The Pirate King

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Nov 25, 2011 ARCHIVES  |  Entertainment  |  COLUMNS

Laurie R. King
Bantam
ISBN NA
$25

Reviewed by Yvonne Zipp

This fall features many new works on Arthur Conan Doyle and his most famous creation, including a lost novel by the author himself.

5. "The Pirate King" (Bantam, $25), the 11th entry in Laurie R. King's series featuring Holmes' equally intrepid spouse, finds Mary Russell fleeing home. The reason: Her husband's scheming brother, Mycroft, is coming to visit. His imminent arrival makes doing a favor for Inspector Lestrade appealing to her, even if it involves traveling undercover to Lisbon as a production assistant on "a film about a film about 'The Pirates of Penzance.'" As King admits wryly in a foreword, "the credulity of many readers will be stretched to the breaking." The plot is light on both deduction and Holmes, but it's pretty charming nonetheless. A quick test to see if it's for you: Picture Holmes singing, "I am the very model of a modern Major-General." Does that make you grin - or cringe?

Yvonne Zipp reviews books for The Washington Post and the Christian Science Monitor.

Copyright 2011 Washington Post Writers Group
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