Castle Shade is the 17th book in Laurie R. King's popular Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. This is - you guessed it - my first foray into this series. In my defense, I have just recently become a huge fan of historical mysteries, hence my late entry. Luckily the story stood alone, though I think I need to go and check out what I've missed regarding the development of the series. The closest I got to reading a Sherlock Holmes mystery is watching the TV series starring Benedict Cumberbatch. (I'm sorry, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!) Of course, who hasn't heard of this iconic character and his adventures? What's totally new here is Sherlock's wife, Mary Russell, who is considerably younger than her spouse; I believe it's about a 40-year age difference. The story is mainly told from the viewpoint of Russell. (The spouses call each other by their last name.)

Queen Marie of Roumania has summoned Holmes to her part-time home at Castle Bran, which overlooks the border between Roumania and its newly regained territory of Transylvania. Bran was a thank you-gift from her people for transforming the area from the backwater place it was previously. Queen Marie received a threat to her daughter Princess Ileana, and she wants Holmes to investigate. Odd things are happening - a hex bag is found, animals are dead, there are voices in the graveyard, accidents are occurring and a young woman disappears. Russell is kidnapped and is found to have what appears to be fang marks in her neck. It soon appears that someone is trying to get the villagers to suspect that Queen Marie is connected to the strigoi, the vampires of legend. Who is doing this, and why? We can trust Russell and Holmes to figure it all out!

I admit this story took a while for me to get into. It moved a bit slow, and I really didn't feel any marital warmth between Russell and Holmes for quite a while; was it a marriage of convenience, or did they love each other? However, once the story took off I truly enjoyed it. I had no idea who could possibly be causing all the problems that were occurring; there were plenty of red herrings to send my mind spinning in all directions! I loved the folklore of the region being woven into the story; who doesn't find the idea of vampires and shades fascinating? The supporting characters were all entertaining, but of course our main focus was on our intrepid hero and heroine, but most particularly on Russell. She is a fascinating character and I really need to find out what I missed out on in the previous books. I can't wait!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Laurie R King has brought Mary Russell and Sherlock into the fairy tails of Transylvania. Sherlock is asked to look into some strange occurrences happening in Bran. Queen Mary and King Ferdinand have been in Staia where the King is sick. Queen Mary and her daughter love going to Castle Bran because there they can be normal people. Their residing at the Castle Bran has brought money back into the dying town and has helped the town economy. But ghosts start appearing, rumors start rolling and the safety of the women working at the castle gets dangerous. Mary and Sherlock head up to see what is really going on and finds out that it appears that fairy tales seem to be coming true,
The countryside descriptions make this a book you want to pick up and read and then go visit. You can picture the quaint town, the wooded forests and rolling land. The character development of Queen Mary is so well resourced and so interesting. Her love of the land and the native costumes shows the love of the area and the people. The people all live here, or do they resent an English Queen coming and taking over their historical town.
Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Publishing for the ARC of the latest in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R King. This was a thrill to read.
#Netgalley #Bantam

I love this series. The Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes books are my go-to comfort reads, and every time I reread a book, I pick up another nuance.

Castle Shade is another great installment. It's subtly creepy. And I found myself wishing I'd read Dracula beforehand. Though it's certainly not necessary. Every book opens my eyes to a new historical period, era, or person. And I loved learning about Transylvania in the 20s and before. The books always make me want to travel to the setting of each book!

Suspenseful, deliciously creepy, and a wonderful partnership. What more can you ask for in a book?

It’s so comfortable meeting back up with Mary Russell and Sherlock again. I was even more eager than normal to pick back up with the series given that we were traveling to Roumania, Bran Castle (where Dracula was) and mention of vampire like beings stirring.
The other characters in this novel were a treat to learn about, Queen Marie and Ileana. I hope to read more about them in the future. I was happy that there wasn’t a long separation I between Russell and Holmes this book as in previous books.
I feel this book was back up to 4 stars after the previous two and I’m wondering where Laurie King is going to go from here.

