Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King

Fair warning: this is my first formal book review.

Island of the Mad has begun to restore my faith in the Mary Russell books. I have adored this series for years... up to book 10, God of the Hive. I re-read (listen to, actually) the books often - they are my comfort listens.

But the last four just haven't been my cup of tea. I didn't get the humorous bent (so unlike the rest of the series) of Pirate King, felt that Ali and Mahmoud were completely wasted in Garment of Shadows (which also had too many dense blocks of historical background), can tolerate Dreaming Spies, but do my best to pretend that Murder of Mary Russell doesn't exist. I have given the first three of these multiple attempts but there are few circumstances which could entice me to re-do MoMR even once. I had resigned myself to the existence of only 10 Russell books and some short stories.

So it was with trepidation mingled with my anticipation that I requested a NetGalley advance copy of Island of the Mad. And the more I read, the more I relaxed, feeling like I was reading a traditional Russell novel like the ones I love so much. I kept making myself put it aside every few chapters so I wouldn't reach the end too quickly.

I enjoyed the book quite a bit, but was uneasy with the ending. I won't include a spoiler here (although I can't speak for the comments) - for a typical mystery story, the ending was just right. But for a story with Sherlock Holmes in it...

I am currently listening to the audio release of this Russell adventure and so far, enjoying it just as much.

This just felt a bit predictable for me and I didn't like some of it. It wasn't what I expected and some aspects just fell a little flat.

While another successful venture by Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, it starts out slowly yet quickly accelerates when the action moves to Venice in the time between wars and the growth of the Fascist movement. Mary is asked by a dear friend to help find her missing aunt, who has escaped from an asylum. Mary follows the trail to Italy and dons numerous disguises to fit in to the gay, mad world of masked balls and drunken debaucherie. Never fear- out heroine is too clever to be caught in the tempting crowd's pull. Or is she?

I adore Sherlock Holmes so I was sucker for this premise. It wasn't as compelling as I'd hoped but was an okay/fun read. Mary searches for a missing woman in Venice 1925, while Sherlock Holmes watches the fascists and runs into Cole Porter.

A fine installment of a great series, ISLAND OF THE MAD brings Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes to Venice during the rise of fascism in Europe. Peppered with delightful secondary characters, this one is not to be missed.

Venice provides the atmospheric backdrop for the latest adventures of the intrepid Mary Russell and husband Sherlock Holmes in Laurie R. King's Island of the Mad (Bantam/Random House, digital galley). The year is 1925, and Russell is on the trail of a friend's aristocratic aunt, who recently vanished from the Bedlam lunatic asylum with her nurse. Holmes, meanwhile, is on a secret diplomatic mission to observe the rising Fascist scene for brother Mycroft.  Mingling on the Lido with the likes of society hostess Elsa Maxwell and composer Cole Porter leads to a locked island asylum, a Mussolini-backed conspiracy and a grand costume ball. Russell commandeers a gondola, and Holmes inspires a Porter classic. A good time is had by all, except the villains, of course.

from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever

I did not care for Mary Russell, or this Sherlock Holmes! He would have never married someone who made him look impotent! His work was important to him, he would have kept an eye on his wife, in disguise if need be! I hated it. Sorry, but true! I have read all of the Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, this would have never happened!
Thank you!
Carolintallahassee

I enjoyed this book. The premise is believable (even though Sherlock Holmes alway said he would not marry) and the way the series is written is a good love story in itself. Laurie King has created an interesting alternative life for Holmes and his wife Mary. In this particular tale, they are together but follow separate trails to discover the solution. Mary, as a younger person, can blend with like-minded and similarly aged persons and she does so to gather her share of the clues. Homes goes another route and disguises himself as a violin player with a musical group to observe and get closer to one of the principal players in the drama. Evenings are spent together sharing knowledge and discussing what needs to be done.. Whether undercover in one of Holmes’ famous disguises or openly together as themselves they are a formidable pair. Interspersed among the drama is a lesson on water skiing and driving a motor boat, with discussions on the latest fashions of beach wear and bathing costumes. There is never a dull movement and several plot twists and turns that surprised me. I eagerly await the next installment.

Love every Mary Russell book this author has ever written!, a totally new take on a familiar character - Sherlock Holmes - from his young sifeks point of view. This book, like all the others in the series, hits all the points, interesting plot, enjoyable protagonist, I’m a big fan!!

Laurie King does not disappoint with this new installment to her marvelous Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes mystery series. From the dark halls of Bedlam to the grand canals of Venice, the duo use all their wits to track down a missing lady of society, dodge the ever-growing shadow cast by Mussolini, and avoid housework.

The way the author ties events of the Great War into causes of World War II is beautifully researched, but does not dominate the plot. Holmes and Russell's witty repartee is as sharp and endearing as ever. Reading this installment of one of my favorite mystery series makes me all the more eager for the next!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I have always enjoyed the escapades of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes as told by Laurie R. King. This book was no exception.

This story takes place in two primary venues: Bedlam (The Bethlem Royal Hospital, London - an insane asylum) and Venice. Both are described very convincingly. In Venice, the reader learns about the rise of Mussolini and Fascism and the attempt to engulf Britain in its grasp. Venice's high society with its masked balls and international celebrities is fascinating. Cole Porter is portrayed as a very interesting character. Outside reading indicates that much of what King writes about him is true. In addition, we read about gondolas and other boats used to get around the island city.

