I never miss a Laurie R. King book and this was probably one of the strongest in recent years. I had an inkling of what was going to happen but really enjoyed the journey toward the conclusion. It was also nice to see some characters from previous books reintroduced after several years.

I adore this series and the Lantern Dance especially as it delves into Sherlock's family history in a magical way -- without a lot of clues to tell you it's coming. As a Sherlock Holmes fan - Laurie R. King will always make him proud with her stellar writing and fascinating adventures. A must-read!

This book made me fall in love with reading again. I picked this up the first day I was able to, and didn’t put it down until it was finished. I loved the pacing, the characters were very memorable, everything felt incredibly fleshed out very very quickly. I am looking forward to the next in the series, but for now I’ll be rereading all of them. That’s how much I enjoyed this one alone. I

Laurie R King is my favorite writer. Hands down. Full stop. Mary Russell is one of my all time favorite protagonists. Lanterns Dance was no exception, it was fantastic. I swear there's like an every other book in the series thing, kind of like star trek movies, and this is one of the really beyond excellent ones.

Thank you to Bantam for this one. It didn't affect my opinion in any way

As usual I was excited to see a new Mary Russell book and of course it didn't disappoint. The twist was so good! Everyone just go get this book and read it!

A couple of the previous books took Russell and Holmes to faraway places and mysteries, but this book brings things closer to home, and back to a more personal connection within the Holmes-Adler family. The journal story Mary uncovered was riveting and I kept wanting to slip back into that story, while the present day case of the strangers chasing Damian was engaging, but didn’t really hold my interest as much.

I enjoyed learning the connection to the indigo dye industry, French Colonial India, and art giving a vivid historical backdrop. But, most of all, I was highly engaged when the reveals came and all the secrets were out for those final scenes. All in all, I was simply satisfied to be right back in the Russell and Holmes world with Mary and Sherlock sharpening their wits and rooting out the secrets. I was glad to see things advance with Holmes and his son, and I look forward to further adventurous cases for Mary and Sherlock

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes seek a peaceful retreat in the French countryside but are drawn into a perplexing and personal case involving Holmes' son, Damian Adler. Arriving at Damian’s home, they find the family has fled a mysterious threat, prompting Holmes to pursue them while Russell, hindered by an injury, investigates the empty house. She discovers crates containing memorabilia linked to Holmes’ grand-uncle, and an encoded journal, unraveling a complex puzzle that ties the past to the present and may reveal hidden aspects of Holmes' own history.

Although titled as a suspense novel, I didn’t find it suspenseful at all. It was more emotional than I was expecting from this pair. I’m always interested in the different backgrounds and history authors will give Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle certainly left a lot to interpretation.

As in the previous book, the tale is told first person when we are with Russell and third person when we follow Holmes. There is also a journal of sorts where we follow a third person’s story. I guessed early on how it all tied together, so perhaps that is why I did not find it suspenseful.

Overall, it was an easy-to-read novel for the weekend. Readers who enjoy Russell and Holmes will no doubt enjoy this one.

A reader looks at a favorite author and hopes they keep writing. I am delighted that King has kept her enthusiasm for Russell and Holmes. Book 18 is the ideal historical mystery. The plot covers the same time period as their Transylvanian adventure. The couple have decided to make a family visit to Holmes' son in rural France. Upon arrival they discover the cottage deserted; the evidence shows the family packed quickly and departed. As in several recent novels, Holmes and Russell separate. Holmes to track his son, Russell hold down the fort. The game is literally afoot this time as Russel is still recovering from her injury. This tidbit is one of King's strengths. It is as if we are reading a lengthy biography of the pair. The settings, dialogue, and even the thought process of the characters are true to the times. Proving once again that King is a careful and diligent researcher. In an online interview with Ronnie L Smith in 2015 King discussed how important her readers are to her. Offering advice to a novice writer she would say "Write your passion, not what you think the market wants: the book you simply have to write, the book you’d love to read." Once again King has written a book I love to read. Thank you. Very highly recommended. Suitable for book club and readers YA through adult.

