The God of the Hive [Paperback]

This is a most satisfying conclusion to the story begun in "The Language of Bees." Ms. King masterfully refreshes the reader's memory of the dark events in that novel as she traces the separate, circuitous journeys of Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell back to London, and we also find out what Mycroft and assorted villains are up to. It's hard to say much about the events in this book without giving too much away, but there's plenty of suspense, mystery, action and adventure, and the quality of the prose and the vivid portrayal of the characters are up to the author's usual high standards.

The highlight of this book for me was an odd, delightful new character, a man who comes to the rescue of Russell, her pilot, and Holmes' young granddaughter, Estelle, after their plane crash-lands in the forest. He introduces himself as Robert Goodman, and Russell can't help thinking of him as Robin Goodfellow, or "The Green Man," which was the author's original working title for this book. Ms. King is also reviving her theme of the holy fool, which she used so effectively earlier in her Kate Martinelli mystery "To Play the Fool." As exciting and well-plotted as the thrilling story of Mycroft, Holmes and Russell vs. the villains is, I saw this book primarily as a powerful mythic tale, with the fey Robert Goodman at the center of it. It's certainly one of the very best books in the series.

Be sure to read "The Language of Bees" before you start this one. And if you haven't read the earlier installments in the Russell-Holmes series, start with "The Beekeeper's Apprentice." It's a great series for anyone who enjoys well-written mystery and suspense with intelligent, likable characters, and it's a must-read for Sherlock Holmes aficionados.

I so didn't want to finish reading this book. I can't explain exactly what it is about Laurie King's books...but even though I dropped out of reading the "mystery/thriller" genre a LONG time ago - I love her books. They have all the wonderful escapism and none of the cheesiness that ruins most "whodunits" for me.

To sink back into the world of Sherlock Holmes...of bolt holes, Irregulars, disguises and detecting far before the world of DNA & CSI...is a delight. And with Mary Russell as our guide - the experience is all the more delightful. She has all of the intelligence, common sense and perception of Holmes - with the very needed addition of compassion and a sharp wit.

"The business end of a gun is remarkably distracting. It dominates the world."

"The God of the Hive" brings the reader into the world of Holmes's brother Mycroft, usually a background character. The reader is also introduced to newly revealed family members for Holmes and a fascinating character Russell encounters under desperate circumstances.

"He stood, torn between the choices I had given him. It might be nothing. A charabanc of travelers benighted and looking for help. A band of Wordsworth fanatics looking for a host of golden daffodils by moonlight. Even some of Mycroft's men coming to our assistance - the last made for a lovely thought. But until I knew for certain, we had to treat this as an invasion, and I hated the thought that this damaged man's generosity of spirit had brought an abrupt loss of his hard-won peace."

Although the story is at the forefront almost all of the time...there seems to be a thread of social commentary running through the events that was not unwelcome.

"Were five armed men another symptom of unrest? Or was this simply what modern life would be, a place where a homicidal charlatan is embraced as wise, where children can be shot out of the sky, where a Good Samaritan can be driven from his home by armed intruders?"

This takes place in 1924...but during a time of great social change when a great schism existed between those eager for a brighter future and those who wanted to maintain their death grip on the past.

As described by Mycroft, "...as you no doubt heard even in foreign parts, there was consternation and loud doom-saying on all sides: The Socialists were expected to bring the end of the monarchy, the establishment of rubles as the coin of the realm, a destruction of marriage and family, and dangerously intimate political and economic ties with the Bolsheviks. Eight months later, the worst of the country's fears have yet to be realized, and MacDonald has surprised everyone by being less of a firebrand than the village greengrocer."

Again, the story is the thing in "The God of the Hives" - and it is a wonderful one. I enjoyed this book immensely and my only regret is that I finished it too quickly and now must wait again for another wonderful story of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.

The God of the Hive: A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes takes up exactly where Laurie R. King's last Russell/Holmes novel, The Language of Bees (Mary Russell Novels), left off. On the run from the law, Sherlock Holmes, with a wounded young man, takes off in one direction, and over open water, while Mary Russell climbs hills on a different heading, fearing she is being followed by the same madman they had all just confronted. Mary is not alone as she tries to get back to the small airplane that brought her to the Orkney islands; she is carrying three-and-a-half-year-old Estelle. Holmes, after snatching up a doctor to treat Damian, his charge and more to him than just that, decides to hole up in Amsterdam. Mary, meanwhile, aims to get back to London, but she, Estelle, and the plane's pilot are forced to take a detour, setting them on a collision course (pun intended) with a nearly elfin hermit/"fool" who goes by the moniker Robert Goodman.

For much of THE GOD OF THE HIVE, Holmes and Russell are separated and communicate very sparingly. All the while, Mycroft Holmes is also being threatened. He's kidnapped by a shadowy person who apparently is the superior of the maniac from whom Damian and Estelle had been rescued. This new villain is, like Mycroft, part of British intelligence. Unlike Mycroft, he considers his version of national security as rationale for blackmail and murder. And that leads to what Mary mournfully decides is a world that's "a less secure, less blessedly interesting place" and "an age of the death of gods."

Ultimately, after much chasing around and playing hide and seek, most of the leading characters converge for a dramatic, tense showdown.

King writes assured, fast-paced chapters that contain some easily-guessed plot points but as many or more twists. Some brief observations:

-- Although Holmes and Russell togetherness -- with their unsentimental couples communication featuring tartness, perceptiveness, and delightful, quick wit -- is more enjoyable reading, I was not bored following their individual adventures.

-- Having so much of Mycroft made me miss Dr. Watson less.

-- The thinly-drawn antagonist could have received more attention.

-- And as for Goodman, he reminded me somewhat of Erasmus, an earlier title character of King's from the Kate Martinelli police mystery, To Play the Fool.

And who precisely is the title character of THE GOD OF THE HIVE? Ah. Burn through this latest visit with Mary Russell and her more famous husband, Sherlock Holmes, and find out! 4.5 stars.

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