I quickly became a fan of this series after reading this book. I now need to read all the other ones in the series. The interaction between the characters and the settings in this book were wonderful. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

This is the first Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes mystery that I have read by this author and I had no trouble keeping up with the characters within the series. I expect that I will now go back to the beginning and binge read their earlier adventures and learn how their relationship has grown.

Russell and Holmes are trying to learn how a woman who has been committed to Bethlem Hospital (aka Bedlam) can walk away and leave the country undetected. There are few clues to start with but their investigation brings to light many interesting details about the Marquess of Selwick and his extended family. I loved the descriptions of Venice and the early 1920's culture.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

If you read mysteries, you are most likely familiar with Laurie R. King’s Russell-Holmes mystery series. King’s Holmes is older, officially retired, but still engaging in investigations. He’s married to Mary Russell, a transplant from the U.S. with her own set of remarkable skills. Russell and Homes are the sort of characters who leave one longing for the next installment in the series, the sort of people one is always hungry to spend more time with. In this volume, Russell and Holmes seek to solve the disappearance of a friend’s “mad” Aunt, who had been a resident of Bethlem Royal Hospital. This mystery, like others in the series, pays particular attention to the condition of women’s lives in the early 20th Century. Without becoming didactic, Island of the Mad offers a feminist perspective on life in post-World War I England.

The Philosopher

You may have finished school long ago, but you've never lost your hunger for increasing your knowledge. You likely prefer nonfiction and "think" books, but you can enjoy a novel if it teaches you something. Homer's The Odyssey will captivate you with its tips on raft building, while Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna will satisfy with recipes for empanadas dulces and vivid descriptions of Diego Rivera's Mexico. Seeking to make sense of societal trends—past, present and future—you'll read books like The Sixth Extinction and Freakonomics. Other books on your bedside table over the years have been Guns, Germs, and Steel; Outliers; The Happiness Project; Thinking, Fast and Slow; and—lately—Lean In and Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century. You hold the deep conviction that, although the world may work in mysterious ways, you can decode those ways if you apply yourself. For you, the best books are ones that help you solve the puzzle of human existence.

I’m always thrilled when Net Galley offers a title in a series that I enjoy. Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell’s series are mysteries that feature the young, intelligent wife of Sherlock Holmes. While Holmes plays his part, Russell is the protagonist. They are cleverly plotted and I always find I learn a little something while reading them.

This latest one takes place in Venice. Holmes and Russell have gone there seeking a missing aunt of a friend. There are LOTS of themes in this book – women’s roles, depression and mental health, sexual abuse, sexuality, treatment in hospitals, rise of fascism, etc. I found it all rather compelling and fascinating. Adding to the mix were real characters, like Cole Porter and his wife Linda, along with Mussolini. I think this is my favorite Mary Russell mystery yet.

This would be a great book club book as there is much to discuss, too.

Thank you for my e-copy from Net Galley!

Laurie R. King embroils Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes in the pursuit of a lesbian aristocratic fugitive from England who has fled to Venice for sanctuary. But it is 1924, the fascists are on the rise and the fugitive has been diagnosed as mad. Is Vivian's brother trying to destroy her? Can the detective duo find her and ensure her safety? Read the Island of the Mad and follow their trail.

.this is the second book of this series I've read and even though I'm read it out of order I'm still loving it . Can't wait to see what happens next in this series,with that said I want to say thinks to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read it and review it in change for my honest opinion.

5 Stars
It has been a while since I have read one of the books in the Mary Russell series. Reading Island of the Mad reminded me how good these books are. I loved it!
It is 1925 and Mary gets a call her college friend Ronnie to look into the disappearance of her aunt Lady Vivian Beaconsfield who was at the family’s estate for the birthday celebration. Vivian’s most recent home is Bethlehem Hospital, also known as “Bedlam” where she has been voluntarily committed and feels “safe”. Bedlam is no longer the sinister place of old where people with mental illness are treated poorly and as experiments but a kinder mental hospital.
Mary visits the family home, and the more she digs into the family matters, it becomes less and less likely that Vivian is mad, but afraid for her well-being. Vivian’s older half-brother, the viscount, comes across as sinister. The path eventually leads Russell and Holmes to Venice where the author vividly describes the city, its visitors and the both the social and political environments between the two World Wars.
A great mystery and an insightful story of the time it was set in.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Island of the Mad is the second book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R. King that I'm reviewing on this blog. The first was Dreaming Spies . In Island of the Mad, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes conduct their investigations in Venice which is under the rule of Mussolini. I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Net Galley and this is my honest review.

The cover of this novel is lovely. Some readers have mistaken the elegant woman on the cover for Mary Russell herself, but I've been reliably informed that the author denies that this is an image of her heroine.

For Mary Russell, this is a missing person case that begins in England. She is searching for a college friend's aunt who had been consigned to Bedlam. Holmes accompanies Russell, but he is on a mission for his brother, Mycroft. Holmes' investigation brings an espionage element into the book. The involvement of American musician Cole Porter adds extra interest.

Yet it was the disappeared Aunt Vivian who really held my attention. She is an independent minded woman. Desiring independence was still considered enough of a sin against convention that she might well be committed to an institution for that alone, but there are secrets motivating the missing woman that Mary Russell will uncover as part of the process of finding her. Aunt Vivian's sketches provide clues. I thought it was fascinating that Vivian used her sketchbook as a sort of diary.

Although there is a slow section, the dramatic resolution of Island of the Mad more than makes up for it. There are some feminist themes and the fascist environment provides relevant political commentary for our contemporary times. I think that Island of the Mad should be considered one of the best books in Laurie R. King's Russell/Holmes series.