Rating: 
Summary: Monstrous Regiment A Fit Successor To Beekeeper's
Review: I,as an avid reader of all Victoriana,was enchanted by Laurie King's Beekeeper's Apprentice. Her grasp of the Victorian world is quite remarkable. Upon reading the next in the series,A Monstrous Regiment of Women,I was ,once again,transported into the world of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. A reader of Holmesian fiction,but not an absolute purist,I was engaged by seeing Holmes in situations not entirely of his own making. The age difference between Holmes and Russell was not uncommon for the Victorian period and,so,was not as uncomfortable for me as it has been for some readers. Their involvement with aspects of the women's Suffrage Movement was interesting in that Holme's views on women have always been somewhat misogynistic. To plunk him down in the middle of the Movement presented some interesting moments. Some of the plot devices were predictable but it was still a book with enough twists to make me keep turning pages long after I should have been asleep. I recommend it to anyone interested in the Victorian period as well as those who can take their Holmes with a grain of salt.
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven, but still quite good
Review: This is the second in a series of books, detailing the investigations of Sherlock Holmes and his assistant/partner, Mary Russell. The first book in the series (The Beekeeper's Apprentice) is, admittedly, a tough act to follow. This second novel falls somewhat short. Even so, it is well worth reading. In this second outing, Mary Russell is writing her thesis at Oxford, while eagerly anticipating the day she will turn 21, come into her inheritance, and rid herself of her horrible aunt and other assorted hangers-on. She happens to run into a friend of hers from her early days at Oxford. Veronica has given up the life of wealthy, pampered lady, and now works for an organization dedicated to helping the underprivileged women of London. Strangely, wealthy members of this group have been dying under mysterious circumstances, leaving money to this group. This, of course, piques Russell's interest, and she investigates the group, its leader, and the deaths. The middle portion of this book is largely given over to study of the feminist leader of the group. She is both a feminist, and an untrained theologian. She gives public sermons that mainly center around the meaning of "love" and the unequal power balance between men and women. To be completely honest, I found a good portion of these sermons to be tedious and a bit muddled. Although I understand Russell's interest, since she is studying theology at Oxford, these meandering sermons and instruction periods really did nothing to advance the plot. But persistence has its rewards. In the final quarter of the book, attention is returned to the mystery at hand, and it becomes a 5-star book again. Russell gets to do a wonderful bit of undercover work, aided by Holmes' training in the art of disguise. If only the middle had been as good as the beginning and end, the whole would have earned another 5-star rating. As it is, a solid 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Not as expected, however...
Review: How else can I say it: if you liked Beekeeper, you will love this book. It has all the feel of an older Sherlockian tale, yet it is told from his equal with only his insight. Thickening plots, red herrings, dastardly plots, returns from the dead. It's a Mary Russell book for the Doyle Canon.
Rating:
Summary: A positively engaging follow-up..
Review: I had heard mixed reviews of A Monstrous Regiment of Women before I read it, directly after its prequel, The Beekeeper's Apprentice. I didn't think I would enjoy it nearly as much as the first one--I was wrong. For fans of Mary Russell, this is surely a book to be enjoyed. I read the Holmes/Russell novel for Sherlock Holmes, however. Though he isn't in the book much at this time, the scenes he -is- in are absolutely charming and unforgettable. Many people don't enjoy Holmes in this book--To them he doesn't seem to be the Holmes of Watson. Naturally, he isn't. He's seen from an entirely different perspective in Russell's narration, he's allowing Russell to take the case on her own, rather than stepping in and doing the work for her--And he finally has a woman astute and edgy enough for him to realize that women aren't always something to scoff at. This woman happens to be Mary Russell, thirty-nine years his junior with an intelligence, arrogance, and attitude remniscent of Holmes himself. Mary Russell is, indeed, Holmes as a young woman--including her own weakness to opium derivatives. I'm not a fan of mystery novels as it is, so I found the character work in the King novels fascinating. Russell's narrative focuses on the people involved, and personal matters, rather than just the case. You get a sense of who people are and why they're involved, not who did it in the where with the what. In order to grasp all of this development, you MUST read The Beekeeper's Apprentice before this book. A Monstrous Regiment of Women contains some of the best scenes in all of the Holmes/Russell series--Short passages between Holmes and Russell will jump out from the page. You can hear them in your mind and the characters will suddenly become real. Anyone who followed Holmes and Russell through the first six years will find true delight in reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The "romance" made me squirm too!
