Castle Shade by Laurie R. King
Queen Marie of Roumania, granddaughter to both Victoria, Empress of the British Empire, and Alexander II, Tsar of Russia, is in need of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes’ services. The queen, a famous beauty who has single-handedly transformed Roumania from a backwater into a force to be reckoned with, invites the pair to Bran castle. The ancient fortress sits on the border with the newly-regained territory of Transylvania, and was a gift to Queen Marie from her people.
The threat the queen fears is somewhat dubious: shadowy figures, vague whispers, dangers that may only be accidents. But a young girl is involved. So, putting aside their doubts, Russell and Holmes set out to investigate the mystery in a land of long memory and hidden corners – a land that had known Vlad the Impaler ...
A land from whose churchyards the shades creep.
About the author.
Laurie R. King has won many awards for her work, including the prestigious John Creasey Dagger, the Edgar, the Nero and Macavity Awards. Her background includes such diverse interests as Old Testament theology and construction work, and she is the author of highly praised stand-alone suspense novels and a contemporary mystery series, as well as the Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series. She lives in California.
A&B have an exciting promotion on their website at the moment, people can buy Castle Shade for £15 and get an exclusive signed bookplate from Laurie herself. They only have a limited amount of these so please encourage people to be quick – they’ll need to use the code ‘share15’ at checkout (free P+P as well!) : https://bit.ly/3htPPDi
Also, they are running a competition to win the whole series on their website - hurry it closes on the 30th June.
Review.
This a series that I have long admired - it's Sherlock Holmes, one of the best characters ever devised and Laurie plays great homage to the originals. Also, in this outing you have vampires and as a long time lover of Dracula, this was a marvellous combination.
Holmes has been asked to consult for the Queen of Roumania no less, as she feels that her daughter is under threat and believes the cause to be vampires. Holmes and his worthwhile companion of Mary travel by train and there is a great opening scene of the between the two of them. They are to present themselves to the court as architects to give them the access they need and this case really does test them both physically and mentally.
I adored all the historical aspects in the book as Queen Marie was a person whom the country did love. She was a beloved leader and helped make Romania into what it is today.
Returning to a series like this that I love is so important to me. It allows you to escape the world for just that little bit and when you have stuck around for so many books as I have, it begins to form a part of your world and the characters feel like people you know. There are so many authors that try to do Sherlock books but Laurie is the best! They feel like an extension of Conan Doyle’s work and that's the best compliment I can give. I would recommend reading the series from the beginning but you can read this as a standalone as there aren't as many references to past adventures.
The game is afoot!
And here is a reading from Laurie!
