Garment of Shadows

A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, Book 12

By: Laurie R. King

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin, Robert Ian Mackenzie

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

In a strange room in Morocco, Mary Russell is trying to solve a pressing mystery: Who am I? She has awakened with shadows in her mind, blood on her hands, and soldiers pounding on the door. Out in the hivelike streets, she discovers herself strangely adept in the skills of the underworld, escaping through alleys and rooftops, picking pockets and locks. She is clothed like a man, and armed only with her wits and a scrap of paper containing a mysterious Arabic phrase. Overhead, warplanes pass ominously north.

Meanwhile, Holmes is pulled by two old friends and a distant relation into the growing war between France, Spain, and the Rif Revolt led by Emir Abd el-Krim—who may be a Robin Hood or a power mad tribesman. The shadows of war are drawing over the ancient city of Fez, and Holmes badly wants the wisdom and courage of his wife, whom he’s learned, to his horror, has gone missing. As Holmes searches for her, and Russell searches for herself, each tries to crack deadly parallel puzzles before it’s too late for them, for Africa, and for the peace of Europe.

©2012 Laurie R. King (P)2012 Recorded Books

Meh, Despite My Best Wishes

My friend introduced me to Laurie R. King when The Beekeeper's Apprentice was first released, so I feel a particular investment in this storyline. When I read each book (this is the first of the series I've listened to), I feel more and more like if I was the intellectual I want to be I'd enjoy them more. There's a lot of detail and research to the stories, but they seem dry. Maybe it's an artistic choice to represent the time of the story? I enjoy the details of each book, but find each a chore to get through. The audio version made Garment of Shadows a much more pleasant journey, but I still had to take frequent breaks so that I could stay engaged while listening.

one of my favorites in the series.

As always I enjoy the historical aspects of these series. taking into account all that is going on in the world, it is wise to remember the impact of colonialism in the middle east.

Fun book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Not sure these really aren't mysteries that is usually an afterthought. Mostly about the maturation of Mary Russell. I would recommend this series to someone who is interested in that aspect.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mary Russell and Sherlock of course.

Which scene was your favorite?

They are on a horse talking about what has happened and Russell's description of the embrace

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the moments aren't big but small when I am listening I am always amazed by how much character is revealed in those small moments.

Any additional comments?

This is the only series i have listened too without actually reading the books. I cant say enough good things about Ms Sterlin's rendition. That being said Mr Mackenzie is quite good and the counterpoint was a good thought. But I believe Ms Sterlin would have been enough.

Suspenseful romp though foreign lands with Holmes!

What made the experience of listening to Garment of Shadows the most enjoyable?

I really enjoyed the story switching from Mary's perspective to Sherlock's. It was enjoyable to see the story from two different sets of eyes. I also enjoyed the suspense and guessing what was actually going on and what and who where not what they seemed. Ms. King also gave amazing descriptions of places and things so as to make me feel as if I were experiencing the events in person and not just though the book.

Any additional comments?

I just think that this is one of the best series of mystery novels that I have read in a long, long time.

Wow

What a relief that this book was so much better than Pirate King. That one was so bad I couldn’t finish it. Garment of Shadows was back to the level all the previous books had been. I started the book and finished it the same day.

LRK is back on track!

When a new book in a series I read is about to come out, I frequently reread the last entry (or even the entire series) so that I will have all the events leading up to the new entry clear in my mind. I wasn't sure I wanted to reread "Pirate King," but since Garment of Shadows didn't appear on Audible the same day that it appeared on Amazon in hardback, I was feeling I might explode with anticipation. So I thought to myself, "Maybe Pirate King wasn't really as bad as I remember. I'll re-listen to it while I'm waiting for 'Garment.'" Well, Pirate King WAS as bad as I had remembered it. I listened for about an hour and then turned it off again. So I was a little worried. I mean, I never would have believed that Laurie R. King could have written anything as bad as PK. Did she have a stroke? Is she on some new and horrible cholesterol drug that has destroyed her mind?

I was worried.

Well, put your minds at rest. I still don't know what happened with Pirate King, but it was apparently just temporary. Garment of Shadows is back in the groove. The plot is good and there is plenty of mystery. Mary gets to exercise her considerable tenacity and ingenuity. There is plenty of Holmes. There are subsidiary characters in this book that we can actually like. Danger abounds.

One strange thing. In some of the Mary Russell books, we get sections written from Holmes's point of view. That is true in this book too. In previous books, Jenny Sterlin narrated both those parts of the book from Mary's POV and those from Holmes's POV. But in this book, they chose to get a second narrator to narrate those sections which are from Holmes's point of view. I've gotten used to Holmes's voice the way Jenny Sterlin does it, and the new narrator's voice for him is quite different, so it was sort of a shock. Even more strange is the fact that when the story is told from Mary's point of view, there is still dialog in which Holmes speaks, and this is still spoken by Sterlin. So we have two very different voices for Holmes in the same recording. I suspect many people are going to hate this. I didn't hate it, but I did think it was entirely unnecessary. We've gotten used to Sterlin's performance of Holmes's voice over many books. It wasn't broken. It didn't need to be fixed.

So finally: I recommend this book highly. Thanks Mrs. King. I loved your new book.

Laurie R King back on track

Would you listen to Garment of Shadows again? Why?

I had enjoyed all of the Russell titles until the last which was far below the rest in terms of story, tone and general interest. I was ready to give up the series. However, this one is as good as the rest. My interest was maintained by the intricate plot, including the presence of Holmes in more of the story. The descriptions of historical foreign lands take me away during my daily commute.

What did you like best about this story?

The relationship between Holmes and Russell is always fun and the author has always shown the more humanistic side to Sherlock Holmes which I enjoy. I also love the description of exotic lands and lifestyles of Morocco between the wars.

Which scene was your favorite?

Any scene with the Russell- Holmes combo.

A History of Morocco

Interesting voice for Sherlock and the other men. Took some getting used to, but probably the best for a story of men in conflict, rebellion, fighting.
Mary finds herself with a concussion and amnesia, not knowing how she was injured, where she is, where she needs to go. My favorite part is when Sherlock finds her, and she doesn't know him. A solid 4 Stars all around.

Dizzying plot twists

This was the first of this series that included a male narrator in addition to Jenny Stirlin (sp). I am so accustomed to her fine portrayals of all characters that it was a little weird to hear someone else voicing familiar characters. Fine story as always for this series, with the twists at the end almost making me dizzy.

I love the continued development of the Mary Russell character and look forward to her next adventure.

Chsnge in narration a disappointment

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The book, yes. The audio book? No. The narration by Robert Ian Mackenzie pulls me out of the story and ruins an otherwise beloved series for me.

Any additional comments?

I truly do not understand why they felt the need to, on the 12th book, change the narration of the story to dual narration, especially with a book featuring a number of previously heard characters. I was truly disappointed in this change and while I will remain a loyal Laurie R King reader, I may think twice about listening to the audio books if future stories are treated in the same manner. Mackenzie's narration demonstrated a lack of understanding of the "Holmesian" voice and his characters all sounded alike. Truly disappointing as I so love Ms. Sterlin's work on these books.