I always enjoy time spent with Mary Russell. The author's ability to place Mary in some of the most interesting places with interesting people always has me feeling into more history once finishing one of her novels. This time was to learn more about Romania and it Queen Maria. Excellent!

I’ve very much enjoyed Laurie R King’s Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series over the years, so I was happy to receive an advance review copy of the latest title in the series, Castle Shade. It’s set in Roumania (modern Romania) in the 1920s, while political and territorial currents are still swirling in the aftermath of World War I. Queen Marie is an immensely popular monarch, perhaps even more popular with the Roumanian people than her husband, the King, even though she’s not Roumanian by birth. She’s actually half British and half Russian – and quite exalted halves at that: a granddaughter of Queen Victoria’s on her father’s side, and also a granddaughter of Emperor Alexander II of Russia through her mother. Having earned her subjects’ loyalty, though, both due to her nursing efforts during WWI, and also her astute politicking at the Paris Peace Conference at the end of the war (which significantly increased Roumania’s size), she has now been given a dilapidated castle, Castle Bran, for her own, and she’s busy bringing it back to life.

But it appears that she’s not universally popular with everyone. Marie has received a threat - although the threat is actually against her youngest daughter, the Princess Ileana. Does the threat have to do with some of the odd things that have been happening in Castle Bran’s local village? Are the villagers really having problems with witches and vampires? Or is something more prosaic going on? With political tensions still high, Queen Marie has asked Holmes and Russell to sort things out, and the British government is happy for them to comply.

I really liked Castle Shade, which is just the mix of fun plot and wonderful historical background that I love. And although the book’s blurb tries to point readers towards the spooky side of things (perhaps due to the current trend for paranormal mysteries), I was much more fascinated by Marie and Ileana. So much so, in fact, that I took time after finishing the book to read up on some of the actual history that underpins King’s novel. I was fascinated to find out that Ileana, after two marriages, entered an Orthodox monastery in France, and then moved to the United States to found her own Orthodox community, in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, where she remained until her death. It truly is a small world! And, it turns out that she’s buried there as well, so if I ever get to Ellwood City, I’ll have to visit her grave. But I digress…

To get back on track, Castle Shade is a treat from start to finish, and if you like historical mysteries, or Sherlock Holmes pastiches, or both, it should be on your “read” list. And my thanks to Bantam Books and NetGalley for the review copy!

(2.5 stars)
“You said in Monaco you had an interesting woman with an intriguing problem.”

I have a knack for picking up series in the middle instead of the beginning. If you plan to read this from book one then be aware that I will probably be giving away some things in this review.

What drew me to this book was Sherlock Holmes (obviously). I realized I don’t know if I’ve ever read any of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes books, but I’ve seen all the Sherlock movies (both the Downey Jr. and Cumberbatch versions) and I love a good detective book. Magpie Murders or the Charles Lenox books (of which I also started in the middle) are in the same vein as Sherlock Holmes. I figured I would like this as well.

I’m not a Sherlock superfan so I have no idea if the way she wrote does justice to Doyle’s characters, but I didn’t particularly feel engaged with this story.

As soon as it started I felt lost. It took me a bit to get my bearings. I even went back to read the summary and a few reviews of book one to figure out where we’ve come from. Both the setting (place and time period) and characters required quite a few pages to get a handle on.

Here’s the sitch: We are in the 1920s near Transylvania. Mary Russell, who is now 25, met Sherlock back when she was 15 and became his apprentice. At that time he was 60-something. Apparently she is super smart and good at everything and somewhat similar to Holmes’ personality. But, as of this book, they have been married for 5 years. I find this to be an odd and slightly disturbing pairing.

Not only is the age difference strange, but they still call each other by their last names and frankly, I had to keep telling myself they were even married. It felt more like just the partnership you would expect— not much romance to speak of. Maybe that’s how a marriage with Sherlock would function? They’re just ‘fond of’ each other? I don’t know. I just know that I didn’t like it. Plus they were just generally written blandly.

