The Language of Bees & The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King

To read my review of the first book in the series please click here: The Beekeeper's Apprentice.




Title: The Language of Bees & The God of the Hive (Books 9 & 10 of the Mary Russell series)
Author: Laurie R. King
Reviewer:
Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery
Rating:
Alerts/Warnings: Violence associated with murder mysteries
Premise: The Language of Bees: In a case that will push their relationship to the breaking point, Mary Russell must help reverse the greatest failure of her legendary husband's storied past - a painful and personal defeat that still has the power to sting.this time fatally. For Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, returning to the Sussex coast after seven months abroad was especially sweet. There was even a mystery to solve - the unexplained disappearance of an entire colony of bees from one of Holmes's beloved hives. But the anticipated sweetness of their homecoming is quickly tempered by a galling memory from her husband's past. Mary had met Damian Adler only once before, when the promising surrealist painter had been charged with - and exonerated from - murder. Now the talented and troubled young man was enlisting their help again, this time in a desperate search for his missing wife and child. (PG Library System) The God of the Hive: Maintaining contact by cryptic notes with her husband, Sherlock Holmes, and with Holmes' young granddaughter in her safekeeping, Russell will have to call on instincts she didn't know she had they are pursued by a killer immune from the sting of justice. (King County Library System)

Opinions: I place these two books together in one review in hope to help you avoid some of the frustration that I felt. When I first read The Language of Bees I did not know that it was part one of the story. All of the other books in this series were stand alone stories though the characters and their history carry through the entire series. So when I got to the end of The Language of Bees I almost threw the book across the room when I saw "To Be Continued". I then had to wait a year for the rest of the story to be published in The God of the Hive. I don't want to tell you too much as I'm afraid it will spoil the experience if you are reading the series from the beginning. I will tell you though that the characters of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes continue to be compelling, interesting characters. I love that Mary continues to grow as she attempts to protect Estelle (Holme's granddaughter) from those who would take her away. One of the most compelling parts of the story is the introduction of someone that Mary calls Robin Goodfellow...check him out and then call or email so we can talk about him. One of the differences over Ms. King's other books is that The God of The Hive has chapters that alternate between varying characters within the story providing you with a greater understanding of the story, though it takes a little getting use to as I don't recall any of her earlier stories being told that way.

Overall, Laurie R. King continues to tell page-turning stories that excite and transport me into the past and into her story. The Mary Russell series is one of my favorite of all times and I highly recommend that you start reading them from the beginning of the series as soon as possible.