Full disclosure: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you NetGalley and Bantam for this opportunity.

In the latest Mary Russell novel, King reunites readers with Russell, Holmes, and Holmes’ artistic son Damian Adler, who has fled his home with his fiance and daughter for an unknown reason. Separating to find Damian and study four crates and an encoded journal, Holmes and Russell must discover who is after the Adlers and what the connection between him and the Vernet family (via Holmes’ great-uncle the famous artist Horace Vernet) means to those who are after the Adlers. With flashbacks to a mysterious young Indian woman, Russell and Holmes must uncover three mysteries: the young woman and her journal, the Vernet cases, and Damian’s role in all of this. The answer, however, is not what they expect. Returning to Russell and Holmes’s world is enjoyable and easy; the character development is already present, and King knows how to write a good mystery. The new characters and setting in this novel set it apart from previous books, while the addition of flashbacks from a new POV add to the complications of this novel. An incredible read for King’s fans, fans of Sherlock Holmes, and for historical mystery readers, this is an incredible installment in King’s masterful and immersive series.

Holmes and Russell have an adventure a little closer to home in The Lantern's Dance. Laurie R. King has once again crafted a story that holds your attention and reveals surprising information. A coded journal leads the pair to India and introduces them to a cast of characters whose identities play a significant role in their lives. Don't want to give too much away so pick it up and read it!

Fascinating story with a wait until the last mystery solution. Laurie R. King always tells a most excellent tale and so this is. This book does the story told in two timelines better than most. Each feels distinct but when they are tied together it doesn’t feel contrived.
Good deep characters with feelings, motives and hearts. Even when the mystery is uncovered, a reread is warranted to discover more nuances of the story.
Very well done

I must admit that Laurie R. King is one of my favorite authors and her Sherlock Holmes series is one of very few books I re-read. This title is especially worth reading because of the elaborate backstories and mysteries of both items and characters. King always does extensive research and it shows beautifully when the reader is immersed in the scenes, there is very little to jar you out of the spell. I never thought any modern author could do justice with the classic genre of Holmesian mystery but King continues to amaze and give me joy.

The Lantern's Dance
A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
by Laurie R. King
Pub DateFeb 13 2024
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine |Bantam
General Fiction \(Adult\)| Historical Fiction| Mystery & Thrillers



Random House Publishing Group's Ballantine | Bantam and Netgalley provided me with a copy of The Lantern's Dance for review.


They are looking forward to spending time with Holmes' son, the famous artist Damian Adler, and his family after their recent adventures in Transylvania. When they arrive at Damian's house, they discover that the Adlers have fled a mysterious threat.



As Holmes rushes after Damian, Russell, hampered by an injury, stays behind to search the empty house. She discovers four crates packed with memorabilia related to Holmes' granduncle, the artist Horace Vernet, in Damian's studio. The room is filled with treasures and clutter, including a tarnished silver lamp with a rotating shade: an antique zoetrope with strips of paper whose images move as the lantern rotates.



An old journal written in a nearly impenetrable code is also in the crate. Intrigued Russell begins deciphering the intricate cryptograph, eventually realizing each entry is built around an image, the first of which is a child being bundled into a carriage by an abductor, watching her mother disappear.



In the beginning, Russell was troubled, but she soon became entranced, but as she decoded each entry, more questions began to appear. What is the name of the young Indian woman who created this elaborate puzzle? She has nothing to do with Damian, the Vernets, or the threat hanging over the house.




It appears that the secrets of the past are reaching into the present. Russell must figure out how the journal and lantern are connected to Damian-and possibly to Sherlock Holmes.


It is possible that even the master detective is not aware of some aspects of his own history?


I give The Lantern’s Dance five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Laurie King has only gotten better. The Bee Keeper's Apprentice was good but this is better.

The mystery unraveled so well that i was so happy that I figured it out a few pages before Mary Russell did.

Mystery isn't my preferred genre but when I do read it, Laurie King is my go to.