[Watson did not make an appearance in this book, but based on many reviews of the first book, readers did not like the author’s handling of the Watson character—not treating him as an equal but like a pitiful dimwit.]

So now that we’ve established our boring protagonists, let’s talk setting.

Sherlock has been summoned to help the Queen of Romania at Castle Bran in Transylvania. Cue visions of vampires.

First of all, this is a real castle. (My blog review shows a picture the author posted on her website of a replica used to help her write the story.)

This particular castle was often said to be ‘Dracula’s castle’ but it sounds like there is no evidence to support this and may have just been some sort of PR campaign to get the castle more recognition.

Another piece of folklore tied into this story is that of the Countess of Bathory (aka The Blood Countess). Legend has it that she was one of the most prolific female serial killers (circa 1590-1610)— torturing and murdering young girls to supposedly bathe in and drink their blood.

This was particularly interesting to me because Tosca Lee had already written a great duology of books playing off this legend with a fantastical twist involving special powers given to her descendants— would highly recommend.

I love a story that incorporates history and legends into their stories.


So how do these two pieces of google-worthy folklore play into our story, Castle Shade? Well, in case you thought this book was about some really nice elm trees outside a magnificent castle, let me set the record straight: ‘shade’ here is referring to ‘ghost’ or ‘phantom.’

A series of incidents involving young girls at and around Castle Bran and the Queen, have people speculating things about the Queen similar to Dracula (Vlad the Impaler) and The Blood Countess— both of these originate from this geographic area and would thus be significant to the Queen’s village people.

Furthermore, the Queen has received threats regarding her daughter.

Sherlock and Russell must discover who is behind the threats and if there really is some sort of castle phantom with a thirst for blood. What is the purpose and who stands to benefit from these rumors or ‘spooky’ events?

Per Mary Russell: “This tale has everything but a talking cat.”

The last 20% of the book had some suspense, but overall, this book was a tidge bit boring to me. I think part of it was the fact that Russell was narrating and so we were told more than we were shown. Plus the language is at times hard to follow— I’m glad I read a digital version so I could highlight words I didn’t know and get definitions quickly. Your vocabulary will definitely expand while reading this book.

The first half of the book was pretty slow-moving. It seemed like a lot of the book involved giving historical background or detailed descriptions of the castle, the village, or routes from place to place. I don’t think I really knew where the story was even going until halfway through, so I didn’t like that.


Here’s the main question: Should you read this?

Well, if you haven’t read any of these before, I probably wouldn’t start here unless you are really interested in the folklore or location. I think you’d be better off following Russell and Sherlock from the very beginning. But if you’re easily bored with books, probably just pass on this.

If you have already read the first sixteen then you’re— well, you’re probably not still reading reviews for these, but you’re most likely going to like this one, so do it.

BUT AND ALSO… I would, again, recommend Tosca Lee’s books I already mentioned.

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

Queen Marie of Roumania was England's Queen Victoria's granddaughter. She was given the Castle Bran, an old castle overlooking the border of Roumania and Transylvania. In the story, Queen Marie is worried about accidents happening and the safety of her young daughter, Ileana (age 16) and calls in Sherlock Holmes and his wife Mary Russell to help find out what is happening (are there really vampires working in the area?).

The book begins with Mary and Sherlock travelling by train from the Riviera to Roumania. When they arrive at the castle, the Queen is not there yet. Before their arrival, and young woman employee had disappeared from the castle, and ten days later, a 12 year old scullery maid was badly cut on her hand. The Queen was epecially worried about Ileana, and had asked her to stay at the castle in Sinaia, where the King, her father, was ill.

