Part of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, book 13
First published 2015
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes board the steamer Thomas Carlyle in Bombay, bound for Japan after a demanding case in India. Russell looks forward to visiting a country unfamiliar to her famous husband, finally placing them on equal ground. Their planned respite dissolves quickly when Holmes spots the Earl of Darley, a suspected spy among the passengers. A young Japanese woman named Haruki Sato befriends Russell, offering to teach the couple Japanese customs and language while quoting haiku. Russell senses deception beneath Sato's polite exterior. Once they reach Japan, Russell's suspicions prove correct in ways she never anticipated. The investigation pulls them from Tokyo's bustling streets to Oxford's ancient libraries, uncovering a web of international blackmail and espionage. The secrets they discover threaten to ignite revolution and destroy an empire. Russell must navigate unfamiliar territory both literally and figuratively, testing her partnership with Holmes as they race to prevent catastrophe.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, espionage
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Bombay, Japan, Oxford, Tokyo
Period: 20th-century
331 pages · Hardcover · Bantam