The Mary Russell Companion

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

by Laurie R. King

The world of Mary Russell, apprentice-turned-partner of the great detective Sherlock Holmes, has long fascinated her followers. Over the course of ten Memoirs and a number of short stories, Russell has revealed much about her life—but far more has gone unexplored. Filled with new and original material, The Mary Russell Companion helps to close that gaping chasm of ignorance. With lavish illustrations and a firm commitment to academic formalities, the Companion serves as a guide to all things Russell. First and foremost, it is an Entertainment. Fun and informative essays alternate with the words of Miss Russell herself, with supplemental material that appears here in print for the first time. Second, it is an aid to scholarship. Key elements of the Memoirs are brought together in one maps of Russell’s travels, a detailed chronology of the books, biographies of the central players (those known to Arthur Conan Doyle, those known to the world at large, and those seen exclusively in the Russell Memoirs), and reviews of this remarkable woman’s extraordinary set of all that is known about Russell’s history through the first ten of her Memoirs. In the interest of scrupulous scholarship, the first two chapters of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice are given a close and detailed series of annotations with the assistance of the Crime world’s preeminent Annotator, Leslie S. Klinger, focusing on everything from a description of gorse to an analysis of the number of times Sherlock Holmes laughs, chuckles, and expresses amusement in the Conan Doyle stories. Beyond a compilation of facts, however, the Companion aims at context and analysis, with commentaries on many aspects of Mary Russell’s life. Is Russell a feminist? What are her thoughts about God? Why did she choose Laurie R. King as an agent to publish the Memoirs—and what does she think about their being called “novels” “by” Laurie R. King? How do Russell’s thoughts and experiences intersect with those of her literary agent, and how much did King borrow from Miss Russell’s academic work when it came to writing her Master’s Thesis? Yes, there’s even a discreet chapter on the Russell-Holmes love life. A floor plan of the Sussex house Russell shares with Sherlock Holmes and Mrs Hudson is joined by a review of what generations of Holmes scholars have said about its location. There are three interviews between Miss Russell and her literary agent, one of which, new for the Companion, celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the first Russell/King collaboration, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. There are even recipes contributed by Mrs Hudson, and her musings on the comparative stimulants of tea and coffee in the Holmes household. Until Miss Russell chooses to pen her own Companion, The Mary Russell Companion is the definitive guide to the world of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Ebooks, Historical, Historical Mystery, British Literature

437 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2014

About the author

Edgar-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.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Am I as disappointed with this book as a two star rating might indicate? No. But it wasn't worth three stars, so two it is. The problems?

1- Ebook formats do not play well with pictures and footnotes if you are using a ebook reader *other* than a tablet. Choosing to only release this companion in this format made it very difficult to actually read and enjoy the little tidbits of info contained.

2- Those tidbit of new info? Few and far between. It's my fault for not realizing the bulk of the Companion is actually an annotated copy of THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE. I'd be more excited about that if it was easier to read (see complaint #1)

3- I purchased the Companion through Amazon for $9.95- a steep price for a) an ebook in general and b) an ebook that contains very little new information. I'm not one to complain about the cost of books; authors need to get paid, and I have no problem with doing so. But ten bucks for (basically) a book I already own in two other formats? Yikes.

4- The "Mary Russell is real and I'm just here memoirist" schtick doesn't work *at all* for this book. Because "Ms. Russell" wants to keep her "privacy", there is very little new information regarding the series revealed. I was just so disappointed all the way around.

I'm a HUGE fan of this series (as evidenced by the fact that I purchased and read a companion book), but I can't make a good argument as to why a fan should read the book in the first place.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories. I bought this book for my collection.

[farmwifetwo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think, it needs to be in print. I have read that complaint before, and having read the companion I agree. Also, the essays etc should all be in the "companion" so that a reader can flip the pages, high light, review at will.

Mercedes Lackey did such a "companion" for Valdemar.

[Michelle Adamo #EmptyNestReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mary Russell Companion is a fun addition to the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes Series. Annotations on each of the books make the series that much more interesting, including fun phrases that King refers to as “Russellisms”.