When Sherlock was in Budapest at the request of his brother Mycroft, Mary begins learning her way around the castle, and trips over a small dog. She sees a young woman who looks like her maid Gabriella, but turns out to be Ileana. Ileana and Mary make friends, and Ileana calls her Aunt Mary. In the evening, Mary goes to find Vera, who has heard a ghost talking to her. Walking back to the castle later, someone attacks her with Chloroform and puts her in a box in an old empty building. Mary awakes the next morning and manages to get out and back to the castle. She has two holes like a vampire bite in her neck!

When Ileana's friend and Mary's maid Gabriella disappears, everyone is worried. Someone is trying very hard to make Queen Marie look like a vampire and to scare to people around her. Mary and Sherlock have a difficult and dangerous job figuring out who it is and why it is happening. This is the seventeenth book in the series, and one does not need to read them in order.

I’ve been looking forward to Castle Shade, and would have read it regardless of setting or premise. But when I saw that Laurie R. King’s latest entry in this series featured vampires…be still my heart!

I’ve read all previous books and most of the short stories. Needless to say, I will follow Mary Russell anywhere. She is indomitable, a sparkling counterpoint and a (more than) worthy partner to Holmes. And despite this being the 17th Russell book, Laurie manages to surprise and captivate, something decidedly difficult to do this late in a series.

The setting is Castle Bran and the surrounding village village of Brasov, on the border between Roumania and Transylvania. Holmes is summoned to investigate a spate of mysterious occurrences: a cow’s mysterious death, a man’s disappearance in a forest, appearance of strange marks on walls, a girl’s greeting by a specter in the night. These seemingly unrelated events hint at a dastardly plot to implicate a much beloved Queen, with shades of the Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory herself.

I’ve always loved the series best when Laurie takes me to places I want to go AND when the Russell-Holmes dynamic and banter is on display in all its witty glory. There is plenty of both in Castle Shade. Pick this up if you’re interested in adventures/mysteries featuring strong women, vampires, the Blood Countess or Eastern European historical fiction.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group—Ballantine and NetGalley for offering this ARC in return for an honest review.

Not my favorite in the series. I think the author should have opted for a more compressed time frame for the series, but still--as a fan, I wanted to read it and many of the features that make it a fun read are still there--snappy dialogue, good logical thinking, interesting locale and mystery construction.

After Russell and Holmes' adventures with Mrs. Hudson in Monaco (Rivera Gold), Sherlock receives a summons from Marie of Roumania. Marie is Queen of Romania and the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and a personage in her own right. She is taking up residence in Castle Bran, given to her by her grateful people. She has received messages that threaten Princess Ileana's life if Ileana also comes to the castle. She wants Holmes to find out just what is going on. Upon arrival, the two find all sorts of things going on; summonses from the graveyard, girls disappearing, a possible ghost haunting. But none of that seems connected to any threat to Ileana. The two take to skulking about the grounds at night to try to find the perpetrator. Of course, they know it is nothing supernatural, even more so when Mary is smashed over the head and kidnapped. When she comes to and escapes, they discover puncture marks on her neck. It's clear someone is trying to stir up bad feelings against the Queen and her upcoming visit. But how far are they willing to go?

Each book in the Russell and Holmes series is a treat for a history geek like me. Who knew that the Queen attended the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and single-handedly gained international recognition of Romania reclaiming Transylvania? Not me. She was a force to be reckoned with and beloved by her people. Many historical figures make appearances in Castle Shade, and all are portrayed fictionally but accurately within the context. The novels are extremely atmospheric, making me feel I had visited the far-flung places and times in each adventure with Russell and Holmes.

Many Sherlock "purists" object to this long-running series, but I am not one of them; personally, I think Sherlock Holmes is immortal, and kudos to Laurie King for keeping the legend alive with such entertaining novels, and Mary Russell keeping him on his toes. Thanks to Netgalley and Bantam Books for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

I haven’t been satisfied with the last several (half-dozen?) Mary Russell stories. I was hoping this one would break the stretch. Sadly it did not. This was a “light” story on all levels: light in plot and especially light in sharing insights into the relationship between Sherlock and Mary. It could have been an adequate short story that was padded into full volume with page after page after page of exposition.

