Fans of Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell rejoice! The famed duo is at it again, this time in Romania to investigate whispers, village intrigue, and not-so-long-forgotten fairy tales.

When Queen Marie summons them to Castle Bran, a centuries old castle with as many secrets as the characters of this tale, the pair is reluctant to get involved in the politics surrounding a newly ensconced royal family. But is it a political plot or something closer to home that threatens Queen Marie, Princess Ileana, and their family? Laurie King does a wonderful job describing the country, the people, food, and traditions, and pulling the reader headlong into a multilayered mystery that seems to reach back through the ages of Castle Bran and Romania’s bloody history. I love Russell mysteries and Castle Shade is no exception. King griped me from the opening line through my breathless finish.

Big thanks to #NetGalley and Laurie King for an advance copy of #CastleShade. I can’t wait for the next installment of the Russell/Holmes series!

Mary Russell and husband Sherlock Holmes have been called to Transylvania. The queen has noticed several unexplained happenings at Castle Braun and she is worried about her daughters safety. Is this politically motivated, personal, or nothing at all? A fascinating book from start to finish.

When we were married more than 20 years ago, I began listening to audiobooks from the library. I was on a Sherlock Holmes kick at the time, and devouring every pastiche I could get. One of those books was The Beekeeper’s Apprentic, the first volume of the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes mystery series. I was skeptical until I listened to the audiobook, and was immediately hooked. At the time, there were only three volumes in the series, and over the years I have patiently awaited each volume as it has been released. I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Castle Shade via NetGalley and Bantam Books in exchange for an honest review.

I took my time reading Castle Shade, savoring every page. I think I was spoiled by having a Mary Russell book come out just a year ago, because they normally don’t come out once a year. But thanks to the pandemic, many writers, include Laurie R. King, put their nose to the grindstone, as it were, and were able to put out another book. In that respect, the pandemic is great for readers.

Once again, Laurie R. King weaves a tale full of ambiance and character studies. I admire how her fluid descriptions of various settings brings them to life. I normally have a hard time imagining how things look, but not with King’s prose. I could picture Castle Bran and it’s exterior and interior with ease. The village and it’s inhabitants come to life right off the page under the author’s expert writing.

The thing I appreciated about Castle Shade was the multiple levels of intrigue and mystery. Just when I thought I had figured out part of the mystery, King throws in some more information that creates another mystery that must be solved. There are so many different layers going on, but it’s not confusing. It just compels you to keep reading, to keep up with Mary and Sherlock, to keep gathering clues to solve the myriad of mysteries going on.

While Mary is quite the independent woman who does quite well on her own despite her relative youth (relative to my youth, that is. She’s the same age I was when I discovered her books and I was nowhere near as smart), it’s when she and Sherlock work together that I enjoy the most, and there’s plenty of that in Castle Shade. At this point in their relationship, they’re always on the same page, and can anticipate each other’s moves. In fact, Mary counts on that ability for Holmes to find her when she goes off in the search of more information, not knowing where she’s going to wind up.

Because of Castle Shade, I will most likely look up history books to find out more on Queen Marie of Roumania and that branch of Queen Victoria’s and the Russian Romanov’s family. Queen Victoria had something like 90 grandchildren so it goes without saying that I do not know the history of most of her descendants. That’s what I think makes the best historical fiction so interesting; it can make you reach out and learn more about some aspect of history for which you have little knowledge.

Castle Shade goes on sale to the public on June 8, 2021.

A queen, a castle, a dark and ageless threat—all await Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes in this chilling new adventure.
Russell and Holmes. In a castle. In Transylvania! Whats not to love? A little darker than some of the previous adventures in this series but a great story nonetheless. Mysterious till the end. As usual, this book was so tightly plotted and the dialog so clever, I was sorry to see it end. Cannot wait for their next adventure! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

CASTLE SHADE by Laurie King

I do love a good story with a satisfying ending! . . . in Transylvania!
CASTLE SHADE layered modern plots with echoes of old tales and beliefs, with so many twists, so many possible causes. Myriad puzzles challenged the combined and separate efforts of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. Ghosts, witches, vampires, wolves, strega, and human enemies seemed to be trying, inexplicably, to drive Queen Marie from her castle and turn her people against her.
References to Bram Stoker’s DRACULA, Polidori’s THE VAMPYRE (which I had not read, but found worth the search) and other tales added to the eerie atmosphere. These adventures increased my already high respect for the courage and intelligence of the heroic Russell, and for her compassion as well.
Reentry into the real world came gradually, feeling still partly immersed in the intrigues in Roumania afterward. I confess to lost sleep and neglected chores, time well-spent, with no regrets except that I didn’t want it to end. Fervently hoping for more adventures in the future. What a team they make!
Coming in June, so if you haven’t read the earlier books in the series, there’s time.