In the Companion are a wide variety of items such as pictures and drawings of people, places and maps - provided by artists and fans. Also included are analysis of topics such as whether Mary Russell should be/would consider herself to be a feminist and hints at the intimate side of the Russell/Holmes relationship. Various characters from the series appear in the Companion and greater details are provided.

In a more detailed history of the manuscripts and the mystery of the Russell memoirs. We are asked, “Are the Russell tales the memoirs of an elderly woman with an implausibly thrilling life, or novels by Laurie King?” and later, from Laurie R King: “If anyone out there knows who Mary Russell was, could you let me know? My curiosity is killing me.”

Three interviews between Russell and King make for especially fun reading. No follower of the series will want to be without this Companion. Available only in ebook format.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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[Julie Ditton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am a big fan of the Mary Russell series, but the Companion was very disappointing for several reasons.

There is very little new material for the reader. Most of the material is comprised of an annotated Beekeeper's Apprentice. These footnotes would be interesting and make rereading the text worth the effort if the footnotes were accessible in a an etext format. Unfortunately, one can not flip back and forth between main text and end of book footnotes without losing one's place. This the whole idea becomes an exercise in futility.

Over half the book consists of excerpts from each of the books.

Many of the original materials include interviews or correspondence with Mary Russell. The artifacts that King was Russell 's literary agent works. But the idea that both Russell AND Holmes are still alive and active is stretching disbelief just a bit too far.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've seen some of the material already but was prepared to enjoy it as one volume but I'm a big fan of a real book so I'm finding it difficult to make the time to work my way thru this ebook. I'd enjoy it more if I could flip the pages. So, the 3 rating (instead of 4) is about the format rather than the content.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically an ad for all of the other books, which I have read! So, disappointing.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read most of the stuff in this before, so it reminded me how much I enjoy the series, but it didn't shed new light on anything

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mary Russell Companion is a compilation of excerpts and short stories from and regarding the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes stories that King has been writing for 20 years. Included are "interviews" with Ms. Russell, then in her nineties, as well as poems, recipes, post cards and newspaper clippings about the various characters in the novels. It is moderately interesting for those of us who have read all of the stories, but you have to wade through a lot to get to any delightful nuggets, such as "A Venomous Death," a short story King wrote for a printmaker who requested a story that he could print on one page.

[Elizabeth Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like all things Mary Russell.
Whether you wish to consider Mary Russell a live person or a lively construct of Laurie R. King's mind is not important.
In my opinion, she is a wonderful addition to the Sherlock Homes canon.
That being said, I enjoyed this further delving into the person of Mary Russell. It was good to revisit several of the novels via excerpts.
I look forward to many more Russell and Homes adventures.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun! A touch repetitive and kind of gimmick-y, I ultimately enjoyed it very much. As always I adore Miss Russell, however she felt a bit prickly and pedantic in this. I did get a little confused about Holmes' age though... 45ish when he met Russell, would make him 122 wouldn't it? I think Mary is strong enough on her own, it does a disservice to her to drag Holmes along, through age to immortality.

[GraceAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delicious compendium of excerpts, backgrounds, interviews, sly asides, and even a recipe or two of Mrs.Hudson's. Any devotee of Mary Russell Holmes' memoirs as presented by Laurie R. King will be delighted, and if perchance picked up by someone who has not read them will certainly draw them in at once.

[Roxane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will put you in the mood for a little Russell & Holmes!!!

Lots of info - I found it easiest to read on my PC (Kindle version) rather than the Kindle itself - lots of pictures, footnotes, etc...

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not available in anything but Kindle. Unfortunately, since my Kindle is old and black and white the pictures were lost on me. In addition, I couldn't access the footnotes, whcih are very helpful, without losing my place in the book. This should not be a Kindle book!

[Sonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing really new here and the ebook format (all I could find) makes the maps almost unreadable even on a tablet and the photos are not much better. And, trying to pretend that Russell and Holmes are still alive today is a bit much.

[Kaye Dewar · Rating 5 out of 5]

More to quench our thirst of Mary Russell!s adventures.

[Laura Battle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many wonderful details and additional explanations about my favorite sleuth.