I find the ongoing obsession with Mrs. Hudson and her history and secrets to be deeply annoying. This book drops in numbers of (ominous) references to dark issues lurking that may damage Mary and Sherlock’s partnership.

Disappointed to rate at 2 stars. But grateful to Ms. King, Random House Publishing Group—Ballantine and NetGalley for offering this ARC in return for an honest review.

Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell books are always good, fun reads, and Castle Shade is no exception. While Mary was occupied on the Côte d’Azur during Riviera Gold--the preceding novel in the series, elderly husband Sherlock Holmes spent time in Romania with no explanation of his reason for being there. As the Castle Shade opens, Holmes and Russell are traveling by train to Bran—a rundown village castle near Braşov, the favorite part-time abode of Romania’s Queen Marie, one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters. Feverish and delirious, Mary experiences Dracula-inspired dreams as the pair slowly advance across the countryside. Told that Queen Marie needs help, she guesses at the type help needed—with missing jewels, blackmail, or smuggling, perhaps. Looking embarrassed, Holmes explains that the problem is with strigoi, a word Russell doesn’t recognize. “Russell, this corner of Transylvania appears to be having a problem with vampires,” he explains as Russell thinks he is joking.

Queen Marie has summoned Holmes not for herself but because she fears a threat against her daughter Ileana. Arriving at Bran before Queen Marie, Holmes and Russell are assigned quarters in the castle and set about talking with servants and villagers, hearing rumors of strange mishaps and possible ghosts. Is local folklore coming true, or does some more human threat exist? When Mary Russell suspects Holmes’ brother Mycroft may have dispatched him to investigate a political threat to the monarchy, tensions build as Russell resents Mycroft’s continuing interference in their lives.

While Queen Marie plans to keep Ileana safe in another location with her father the king, the headstrong teen has her own ideas. With an ailing king and the possibility of a romance between Queen Marie and a prince, a servant hearing the ghost of a dead soldier and another with fang-like incisors, characters bearing striking resemblances to one another, Holmes and Russell sneaking past castle guards at night and concealing activities even from each other, readers are left guessing how the human relationships and the story as a whole will play out.

Although Castle Shade is not the best of the Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell mysteries, it is an enjoyable one, nonetheless. Somewhat slow-paced, it held my interest and will keep me waiting for the next novel in this entertaining series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam/Random House for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. I cannot express in words how much I adore this series and this title is another fantastic entry. This book can be read as a stand-alone as the mystery is self-contained, but readers would miss out on seeing the growth of both Russell and her relationship/partnership with Holmes. I cannot recommend reading this entire series enough. This title finds Holmes and Russell departing the Riveira to make a long trek to Roumania to investigate rumours of vampires upon the request of Russell's brother-in-law Mycroft. I really enjoyed the setting of Roumania which is a locale that I'm not very familiar with. Ms. King does a fantastic job of providing rich details that make the reader feel like they are actually there.

Ms. King has written a well-crafted and complex mystery that kept me guessing throughout, but it is the characters that continue to utterly captivate me. The relationship between Holmes and Russell continues to evolve. I love that Russell is more than able to hold her own against the illustrious Holmes and that Holmes is willing to continue to grow. I've said this before, but for some reason the age gap between Holmes and Russell doesn't bother me, and I think a large part of that is the way Russell feels like an equal to Holmes in a way not even Watson does. There are hints of an upcoming reckoning with Mycroft that I am really excited for. I can't wait to see where Holmes and Russell end up next.

