In this novel, King presents the first meeting between fifteen-year-old Mary Russell, the young Jewish-American protagonist, and Sherlock Holmes. Their meeting leads to a collaboration between the two, though this first novel focuses primarily on the detective training that Holmes gives to Russell. The series that this novel begins currently stands at twenty novels, with the latest having been published in 2021.
Plot
After losing her family in a tragic motor accident in California, fifteen-year-old Mary Russell goes to live with her aunt in Sussex, England. Wandering the Sussex Downs in April 1915, she literally runs across fifty-four-year-old Sherlock Holmes, who has retired from his London practice and keeps bees. The two quickly become fast friends, Russell finding in Holmes a kindred spirit and steadfast teacher and Holmes finding in Russell a quick mind and a worthy apprentice in the art of detecting. By the time Russell enters Oxford University in the autumn of 1917, she is well-versed in Holmes's methods of disguise, tracking, and deduction.
At Oxford, Russell reads chemistry and theology, immersing herself in the Bodleian Library and participating on the side in the dramatic society and elaborate pranks. Between terms, Russell solves her first cases as Holmes's apprentice, catching a German spy disguised as a neighbor's butler and apprehending a thief who had burgled the local pub. In August 1918, Holmes is consulted on the kidnapping of Jessica Simpson, the American senator's daughter, and brings Russell, elevating her apprenticeship. The pair journey in disguise as gypsies and trace the missing girl into Wales, where Russell takes initiative in rescuing Jessica, who develops a bond with her. However, Jessica's kidnappers are merely hired hands, and they fail to find the mastermind behind the plot. Russell and Holmes emerge from the case with a stronger sense of partnership, having solidified their mutual trust of each other's instincts.
One afternoon in December, Russell returns to her lodgings to find Holmes, injured from a bomb and having defused another one set at Russell's door. A third fails to kill Dr. Watson. Their mysterious opponent stalks Russell and Holmes by savaging their cab and leaving a puzzling series of slashes on the cab seat. They deduce she is a formidable woman who knows Holmes's methods thoroughly and has infiltrated some of his secure boltholes in London. Faced with a powerful opponent, Holmes elects to frustrate her by leaving England entirely with Russell. The pair set off for Palestine for six weeks on a mission with two of Mycroft's spies (this interlude becomes the focus of King's later novel O Jerusalem).
Upon their return, Russell and Holmes embark on a charade of estrangement from each other, hoping that Holmes's vulnerability will draw their enemy in for the kill. However, playing the part takes a toll on both. They are also under heavy surveillance by the enemy and unable to converse frankly. In May, Russell discovers that the slashes on the cab seat spell MORIARTY in Roman numerals according to Base 8, and connects the case with her missing maths tutor, Patricia Donleavy, who had given her exercises in Base 8. At her lodgings, she finds Holmes, who informs her that their attacker is preparing to strike. The two make for Sussex to set a trap, only to find Donleavy already lying in wait for them. Donleavy reveals herself as the orchestrator of Jessica Simpson's kidnapping and the revenge-seeking daughter of Professor Moriarty, whom Holmes hurled to his death at the Reichenbach Falls. Holmes provokes her to attack him, and Russell intervenes, leading to a struggle in which Donleavy is killed and Russell is heavily injured by the same bullet.
During her long recovery, Russell sinks into depression due to the heavy emotional toll of the estrangement from Holmes as well as Donleavy's betrayal, as a figure of authority she had trusted. A letter from Jessica Simpson provides some catharsis, causing Russell to revive her partnership with Holmes.
Reception
Feminist scholar Lillian Doherty calls The Beekeeper's Apprentice "vivid and highly entertaining", saying her strong identification with the character of Mary Russell produced a temporary enhancement of her own sense of competence.[2]
BBC Radio adaptation
In 2000 The Beekeeper's Apprentice was adapted as a 4-part BBC radio dramatization starring Monica Dolan as Russell, James Fox as Holmes and Sian Thomas as Donleavy. Shaun Prendergast, who wrote the adaptation also appeared as Watson.