I read the last Russell and Holmes book relatively recently, so comparisons were inevitable. This one started slower and seemed less light-hearted than the last adventure with the rich and carefree (Cole Porter!) in Venice.. But the pace picked up, and who can resist a visit to a castle in Transylvania complete with ghosts and reports of vampires. Another satisfying entry in the series!

This may be my new favorite book of this wonderful series. The book starts with a humorous exchange between Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock as she initiates a solution for getting off a train they are stuck on and transfer to another that will get them to their destination more efficiently, a new assignment in Roumania. They are needed by Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Queen Marie, at her Castle Bran. They prepare themselves to enter the Transylvanian world where vampire myths are held true by many inhabitants. They plan to present themselves as consultants in architecture as the queen is having a great deal of work done on the castle.
Once welcomed and settled in a comfortable suite they make their plans to investigate what is behind sightings and strange happenings of the vampire variety. Sherlock has to go off to meet with Mycroft's wishes whilst Mary sets off on her evening reconnaissance missions. It is a most unpleasant situation she finds herself in.
With no wish to spoil the book for others, I will only say there are many mental and physical challenges for both detectives during this action-filled book. I really enjoyed the novelty of having Queen Marie featured in this book and had fun looking up information on her life as well as the Castle Bran.

Thanks to Random House through Net Galley for this advanced reader copy. Watch for it early June!

I love the history interwoven in these books. It always has me reaching for my phone to research people and places further.
I appreciated all of the strong female characters in the book, our Mary of course, Queen Marie and some of the more minor characters like Gabi and Vera.
The mystery was good and had me guessing for most of the book. Overall, another great addition to a wonderful series.

I love this series and this book is no exception. This time, Holmes and Mary are off to Bran Castle in Transylvania at the bequest of the queen. They must solve the mysterious threat to her only daughter before things escalate.

The multiple mysteries are a real treat. Is there really a ghost in the castle? Who sent the letter to the queen? Is someone pretending to be the ghost of a local soldier to scare the castle maids? The author layers all of these together into one exquisite, heart-thumping tale. She kept me on my toes. As soon as I thought I figured out one mystery, she threw another at me.

I will recommend this series to all my mystery-loving friends. Thank you NetGally and Random House Publishing Group for the chance to read and review this advanced ready copy.

Fans of the Russell and Holmes series who’ve missed them adventuring together in recent books will be pleased with this latest installment. They are together again, this time in the shadowy and mysterious Castle Bran, summer home for Queen Marie of Roumania, a fascinating woman who I enjoyed researching when starting the book. An area on the border between Roumania and Transylvania, the village Bran is steeped in folklore involving vampires and other unsavory figures, both real (Vlad the impaler) and imagined. While many think Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ is set at Castle Bran, this is not actually the case, a fact Mary Russell herself points out.

However, the pair are summoned to the castle by Queen Marie, after a series of mysterious ‘vampiric’ things have been happening in the village, as well as written threats involving the queen’s daughter Ileana. Russell and Holmes feel these happenings are in some way a tactic to discredit the queen by building on the superstitions of the villagers and framing her. The mystery hits close to home, though, when Russell herself is attacked and a young maid from the castle goes missing. Gradually the two are able to put the pieces together to see who’s behind the occurrences, as well as why they could possibly have a vendetta against Queen Marie, who bat that point in history was well-loved by the people.

I’m not a fan of supernatural fiction, so I was glad King didn’t go off-script even though I doubted she actually would. Just like classic Scooby Doo episodes, ‘ghosts’ and other supposedly eerie events had a logical explanation. All in all, a solid addition to this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my unbiased review.

this was not a book I expected, still very good and an interesting point in history plus there isn't much literature on Queen Marie of Romania but it is not something I would usually pick up. Not the author's fault at all!