Review: I agree with the reviewer who felt the romance between Holmes and Russell was just too unbelieveable. It would have been a lot more believeable to me if it had been presented more as the type of relationship shown in My Fair Lady, with Holmes never losing his cynical and analytical character. I loved the book except (and it's a big except) for the romantic relationship between Holmes and Russell. I's probably typical of our society's current mind set that there must be a romance between the leading characters! I'm just surprised the authoress fell for that expectation! But, you know what?, I'll probably read the next books because the mysteries and the solving of them is great fun! :)
Rating:
Summary: Laurie King's Russell makes me enjoy Sherlock Holmes
Review: I recently reread King's Mary Russell series after reading the newest edition, "The Game," and I think "A Monstrous Regiment of Women" is still my favorite, though I'd recommend the whole series to anyone who's interested in an intelligent turn-of-the-century mystery starring an acerbic, intelligent woman who is more than the equal of the famous Sherlock Holmes. I think "A Monstrous Regiment of Women" is the book I most enjoyed because it shows Russell pursuing a case that is entirely her own -- mysterious deaths among the followers of a charismatic feminist preacher -- and coming into her own as a woman in every sense of the word. Sherlock Holmes is very much present, but this is Russell's story and Russell is one of the most interesting characters I've encountered in mysteries. I also enjoy the book because of the developing romantic relationship between Holmes and Russell. I've read the howls of protest from fans of Sherlock Holmes over this series, but I find King's books more enjoyable than Arthur Conan Doyle's. I took a course in college on Holmes and always viewed the stories as a rather quaint, stodgy, stilted picture of the Victorian era. By giving him Russell as a partner, King gave him a much needed shot in the arm and human vulnerabilities. Why wouldn't this Holmes fall in love with his best friend and partner? They're clearly soul mates. King makes the 39-year age difference insignificant.
Rating:
Summary: Is the book feminist?
Review: This Mary Russell mystery has as a central character Margery, who saw in the plight of the "surplus women" in England after WWI a call from God for her and other women to help the poor. Margery was a feminist, as was the main character, Sherlock Holmes's apprentice, Mary. All the chapter headings are quotations which put women "in their place"--quotations from St. Paul, the Church Fathers, and John Knox (the title was from him, opposing Mary Tudor being queen ["regiment" is used in the sense of "regime"]). However, Laurie King's character Margery could not successfully lead this church that she had started up. That is, the story-line, whether the author intended to or not (and I can't believe she was unaware of what she was doing), said that women indeed are incapable of leading a church. The story line thus disagrees with the main character! I'd like to know what Laurie King thinks.
Rating:
Summary: solid followup to the beekeeper's apprentice
Review: It is 1921, England is still adjusting to life after World War I, and in her second outing from the pen of talented writer Laurie King, Mary Russell has moved on to studies at Oxford. Her relationship with Holmes is necessarily changing, and a renewed friendship has involved her in a women's organization with a charismatic and mysterious leader. Mary is intrigued. So are we. Author King writes with a sure and steady hand, weaving interesting historical detail effortlessly into a fine tale. More importantly, she writes Sherlock Holmes exceedingly fine. Conversations between the two are the highlights of the book, which suffers only from too little Holmes. Mary Russell is an admirable heroine, and I look forward to reading her further adventures, but she truly sparkles in dialogue with her mentor. Not just for romantic Holmes-loving bluestockings! Great series.
Rating:
Summary: You Have to Love it...Just Not as Much as the First One
Review: "A Monstrous Regiment of Women," the sequel to "The Beekeeper's Apprentice," is a great book on its own, but is simply not the same as the first book. The charm is still there, but there's simply not the same spark. Not to deter you, of course. It's a great story with a magnificent plot, the lovely story and plot line still there. It's simply the romantic undertones that are rather odd for my own feelings... It is also extremely feministic. My father was...shall we say, adverse to the story...when he read it. He is not in favour of feminism, which drives all the women of the family insane. If you're anti-feministic, this movie will do the same to you as it has done to my father. The story, however, would make for an interesting movie. Many of these books would make for an interesting movie, actually, but this one would be very good for the modern day woman. That and "O Jerusalem," but the setting would be a little controversial for the times... But back to the story: it is a wonderfully crafted story, but it simply isn't the same as the first book. You cannot help but be amazed at the ending, when you really learn about Mary like you never could have before. Enjoy the reading, and have fun!
Rating:
Summary: Read this review FIRST!
Review: WARNING: about half of the other reviews here spoil a major plot point in this book! Safe reviews to read (as of this date):
(4 stars) Not Beekeeper, But Entertaining & a Little Thought Provoking, August 16, 2002
(4 stars) Not As Good As Beekeeper, But a Good Transition Book, July 30, 2002
(4 stars) Uneven, but still quite good, March 20, 2002
(4 stars) I like this series!, December 3, 2001
(5 stars) Amazing! Breathtaking!, November 4, 2001
(3 stars) Good story ruined by obssession, August 26, 2001 I can sympathise with reviewers who miss the deliciously temperamental 15-year old Mary Russel from the first book in this series. The Beekeeper's Apprentice remains one of my all-time favorite works of fiction, certainly mystery fiction. Mary Russel, in this book, is a step up in maturity, and (unfortunately?) a step down in the know-it-all confidence that was so appropriate to her youthful self. But for those reviewers who ditch the book entirely based on the matured Mary Russel, and all that comes with it, I heartily dissagree! I loved this book enough to read it twice, and I've only done that with about 5 books in my life! The characters are still solid, the relationship between Russel and Holmes sparse but satisfying, and the plot, although esoteric, is energized and wonderfully mysterious. And the ending (be careful not to have it spoiled for you!)...my all time favorite of any book! Enjoy!
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