The Language of Bees

A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

By: Laurie R. King

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Laurie R. King has won or been nominated for every major award in mystery writing. King's beloved sleuth Mary Russell here attempts to reverse her legendary husband, Sherlock Holmes', greatest failure.

©2009 Laurie R. King (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"A one-woman case for the defense of unauthorized literary sequels...intelligent, witty, complex and atmospheric." ( Washington Post Book World)
"Along the way, we are treated to a great deal about ancient sites in England; a major supporting role from Holmes' brother, Mycroft; information on an occult set of beliefs possibly related to Aleister Crowley; a terrifying set piece on the horrors of early air travel; and discourse on the queasy pleasures of surrealist art - all in Mary Russell's wry, brilliant, and occasionally utterly deluded voice." ( Booklist)

Bee ware

There was a long time in setting up the plot, but once the game was set afoot, it was worth the time spent in the set-up. If you like British Mysteries you will want to listen to this. If Sherlock is akin to Superman then his wife is surely Supergirl.

I don't know how she does it

What did you love best about The Language of Bees?

King weaves into this fast-paced and spellbinding plot the history and historical figures of the day, along with descriptions of everyday items like Bakelite, medical procedures, and esoteric religious beliefs true to the age. What a mind! I haven't enjoyed all books in this series equally; this one is among my favorites for the plot, the characters and the narration. I especially enjoyed the new character, Robert Goodman, and his poignant back story.

What other book might you compare The Language of Bees to and why?

King's other novel, "A Monstrous Regiment of Women" also deals with the power of a charismatic religious figure.

What about Jenny Sterlin’s performance did you like?

Excellent characterizations, yet she gets out of the way and lets the plot move. Nothing show-offish, which I appreciate.

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

Oh yes. Most definitely.

Great story

I could not stop listening, great story with twists and turns , great characters, interesting plot, well done with a great narrator!

One of the best in the series

Fascinating continuation of the development of the main characters as well as the introduction of new ones. Suspenseful, informative, a very good listen. The narrator is exceptional.

Creates atmosphere

Great detail, which creates a sense of how things look, smell. taste. I love being immersed in it. But those who want a thriller might be impatient.

To all Holmes buff's,

I have read all of the short stories that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Sherlock Holmes in the Strand, I have seen every movie that I could find about Holmes, I have read other author's that have written about Holmes, and I even countinue to watch the British T.V. series about Sherlock Holmes...needless to say I am a Holmes Buff, and I can pick out a phony in a second (in my eyes a phony is someone that writes about Holmes but has not done their home work about him and his manorizisms)...
Laurie King should be considered the reincarnated Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!!!
Laurie hits the essence of Sherlock Holmes out of the park, and it feels as though I am listening to Doyle tell new stories about Holmes and his new apprentice.
These audiobooks are great whether you are a Holmes reader or not and I highly recommend this story and any others written by Laurie King to anyone that loves mystery, suspense, and a little brain work also!

Hard for me to rate an audio book...

Would you consider the audio edition of The Language of Bees to be better than the print version?

This is pretty difficult for me, as I admit I prefer to read on my own rather than listening to someone else read a book. However, I have a long commute, and I listen to audio books as I drive to work each day. I've become accustomed to it, and overall I enjoy the Mary Russell series. There are certain books that I have elected NOT to download, following a bad experience with genre as audio book ("romantic" novels in particular, I found don't appeal to me in this format. When reading these, I tend to "skip" or skim past bits and that can't be done in audio books, at least not easily).

Unfortunately, this one book in the series (so far) has something in common with those books that I don't like to listen to. It contains content that I find even less appealing when read aloud--odd little bits that I might overlook if I were reading, but which you are forced to attend to as an audio book. In this case, the little "quotes" at the beginning of the chapter feel intrusive and uninteresting, and I found it grating after the first few chapters. The other books have similar quotations, but these seem more off putting (some sort of pseudo-religious text, possibly a real one, I can't tell). I can't blame the narrator, it was just a literary device that didn't work for me in this one.

Hang in there!

If you are as picky as me about narrators this may be hard to listen to at first. He choice to make Holmes such a thanklessly unrelenting whine can be distracting and does his character a disservice. In other instances the performance is excellent. The story is fantastic. That is why I kept listening. I'm glad I stuck to it, but her Scott's accent was appalling and halting.

Fantastic.

The Mary Russell series is so well written.. I can't t
get enough! I own all of the books and now I'm enjoying them on audibles as a whole new experience. The narrator is fantastic and engaging.

Edge of your seat Mystery

Yet another excellent Mary Russell novel. The pace, tension and suspense of this installment in the series comes close to equaling the edge of your seat reading contained in her stand alone novel "Folly".
Some have complained about the post script, but if you follow the author, this is not a surprise and was planned for.