Part of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, book 0.5
First published 2016
Mary Russell opens her teenage diaries to reveal the mysteries that shaped her before she met Sherlock Holmes. In 1914, as England declares war, the brilliant young woman tracks German spies through San Francisco streets and unravels secrets within her own family. These nine stories follow Russell through different periods of her life, from her sharp-minded adolescence to her married years with Holmes. She investigates a professor's death by bee swarm, searches for her missing husband through a series of postcards, and uncovers the truth behind household thefts with Mrs. Hudson. Uncle Jake faces a crucial card game, while other tales reveal backstories of familiar characters. The collection culminates with ninety-two-year-old Mary Russell deciding to share her memoirs with the world and choosing Laurie R. King as her literary voice. Each story blends crime solving with historical detail, showing how Russell's extraordinary mind works across decades of mystery and danger.
Genres: short-stories, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, mystery, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: San Francisco, England
Period: 1914
300 pages · Paperback · Poisoned Pen Press