author wove the characters together. It made a very exciting mystery.
Strange that the story line summary indicates that the mystery starts with a visit "from" Mycroft. Mary and Sherlock actually went to visit him.
Strange that the story line summary indicates that the mystery starts with a visit "from" Mycroft. Mary and Sherlock actually went to visit him.
October 10, 2022
An interesting look into the world of India under colonial rule, exploring the world as vividly described by Ms King.
I really enjoyed the book, as much for the portrait painted as for the mystery Russell and Holmes find themselves on.
This is not a fast-paced action, rather an enjoyable mystery and a trip into another time and another world.
I really enjoyed the book, as much for the portrait painted as for the mystery Russell and Holmes find themselves on.
This is not a fast-paced action, rather an enjoyable mystery and a trip into another time and another world.
January 1, 2020
Recently I've been rereading all of King's Mary Russell series of adventure mysteries, which are based on the premise that Sherlock Holmes was a real person, who took up with a young woman, Mary Russell, as a partner and (spoiler alert) eventually a spouse. They are as good the second time around. If you haven't read these, you should start with The Beekeeper's Apprentice, in which Holmes and Mary and Mary learns about detection from him. The first ones in the series are mostly based in Britain, but in the later books in the series the settings move to more exotic territories. This most recent one, The Game, takes place in early twentieth-century India. I really enjoy these novels for a couple of reasons. First, Mary Russell is a engaging feminist protagonist: she's an Oxford scholar of theology but also strong and resilient (and very handy with any sort of weapon you might have to give her). In many ways, the books are really about her as much about Holmes (although he is drawn very well). Second, King is very good at evoking a sense of place: in this book, the depictions of travel and of India are rich and detailed. In all of the books the action moves very slowly, as King unfolds characters and settings, and this one moves a bit too slowly even for my taste (which accounts for the loss of one star on this one). But it was still satisfying.
March 9, 2023
This is my 3rd Mary Russel book, and sadly it I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. I wasn't interested in the mystery, and It felt very long and drawn out.
April 2, 2017
Again, a brilliant idea, beautifully executed. To repeat myself yet again, I am generally disapproving when a writer plucks up another writer's characters and makes use of them. But that's largely because it's usually done so horribly badly, and is so rarely done with any respect for the original author, the characters, or the reader. Laurie R. King can do whatever she wants, take whatever characters or historical figures she likes, and bring them into her books in whatever manner she likes, because she has earned my trust. She does her homework, she knows what she's doing, and she has complete respect for the original material or real person, as the case may be. If anyone from Tom Sawyer to Bilbo Baggins to Harrison Ford appears in a Holmes/Russell novel, I will have faith that she has her reasons and can pull it off. (Maybe Indiana Jones, when Russell is in her 40's …that would be awesome.)
The idea behind The Game was to me at first as wild as bringing Bilbo Baggins into the storyline, but only because I don't know the Kipling novel. (Note to self …) In any event, it's wonderful. Kimball O’Hara here is a legend among those in the know (which Holmes, of course, is, and Mycroft moreseo), and it is to find out what has become of him that Holmes and Russell make their way to India. There they face danger and adventure of quantity and quality to please even Doyle – tigers, and madmen, and those who are not what they seem, spies and daredevil pilots and a rajah who collects the unusual, be it an artifact or a human being (and Holmes is unusual). A new story arc begins with The Game, wherein a new enemy is introduced – perhaps – and Homes and Russell become aware of a new threat trailing them. Meanwhile, the story takes them in and out of various deep disguises and personas, and separates and reunites them, and causes Mary to make a change which will cause untold anguish in Holmes … It's a great yarn, and, more than that, an excellent book.
The idea behind The Game was to me at first as wild as bringing Bilbo Baggins into the storyline, but only because I don't know the Kipling novel. (Note to self …) In any event, it's wonderful. Kimball O’Hara here is a legend among those in the know (which Holmes, of course, is, and Mycroft moreseo), and it is to find out what has become of him that Holmes and Russell make their way to India. There they face danger and adventure of quantity and quality to please even Doyle – tigers, and madmen, and those who are not what they seem, spies and daredevil pilots and a rajah who collects the unusual, be it an artifact or a human being (and Holmes is unusual). A new story arc begins with The Game, wherein a new enemy is introduced – perhaps – and Homes and Russell become aware of a new threat trailing them. Meanwhile, the story takes them in and out of various deep disguises and personas, and separates and reunites them, and causes Mary to make a change which will cause untold anguish in Holmes … It's a great yarn, and, more than that, an excellent book.
October 11, 2021
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series, Book #7
January 1924
In response to a request from Holme's brother Mycroft, Mary and Holmes are off tho India to solve their latest mystery. This story is a total homage to the book Kim by Rudyard Kipling. Holmes and Mary are tasked with finding Kimball O'Hara who is now 37 years old and still working as a spy for the British Crown. Kim has not been seen or heard from in 3 years, and Mary and Holmes are to find out if he is still alive, or if he has betrayed Britain and is now working for the "other side". What do the Russians have to do with it, if anything? Does the Maharajah of the Kampair region, where he was last headed, know anything?
