Locked Rooms

By: Laurie R. King

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Laurie R. King has won sweeping critical acclaim and an impressive collection of awards for her writing. Although other writers have tried, no one has matched King's ability to capture the allure of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth, Sherlock Holmes.

Haunted by her dreams, Mary Russell arrives in San Francisco in 1924 to settle her parents' estate. But she quickly encounters a few surprises and learns there may be a great deal more to her childhood in this city than she ever knew. As Mary tries to cobble the pieces of her shadowy past together, her husband Holmes wonders if she may be repressing vital memories. And one thing seems certain; someone wants Mary's remembrances to stay buried.

King is at the top of her game with Locked Rooms, a wonderfully intricate and marvelously evocative mystery rich with unexpected twists and turns.

©2005 Laurie R. King (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"A highlight in an altogether outstanding series." (Booklist)
"Richly imagined....The narrative has real momentum, the characters are engaging, and the prose, as always, is intelligent, evocative, and graceful." (Publishers Weekly)
"A humdinger of a plot that deepens with each retelling of the dreams, plus pulsating descriptions of San Francisco's tent cities, looters, and flattened Chinatown in the 1906 quake's aftermath." (Kirkus Reviews)

Best yet!

Enjoying the whole Russell/Holmes series by Laurie King. This is my favorite so far. Suspenseful, well-plotted, rich historical setting and, best of all, backstory of Mary Russell's childhood.

beautifully told

Beautifully narrated, great story! Great characters, interesting action. I love all the books of this series.

Essential for fans of Mary Russell-her story

What was one of the most memorable moments of Locked Rooms?

I cannot give away one of the most memorable moments without spoiling the final chapter, but this book is excellent and paints a very real unidealized picture of our favorite heroine Mary Russell. Who is she and where does she come from? This will answer many of those questions for us, and most importantly for her. Mary when she is away from Sherlock and among her peers is a very different Mary and we are both shocked and pleased.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Mary left her heart in San Francisco

Any additional comments?

Be sure to read this book after "The Game" so you understand the references. Locked Rooms is a wonderful book, delving deep into Mary's innermost thoughts and feelings, but always with a purpose. Our detecting duo meet with interesting characters and they are given sufficient space for enjoyment. The book moves at an exciting pace for some of the time, but takes a slower stroll when needed. As much as I complained about "The Moor" I want to praise Laurie King for this book, Locked Rooms. I think she has reached a high point. I will proceed to the next in the series with high hopes.

loved it

one of the better in the series thus far. as always, narrator very good.

By far the Best

I have truly enjoyed this series by LRK and Locked Rooms is the best yet. I especially enjoyed the telling from Holmes perspective. The author's interjecting Dashell Hammit (sp?) into the plot a superb twist. Don't pass this book buy. It's well worth the money and time. Jenny Sterlin's narrative talent was brilliant as always.

Uniquely riveting

I continue to enjoy the Mary Russell series, with each story having its own twists and turns. This particular story absolutely caught and captivated me. I'm not sure whether it was the San Francisco setting, or the personal nature of this being about Mary's family, but this is quite possibly my favorite so far in the series.

Interesting book!

Enjoyed the book, story did not end until the last chapter. Liked the setting in San Francisco.

one of the best

Would you consider the audio edition of Locked Rooms to be better than the print version?

Jenny Sterlin is a great narrator. She brings these stories to life with just the right tempo and portrayal of the characters

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I am a native San Franciscan so I was constantly intrigued by the development of the plot which focuses on the 1906 earthquake and fire

Which scene was your favorite?

all the scenes of Holmes and Russel walking in the City

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely

Any additional comments?

I love this series

Great read.

I truly enjoy this series, though it was fun to hear more from Sherlock's point of view!

Unexpectedly Engrossing

Found the premise of this story interesting, so took a chance and downloaded it. The book goes back and forth between Sherlock's wife, "Russell" and himself, "Holmes", and back and forth in narrative time as well, but once I caught the hang of it it was a fun ride. The essence of the times at issue (pre- and post- San Francisco earthquake/fire) was well done, the characters rang true, the convenience/coincidence of the events working out was standard for this type of fiction, and all in all I greatly enjoyed it. Will be looking for more of her work. To continue with these characters/themes would be nice, but I'll consider other writings as well. The narrator was excellent.