The Beekeeper's Apprentice

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

  - Laurie R. King

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I have loved Holmes stories since I first read them at the age of 12, and have read them several times since then. I have always lamented that there were so few of them, and wanted to read more of Holmes. Eventually I found fanfic (and learned of a new word - pastiche) but was fearful that the fanfic would just make it worse. In the end, I started reading some of the highly recommended pastiche works, usually suggested by members of my online reading group.

This one looked very intriguing, as instead of featuring Holmes or Moriarty, the lead here is a precocious 15 year old girl, who can match Holmes's intellectual capabilities. I found the stories quite entertaining even though unrealistic. The originals are unrealistic too, but these are even more so. A fair part of the book was given up to building up the environment and the character of Mary Russell, which reduces the mysteries and detective work; this should be taken care of in the sequels. The section about the weeks in Jerusalem didn't add much to the story, and was consequently somewhat boring. On the other hand, I enjoyed reading about Mary's life at Oxford.

On the whole, I enjoyed reading this book, but there were two major deterrents to my enjoyment.

First is the treatment given to Watson. I have always felt that Doyle/Holmes treated Dr Watson rather shabbily in the Canon, but in here it is downright demeaning. It is not only Mary who constantly refers to him in a disparaging manner, often needlessly, but also Holmes, who shows little respect and loyalty towards his friend.

Second is the knowledge gathered from blurbs of subsequent books that Holmes and Mary get married by the third book. This isn't just completely out of Holmes's character, but also deeply unsettling. The 40 year age gap isn't the only thing that makes it creepy, but the fact that Mary begins by looking up to Holmes as a mentor and father figure, while Holmes refers to her as 'my child' through the book. Why was introducing romance between the a two necessary? IMHO, it could have worked equally well by retaining Holmes in the role of mentor, or adoptive father if social constraints demanded a defined relationship.