King, Laurie R. The God of the Hive.King's novels about Mary Russell have long been favorites, although I admit that The Language of Bees was less satisfactory than most. All is now forgiven, because while King left us hanging in Bees, she made up for it in The God of the Hive.
After the events in the previous novel, Russell and Holmes are forced to separate: Holmes takes the wounded Damian Adler and ends up in Holland and Russell takes Estelle and begins working her way toward London.
King spends more time developing her characters in this novel and the two men who give their best efforts for Mary and Estelle are my favorites. I really enjoyed Javits, the pilot from the previous novel, and new character, Robert Goodman, a charming, if slightly mad young man drawn in largely by the presence of the child, Estelle. Estelle's positive influence on both men and on Mary keeps things lively.
Mycroft has disappeared, adding another layer of mystery to the novel since Mycroft like Holmes is so remarkable in intellect that for events to overcome him...well, to say more would be to give too much away.
Other Reviews: Eva's at The Striped Armchair, Buried Under Books, ...
Fiction. Mystery. 2010. 368 pages.
Oh I love these books, and am so glad to hear you like this one - can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteKatherine, you will really like the Robert Goodman character...lots Green Man myth mixed in, oh, and very Puckish!
ReplyDeleteI had the very same reaction. I was a bit disappointed in The Language of Bees but completely won over once more by God of the Hive. Such a great series overall!
ReplyDeleteKate, I thought they were lost in the Hundred Acre Wood for a while. Robert Goodman was a charming character!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw your post my heart did a flip to think there was a new Mary Russell book. Then as I read I began to wonder if I had even read The Language of Bees yet. Oh, what I'd give for a memory! I will have to check my blog to see if I did a review. If not, I'll have to assume I have both books to look forward to reading.
ReplyDelete:) At the library, I often pull out titles that sound good, then read the jacket and realize I've read the book!
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't read these last two in the series, you do have something to look forward to--the latest installment, especially!