Related Research Articles
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients, including Scotland Yard.
Laurie R. King is an American author best known for her detective fiction.
Mary Russell is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes mystery series by American author Laurie R. King. She first appears in the novel The Beekeeper's Apprentice.
The Adventures of Shirley Holmes is a Canadian-British mystery TV series that originally aired from May 7, 1997, to May 7, 2000. The show was created by Ellis Iddon and Phil Meagher who had produced a successful series of books with HarperCollins, teaming up with Credo, Forefront, Winchester and Winklemania to develop the TV series. Filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the series follows the life of Shirley Holmes, the great-great-niece of Sherlock Holmes who, with the help of ex-gang member Bo Sawchuk, tackles a variety of mysteries in and around the fictional city of Redington, Manitoba. On some occasions, she found herself matching wits with nemesis Molly Hardy.
Sherlock Holmes has long been a popular character for pastiche, Holmes-related work by authors and creators other than Arthur Conan Doyle. Their works can be grouped into four broad categories:
The Spider Woman is a 1943 mystery film starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, the seventh of fourteen such films the pair were involved in. As with all of the Universal Studios films in the series, the film is set in then-present day as opposed to the Victorian setting of the original stories. This film incorporates elements from the 1890 novel The Sign of the Four, as well as the short stories "The Final Problem", "The Adventure of the Empty House", "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" and makes explicit reference to "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot".
A Monstrous Regiment of Women is the second book in the Mary Russell series of mystery novels by Laurie R. King.
A Letter of Mary is the third in the Mary Russell mystery series of novels by Laurie R. King. This is the first case that Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes work on together as husband and wife. The story features a cameo by Lord Peter Wimsey.
O Jerusalem is the fifth book in the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a 1939 American mystery adventure film based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Although claiming to be an adaptation of the 1899 play Sherlock Holmes by William Gillette, the film bears little resemblance to the play.
The Woman in Green is a 1945 American film, the eleventh of the fourteen Sherlock Holmes films based on the characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Produced and directed by Roy William Neill, it stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, with Hillary Brooke as the woman of the title and Henry Daniell as Professor Moriarty. The film follows an original premise with material taken from "The Final Problem" (1893) and "The Adventure of the Empty House" (1903).
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) is the fourth in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of 14 Sherlock Holmes films which updated the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to the then present day. The film is credited as an adaptation of Conan Doyle's 1903 short story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," though the only element from the source material is the dancing men code. Rather, it is a spy film taking place on the background of the then ongoing Second World War with an original premise. The film concerns the kidnapping of a Swiss scientist by their nemesis Professor Moriarty, to steal a new bomb sight and sell it to Nazi Germany. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson have to crack a secret code in order to save the country.
Mrs. Hudson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. She is the landlady of 221B Baker Street, the London residence in which Sherlock Holmes lives.
Sherlock Holmes in New York is a 1976 American made-for-television mystery film about Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, played by Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee respectively.
The Enola Holmes Mysteries is a young adult fiction series of detective novels by American author Nancy Springer, starring Enola Holmes as the 14-year-old sister of an already famous Sherlock Holmes, twenty years her senior. There are seven books in the series, and one short story all written from 2006–2021.
The Game is the seventh book in the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King, which focuses on the adventures of Russell and her partner and, later, husband, an aging Sherlock Holmes.
Justice Hall is the sixth book in the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King.
"The Empty Hearse" is the first episode of the third series of the BBC television series Sherlock. It was written by Mark Gatiss and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes, Martin Freeman as Dr John Watson, and Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes. It also marks the first appearance of Amanda Abbington as Mary Morstan and Lars Mikkelsen as Charles Augustus Magnussen.
References
↑ The Author, laurierking.com, retrieved January 22, 2009
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