Rating: 
Summary: Intrigue in an exotic place
Review: Shortly after the First World War, in 1924, the Labour party has triumphed in England and as a result rumors about what the future will bring are abundant, creating an ambiance of political turmoil. In this setting, Mary Russell and her husband, the famous Sherlock Holmes, travel to London to visit Mycroft, whose health has deteriorated and is cause for concern. Upon arrival Mary and Holmes are presented with three documents Mycroft had received: a soldier's clearance certificate, an original enlistment and a birth certificate. These three items relate to none other then Kim O'Hara, the famous character of Kipling's book. Several rumors about Kim reached England, including that he is held prisoner by a maharaja and that he got ill and died.Mycroft is worried about the possibility that O'Hara is using the Russians as a tool to free India and since he "cannot" travel, because of his health, he asks his brother and Mary to travel to India on his behalf and unravel the mystery. During the trip to India, Mary establishes a relationship with Sunny Goodheart, who is accompanied by her mother and her mysterious brother Tom. Holmes starts suspecting right away that there is something wrong about Tom and they follow him to the land of the maharaja of Khanpur where further events develop. Laurie King presents an exotic land, where people practice sports like pig sticking and maharajas rule at their wanting and can indulge every desire they or their guests have. On top of this, the author throws in a mystery to complete the mix. The second half of the novel is very good, with a good pace and events that are unfolding constantly keeping the reader interested. The beginning of the novel is very slow though, and the journey to India is excessively detailed without any clear point. Even though there are amazingly vivid descriptions of places, people and food, it is still not clear to me what is the objective of spending almost half the book in describing the odyssey to India. What I think the novel lacks is the usual deductive work Holmes and Russell are involved in. Instead the novel is more an adventure with spies involved, than a mystery involving the celebrated British detective and his sharp wife. Overall, the book is good, but in my opinion the quality has decreased considerably when compared to the first book in the series. For those of you that have been following this series since its beginning, I recommend you read this one too, but try not to have very high hopes. For those of you that are not acquainted with the series I would recommend that instead of this book you read "The Beekeeper's Apprentice".
Rating: 
Summary: She's done it again!
Review: Thank you Laurie King! I wish I could erase my memory and read it again immediately! Perhaps reading Kim instead will help me get by until the next installment. Please don't keep us waiting long.
Rating: 
Summary: Still great, though a bit too much action adventure
Review: The entire Holmes/Russell series is just incredibly wonderful, and I enjoyed this book very much. The history involved in every book is fascinating, and this installment is no exception. That said, I do think this book had a little bit too much "action/adventure" for my tastes. Especially toward the end, I found I was spending a lot of time just trying to imagine the mechanics of all the riding, running, pig sticking, and jousting that was going on. And their escapes from these tricky situations rely just a bit too much on coincidence, luck, and deus ex machina. However, I really enjoyed the way this book touched, ever so gently, a bit more on the love, the passionate love, between Holmes and Russell. A hint of tender hair-brushing foreplay, strong embraces....these have been missing from previous books. It wouldn't fit the style of the series to elaborate any further on their relationship, but these mere suggestions of romantic lover were quite satisfying. :-)
Rating:
Summary: They're back!
Review: The Game is a lot of fun. What is most fun is that the relationship between Holmes and Russell is back, after the arid non-relationship in Justice Hall. Sparring, arguing, constantly aware of each other, Holmes and Russell give The Game two lively, distinct voices, two styles that spin a plot full of games. Great read. Glad to have you both back with us, Holmes and Russell!
Rating:
Summary: A Worthy Addition to the Mary Russell Series
Review: The Game offers a new setting (India) with the typical well researched backdrop and fun, interesting new characters that characterize Laurie R. King's Mary Russell series. Very satisyfing. The entire series is well written and engaging.
Rating:
Summary: Very well done as usual
Review: The reviews here sum up my feelings as well. Great outing in the series, maturation of the main characters, etc. But... I do miss the Holmes/Russell sniping of the first few books. In earlier outings, Ms. King usually had a playful preface about the manuscript being delivered to her. I sort of missed that here. But these are quibbles -- it's a fine book indeed.
Rating:
Summary: the games is afoot again
Review: This audio book was WONDERFUL! This is the best series with holmes yet. I read anything and everything with Holmes but these are my favorite aside from the orignial. The woman who does the reading is fabulous. I felt,saw and could almost smell the Indian country side etc. Well worth the cost of the audio book. I hope Ms King has alot more manuscripts in that box.
Rating:
Summary: A Worthy Addition to the Mary Russell Series
Review: This is an improvement over the previous "Justice Hall," but it's still a disappointment compared to the first couple of King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes stories. It almost reads like two different authors wrote the first 80% and final 20% of the book respectively. The front 80% groans under the weight of enervatingly lavish, detailed descriptions of places, events, and politics in India: nothing much happens, and we get introduced to some amusing characters whom you know Will Assume Unexpected Importance Later. This part of the book is impressive in terms of the research that must have gone into it, but for those who like *mysteries*, it's a long slog, very much like "Justice Hall." In the second part of the book, after Russell and Holmes meet up again in the context of the Maharajah's castle, plot details get neatly resolved with the same handiness and speediness with which the action suddenly moves along. Too many coincidences here, and too many telling details from earlier in the book unresolved. Do we suspect a rush job on the ending to meet a publication schedule?
Rating:
Summary: Delightful, as usual
Review: This is another of Laurie R. King's marvelous Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes novels, which doubles as a tribute to Rudyard Kipling's "Kim". Holmes and Russell are off to India, along a journey which proves rather richer in the satisfying Holmes/Russell interaction than some past novels have been. "The Game" also introduces many new and delightful characters, including the pert debutante Sunny Goodheart and the impish village boy Bindraji. The mystery plot is quite satisfying, with twists, turns, shifting alliances, and quite a bit of heart-thumping danger! I do advise reading the series in order, though, beginning with "The Beekeeper's Apprentice." This allows you to best comprehend the development of the complex relationship between Mary Russell and her tutor/partner, Sherlock Holmes.
Rating:
Summary: A Game without Rules.
Review: This story is a beautiful epic, one that hints of hundreds of research hours and perhaps even weeks in India studying the setting. It's scope is impressive and the scenes move fluidly. There can be no doubt that Ms. King is an writer in control of her craft. Yet below the surface gloss, I found the story lacking a consistent and subtle purpose to its inextricable forward progress. Many of the characters seem oddly flat and the plot driven by reactions unrelated to the story line. For instance, a beam comes crashing down as Holmes and Russell walk through the marketplace in Aden, but the story finishes with no reason for it.
Just as Shakespeare has been criticized (in absentia) for allowing the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to hang on the absence of a letter due to an unrelated epidemic, in this book the master seems to leave her craft to chance - neglecting to rein in the story or have it all fold neatly together at the end of the journey. There is no final twist - no revelation so typical of the Russell-Holmes books. Instead the threads of the story are snapped off with a jest instead of an explanation. As such, the book hangs preciously between 'mystery' and 'novel'. There is no real mystery, and yet, without more character depth, it can not really be called a novel either. At the end of the day, regardless of the location, the real reason readers return to this series over and over again is to see the humorous, unique, intimate and sensitive portrayal of the Homles and Russell partnership. In this book, it is held almost entirely in reserve, to it's own discredit. As entertainment, I would highly recommend it, but I would definitely say to read "Oh Jerusalem" first, if you really want to see Ms. King flex her considerable talents.
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