First off I have to say that I am an ardent Mary Russell / Sherlock Holmes fan. I have been reading these books from the very beginning and I really enjoyed this one. Some of the intermediate novels have been mildly disappointing to me (naturally-- no author can please every reader with every book), but not this one. It feels like the very beginning novels. Russell and Holmes are together for much of the novel whereas in some of the books they are separated most of the time and I personally prefer when they're together and working together / off one another. I always learn something (a lot of somethings!) about history when I read books in this series. The author is knowledgeable, she writes very clearly, and very clearly does her research. For the most part I just cannot say enough about her books. Just go and read one. You'll see. ( If you haven't read any of the books yet, I would suggest starting with the first two books to get the background. )

Thanks ( many thanks!) to NetGalley, the publisher and Ms. King for making this ARC available.

A castle overlooking a small village is the perfect setting for people to believe paranormal things not only possible, but likely. But are the shadowy figures someone causing mischief or a real threat against Queen Marie? Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes arrive to take on the case.

This series has always been hit and miss for me. The extreme age difference between Homes and Russell makes their marriage an uncomfortable idea for me. Russell's maturity makes it a little easier to accept, but then the reminder that she is twenty-five always comes as a shock.

The mystery itself was enjoyable. A threat has been made against Queen Marie of Roumania and her daughter, Ileana. Strange things are happening and the people are showing their superstitious side. Tracking down the culprit with what few clues there are was fun, though I was a bit surprised by Russell's flight of fancy at times. She always seemed more of a practical girl.

The story is told in first person when we are with Russell, with some chapters told in third person with Holmes. This was an interesting approach, but not my favorite. Holmes just didn't feel like the same Holmes I've loved from the original stories.

Readers of the series will no doubt enjoy this new addition to Russell's adventures. New readers should be able to jump right in and not be too confused.

I always enjoy a visit with Mary Russell and this was no exception. Mary and Sherlock arrive in Romania after their adventures on the Riviera. Holmes has already done some investigating at the behest of the Royal Family and no returns with Mary in an effort to get to the bottom of the rumors swirling about Queen Marie and threats to her daughter.
This was a fun read, some how both lighter and darker than the usual Russell and Holmes book. It is a fun play on Dracula, melded with very real history, and insights in the human psyche. As always, I can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.
I have read a few of Laurie King's earlier Mary Russell books and not been wowed by them. I wanted to give her another try as they are clearly very popular. It is not many people who can successfully write about Sherlock Holmes much less nineteen novels.
I'm glad I did.
Ms. King writes somewhere between the language of the Sherlock Holmes we know and love and present day mystery writing. But Mr. Holmes is not the hero, May Russell, who is half Mr. Holmes' age, is. She's smart, spunky, and a good companion to Sherlock.
This story takes place in Romania of 1925. At the end of the book, Ms King puts the country in context for us. It is clearly not the country with the reputation most of us have grown up with. Just for that, this is a fascinating story.
Mr. and Mrs Holmes come to Castle Bram (possibly the castle of Dracula but probably not!) posing as architectural consultants. Their job is to find out who or what is threatening Queen Mary by suggesting harm to her daughter if she comes to Bram, a castle she loves and has lived in for 3 months out of the year. Holmes is pulled away by some demands of his brother but returns to learn of escapades that Mary has gotten herself into and out of.
There are many secrets in Romania. Many are answered, some are not.
This book is fun and I can see why Ms King has such a huge following. I recommend it.

I really like this whole series. I enjoyed this book so much more than the previous one. Maybe just because Holmes was in it more. It has a lot of action and intrigue. It kept me guessing and I was surprised by who was behind everything.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Mary Russel and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, are back in Castle Shade. Sherlock was sent to Transylvania at the request of Queen Marie of Roumania. The queen is concerned about some mysterious happenings in the town of Bran, which is close to the castle that was gifted to her. These mysterious events continue to build as Russel and Holmes arrive to stay in the castle to solve the mystery. Missing girls, the kidnapping of Russel, and much more happen. To add to the matter, Mycroft calls Sherlock to investigate some political matter, much to Mary's dismay. A compelling readable book that was hard to put down! I highly recommend it.