I enjoyed this book very much. The sights and sounds of India come through beautifully in Laurie R. King's written words. The massive size of the country, the density of the population, and the incredible disparagement of the wealth in India are portrayed honestly. As an American the idea that a population is so dense that it is difficult to ever be alone, is not easy to comprehend. I actually felt crowded and penned in by people as I read about Mary and Holme's journey through India. Also the native Indian's resentment at the British hold on their country comes through clearly.
I recommend this book to all Sherlock fans. I marked it down a half star because although I enjoyed the book very much, the mystery was more obvious than I would have liked. 3.5 stars!
January 1924
In response to a request from Holme's brother Mycroft, Mary and Holmes are off tho India to solve their latest mystery. This story is a total homage to the book Kim by Rudyard Kipling. Holmes and Mary are tasked with finding Kimball O'Hara who is now 37 years old and still working as a spy for the British Crown. Kim has not been seen or heard from in 3 years, and Mary and Holmes are to find out if he is still alive, or if he has betrayed Britain and is now working for the "other side". What do the Russians have to do with it, if anything? Does the Maharajah of the Kampair region, where he was last headed, know anything?
I enjoyed this book very much. The sights and sounds of India come through beautifully in Laurie R. King's written words. The massive size of the country, the density of the population, and the incredible disparagement of the wealth in India are portrayed honestly. As an American the idea that a population is so dense that it is difficult to ever be alone, is not easy to comprehend. I actually felt crowded and penned in by people as I read about Mary and Holme's journey through India. Also the native Indian's resentment at the British hold on their country comes through clearly.
I recommend this book to all Sherlock fans. I marked it down a half star because although I enjoyed the book very much, the mystery was more obvious than I would have liked. 3.5 stars!
August 5, 2021
The Game has everything I love about this series: disguises, intrigue, danger, wit, adventure, romance, and mystery. One of my favorite in the series! Although, my favorite in the series seems to be whichever book I'm currently reading.
I've probably read the series four times, but one of the things I love about the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series is that the books are so layered and have subtleties in each that are easily missed on the first read-through. I'm still catching things I missed!
I've probably read the series four times, but one of the things I love about the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series is that the books are so layered and have subtleties in each that are easily missed on the first read-through. I'm still catching things I missed!
March 19, 2017
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes travel to the interior of India in search of someone who inspired Kipling's "Kim." I'm always surprised at the lengths that Miss Russell and Holmes will go to in order to solve a mystery. This borrows a bit from "The Most Dangerous Game" but adds its own twist on the genre. And just when I think I have it all figured out, King surprises me again and again! Great read!
June 11, 2008
Sherlock Holmes' secret friendship with Kimball O'Hara, the flesh and blood spy upon whom the character Kim of Rudyard Kipling fame is based, forms the backbone of this book. The Great Game for Kim is a life of espionage, into which Russell and Holmes are drawn. One of the most action-packed books of the series, this book succeeds on every front.
December 15, 2014
An excellent, brilliantly written adventure story that starts off slow and picks up speed as it goes, but Big Trigger warning: animal cruelty/harm is a big part of this story. Had I known, I would have passed this book completely. If that doesn't bother you, there's not much else not to like about this book.
Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/106426...
Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/106426...
August 19, 2020
What can I say - I am severely addicted to these novels and Mary Russell. Yet again the story drew me in and this time it was India with all its beauty and poverty which was the setting. I will have to re-read Kipling’ s Kim as it was referenced many times but the maharajah of Khanpur is a character to reckon with. Indeed it’s a fine line before a character becomes a caricature and he did stay on the right side . I half expected Thaddeus Sholto to appear in New Fort’s east wing as he would have appreciated the decor in a way Mary - thankfully- can’t.
Such a sinuous plot is a delight - with pig sticking , Mary appearing as her own twin brother, secret passages , magic and of course Sherlock himself . Here he suffers the indignity of having to be rescued by Mary - but of course he has planned it all so redeems himself. The descriptions were a joy ; settings and characters beautifully drawn and the uneasy tensions of the time pencilled in with a deft touch.
I’ve ordered the next one ...
Such a sinuous plot is a delight - with pig sticking , Mary appearing as her own twin brother, secret passages , magic and of course Sherlock himself . Here he suffers the indignity of having to be rescued by Mary - but of course he has planned it all so redeems himself. The descriptions were a joy ; settings and characters beautifully drawn and the uneasy tensions of the time pencilled in with a deft touch.
I’ve ordered the next one ...
January 8, 2023
Middle school appropriate in terms of content but not in terms of writing style or assumed prior knowledge. While this was an enjoyable adventure story in the vein of Indiana Jones or the like, it had some drawbacks. One is that the plot was incredibly predictable. It was still fun in that sort of high adventure format but anyone expecting puzzling mysteries because of the Holmes name will not find it. Another drawback is that while I understand the main character’s British ego and the sort of imperialist mindset that might be part of the intended general feel of the books, this is the second book in this series that I’ve read now where the reader is taken to another country and given few or no native characters. I can’t say much more on that without spoilers but, with as much undercover, among-the-people living as Mary does, I would love to see more important characters that are not British or American. Overall, a fun beach read.
October 17, 2020
I read Kim by Rudyard Kipling before reading this one, and I'm very glad I did. As enjoyable as this book would have been in any case, it was all the more delightful for having read Kim first. Highly recommended.
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