This latest entry into the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series offers readers a complex look into the backstory of Holmes and his family. Mysteries from his past are solved in this complicated novel that alternates amongst Mary, Holmes, and a coded diary. As Russell and Holmes seek to keep safe Damian (Holmes' son by Irene Adler), and his little family, they also uncover these mysteries that have lain buried for years.

For readers who enjoy a story that frequently jumps from one character's viewpoint to another, this may be an enjoyable read. I found it to be confusing and quite long-winded and detailed. Although I have read others in this series, I liked the earlier ones better.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Still enjoying this series, even though this is book 18! While I do think I enjoy the joint investigations of Russell and Holmes more, Russell's investigation into the past while sidelined with a sprained ankle was the best part of the book. While Holmes grapples with his personal demons and seeks to protect his son, Russell delves into the contents of a mysterious crate. After languishing for decades in the store room of a museum, Damien's presence in the area triggers the delivery of the crate reserved for "Adler or Holmes". As always, King masterfully ties all the threads together in the end, and we get a singular glimpse into the history of the world's greatest detective.

This, the 18th book in the Russel and Holmes world is a bit different as it involves Holmes history in a surprising way. Due to an irritating minor injury Russel has to stay behind and Holmes has to head off to do the sleuthing as his families safety is at stake. Russel and Holmes interactions are my favourite parts of the books and there is little of that in this book but there is an interesting mystery and the ending is a stunner although not a great surprise. As always the writing is wonderful and every page keeps your interest.
If you haven't ready any of the series I would start at the beginning. You have.a real treat in store.

This review first appeared in Historical Novels Review, May 2024.

This is the latest entry in Laurie R. King's long-running mystery series about Sherlock Holmes and his brilliant, much-younger wife Mary Russell. In 1925, Holmes and Russell arrive at a French village, hoping to spend time with Holmes' son, the surrealist artist Damian Adler, and Damian's fiancée and daughter. But they find that the Adlers have fled the house after a break-in by an armed man. Holmes goes to look for his family, while Russell, who stays behind because of a sprained ankle, finds four crates containing paintings by Holmes' great-uncle, Horace Vernet, as well as a diary in code. Russell deciphers the diary, which tells the story of Lakshmi, the daughter of a liaison between a married French woman and a man from a wealthy Indian family. Lakshmi's father takes her to India, where she has many adventures, often in male disguise. The diary reveals a link to Holmes' family, and Russell realizes Damian may be in danger because of past events.

To fans of the series, of which I am one, this book seems like a visit to old friends. I am happy to say the Holmes/Russell series is still going strong after thirty years. Russell's brilliant mind is easily a match for Holmes. King always gives the reader an excellent sense of setting, and this is no exception, with scenes set in Paris, the French countryside, and India. Lakshmi is a fascinating character, and the scenes from her diary are central to the book. You feel her despair as her comfortable life with her father's family goes horribly wrong. The reader also learns the history of Holmes' family--King's version of it, at any rate, because there are not many details in Doyle's originals, even though one story mentions Vernet as a relative of Holmes. Highly recommended.

I've read several of these Sherlock Holmes stories as told by his wife, Mary Russell. They have all been enjoyable, as is this one. I like the different personalities and learning about Laurie King's version of Sherlock's family history.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Another riveting novel centered around the lives of Sherlock Holmes and his wife Mary Russell. Mary is the center and heart of Ms. Kin's book. I love the relationship between the much older Holmes and his brilliant wife. The respect he has for her really resonates.

This new book has Holmes and Russell racing around the clock to safeguard Holmes' son Damian. An unknown intruder broke into his home and left a daunting weapon behind.

In pure Mary Russell fashion, she sets out to figure out why this man broke into the artist's home and what he wanted. Unable to accompany Holmes on his venture she sorts through Danian's home and discovers a journal. Soon the reader will find themselves immersed in the exotic land of India and the intrigue continues to build throughout the entire novel.

This was a very captivating read that had me intrigued and at the edge of my seat. I so highly recommend this and can't wait to see Mary's next adventure.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my reading pleasure.