I really enjoy this series; I realized I had gotten a few books behind and used the quarantine time to catch up so I was delighted to get an early copy from the publisher and Netgalley to review.

This one picks up right where Riviera Gold left off, tying into Holmes trip to Romania while Mary went to the French Riviera. It's starts out with a very nice section driving home how difficult travel could be in the 1920s and then plunges right into the mystery once Mary and Holmes reach Bran Castle.

There are a number of different mysteries running through the story, all well developed and tracking. I really loved the depth of the history covered in the story and how it all tied together in the end. It's a good read for that historical fiction-mystery intersection and I really enjoyed it.

I've often looked for books on Queen Marie of Roumania and was so glad when I found this one.Doubly so because it turned out to be such an entertaining story.This is part of a series told by Mary Russell,Sherlock Holmes's wife and in this installment they investigate strange,creepy and dangerous happenings at Castle Bran in Transylvania.I loved the pacing,the writing and never guessed the culprit until the very end.I thought it was good too that I had never read any of the other books but everything was still understandable.I will definitely be purchasing some others in this captivating series.Much thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This has always been a series where I’m impatiently waiting for the next book to come out. I’ve always liked that Laurie R. King writes a Sherlock Holmes who is the secondary character, it’s Russell who gets to shine in these books. It’s also a literary tour around the world in the late 1910s to 1920s with all the different locations Russell and Holmes travel to and this history buff loves it. This one is set in Romania with some real life historical figures and a castle that seems like it’s a character itself. One thing I enjoyed about this book compared to some of the other is that whole Russell is still the star, she and Holmes get to work together a little more than usual, and I love how Laurie R. King writes their dynamic.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Full review to come, which will be posted to my blog a week or two prior to the release date.

Every time the publishers generously provide me with an ARC from this series, I tell myself that I will read slowly and savor the story as much as possible. As usual, I was hooked by "Castle Shade" and finished it much too quickly. I always enjoy this series but I was especially excited when I heard that the next instalment was taking place in Romania, somewhere I've always wanted to visit. Something I really love about Laurie King's writing is how she brings her settings to life with the sights, sounds, and smells of a place; the small details of fashion, art, and architecture; the subtle cultural idiosyncrasies. I also enjoy the nods to historical events and characters throughout the series -- in this case, Queen Marie and Princess Ileana of Romania (luckily I have an unread biography of Queen Marie on hand, which "Castle Shade" has inspired me to move up on my reading list). Another excellent book in the series... maybe if I start rereading from the beginning the wait for the next one won't seem so long!

Laurie R King's Mary Russell series was my first introduction to Sherlock Holmes outside of Sir Arthur Canon Doyle's original stories and hooked my on the Holmes canon. Mary herself is one of my favorite literary characters and the relationship between her and Holmes is just fascinating. On this particular adventure they travel to an ancient castle in Bran, in the province of Transylvania then part of Roumania, at the request of Queen Marie who fears for her daughter's safety. Based on the real life Queen Marie, granddaughter of Queen Victoria on her father's side and Tsar Alexander II on her mother's, this plot line guarantees a compelling mystery. As it often does, the motive comes down to downfall of one family and jealousy of another's prosperity. But because Holmes, Mary and royalty are involved the motive and the villain doesn't become clear for awhile. Another extraordinary story in the Russell and Holmes canon and I look forward to their next adventure! Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of #CastleShade.

https://www.goodreads.coI love this series- I've read a lot of mystery series, especially historical mysteries, and this is hands down my favorite. Ms. King is a fantastic writer, and the characters of Russell and Holmes are so rich and have become so comfortable to me. The plot of this one was very interesting, as usual, but definitely unusual/unexpected. Without giving anything away- it's set in Romania and it made for a gripping setting. Holmes and Russell are working together for the majority of the book- something I always greatly prefer to them working apart- and it was definitely another satisfying installment to this great series.
I would absolutely recommend anyone new to the series to start at the beginning, though this could be read as a standalone it's much richer with having read all the books in the series prior.
There is a couple of references to the 2nd book in the series that I especially enjoyed! The only real negative about this book was now that I've read it, I'm craving more Russell/Holmes adventures already!
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