I’m always excited to read a new Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes book! This one did not disappoint, though the beginning was a bit slow to get going, at least for me. But stay with it, the details being set forth in the beginning do matter. The mystery, as always, builds and then delights with both its resolution (for the moment) and slight teasers that leave us knowing that we do not yet see the entire story - these are not cliffhangers, but hints that there’ll be more to look forward to in future stories.

Holmes and Russell, even when working separately on a case as they do here for a time, make for a formidable detective team, and an interesting, married partnership!

This is book #18 in the series. I think there are enough details given in this book, of returning characters and past cases, that it could be enjoyed as a standalone, but it’s such a good series it’d be worth starting from the beginning and binge away through them all!

I received an advance readers copy from Net Galley, this is my honest unbiased review

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes go to visit Sherlock's artist son Damian in a small town outside of Paris, and arrive to find a man with a shotgun and Damian not home. They soon find out that Damian and his wife and daughter have fled to Provence after someone tried to break into their house. Several boxes had recently been delivered to the house from a Paris museum with things belonging to the Vernet family to which Holmes belonged. Mary had recently injured her foot and couldn't walk very far, so she settled into the house and goes through the boxes which include a wonderful journal from one of Sherlock's ancesters while Sherlock heads for Provence to make sure Damian and his family are safe. Mary soon realizes the journal probably has a connection to the threat to Damian.

The book keeps the reader guessing what will happen. I thank Random House and Netgalley for the ARC.

A new Russell/Holmes story is always a must-read for me, as I am a long-time fan of Laurie R. King’s series.
In their latest adventure, Russell and Holmes arrive in France for a visit with Holmes’ son Damian Adler and family, only to find that they have fled their home after mysterious strangers appeared in town asking about Damian. Are they in danger?
Holmes goes off in search of the strangers and his son; Russell stays behind in Damian’s house. While there Russell finds a journal written in code. Always up for an intellectual challenge, Russell sets out to decipher the journal, the writing of young woman. As she works, Russell becomes more and more enthralled by this young woman whose life she is learning about. Who is she and what does she have to do with Damian…and Holmes?
This is a story of family history, secrets, separation, resentments, and reunion.
“The Lantern’s Dance” will join “Locked Rooms” and “The Murder of Mary Russell” as my favorites in Laurie R. King’s series.

Thank you to Penguin/Random House and NetGalley for an advance copy for review.

As readers of historical mysteries know, every one of Laurie R. King's Russell and Holmes mysteries is a delight. The characters are complex and fascinating. The plotting is detailed. The research is impeccable. Having said that, I want to add that within this body of work, The Lantern's Dance is a standout. This volume reveals a great deal more about Holes and his family history—at least King's version of it. You'll leave it feeling that you've deepened your relationship with Holmes and will also meet characters you hope will appear in future volumes. Even if you've had somewhat mixed experiences with this series, The Lantern's Dance is not to be missed.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

I haven't been a consistent reader of the series, but delving into The Lantern's Dance was like visiting old friends. I'm sure Sherlock Homes is the the draw for most people, but for me, Mary is the reason I keep returning. She's bright and fun. The mysteries are solid too.

Who would have thought that there were mysteries in Sherlock Holmes' own past! Certainly not the Master Detective himself. I think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have loved this book as much as I did. This book is so well written (as all of Laurie King's books are) I don't want to spoil it for you by saying much more, but you will find out some mysteries I would have never thought Mr. Holmes and his family had. I looked forward to my reading time every day, and highly recommend you read this book. It does help to at least be familiar with this series, but it is a standalone for those not familiar with Holmes and Russell.

I love this series, and the latest installment does not disappoint! Sherlock Holmes and his younger wife, Mary Russell, arrive for a visit at the French home of Holmes' son, Damien Adler, only to find that the family has fled after Damien confronted an armed intruder. As Russell has recently sprained her ankle, she remains at the house while Holmes goes to meet with Damien and make sure his family is safely hidden, especially after learning two other suspicious men have been asking around, trying to find the artist Adler. To bide her time while Holmes is gone, Russell sorts through a set of crates recently delivered to Damien that belonged to Holmes' grand-uncle and artist, Horace Vernet, discovering not only an intriguing zoetrope lantern but also a small journal written in code. Mary sets out to break the code and discovers the life story of a young girl taken from France to India as a young child. As the story contained in the journals is slowly revealed, Russell realizes there may be a connection to recent events and to Holmes as well as Adler; saying anything more would give too much away! Well written, meticulously researched, and cleverly organized, this story fascinated me as I tried to figure out the connections and anticipate where the plot would lead.

“The Lantern’s Dance” by Laurie R. King is #18 in this series. I admit I haven’t read one in a long time but have always been a Sherlock Holmes fan. This book develops his relationship with his son to a deeper level and lets us see the talents of his current wife Mary Adler’s investigative skills. I did figure out the mystery way before the end of the book as well as finding this book a slow read. If you are a fan of Sherlock you will learn a lot more about his family in this book and I recommend the book for that reason to all his true fans.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Lantern's Dance is two stories. Russell and Holmes trying to protect Damian Adler and his family from unknown danger is the main story. The second involves Russell decoding and translating an unknown woman's journal. That story is totally engaging. I enjoyed watching Russell fall and root for the unknown woman as she reads her adventurous, poignant life story. I enjoyed Holmes picking his way carefully around his son, trying to help without dictating what is to be done. His attempt at modifying his behavior for his son's benefit is lovely. This is a wonderful story which is very personal for the Holmes' family.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I discovered Mary Russell in 1998, a few years after the series premiered. I have thoroughly enjoyed the series for the most part. Laurie R. King is a fantastic writer, but this book was a little disappointing to me.

I'm not a big fan of the Damien Adler storyline, not because the great Holmes had a love child, but how he and Mary treat Damien. Also, I used to lament when Holmes and Russell would go their separate ways and investigate independently. Now I am used to it, so it doesn't bother me as much, but because of a sprained ankle, Mary's investigation consists mostly of translating a text. A good portion of the story is the translation.

And the big reveal? Saw it coming a mile away.

There were good parts to the story, and I liked it, but didn't love it. It's certainly not as bad as The Pirate King, which turned me off of the series for several years. ;

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for giving me the privilege of reading this newest book in the series.

I remember purchasing the first book of this series when it was first published - 1994. I cannot believe this series is thirty years old. I have always liked Mary Russell, an independent intelligent woman who could match wits with the great detective Sherlock Holmes. As the series went on, Holmes' history was developed; he had an affair with Irene Adler and has a son, Damian. Past books focused on the developing relationship between father and son. This book continues with this trend.

I enjoyed the altering perspectives - Holmes, Russell, and the journal Russell deciphered. I did figure out who the author of the journal was before the reveal near the end of the book. This is not essentially a bad thing because I was invested in the characters and how they would react. I am definitely curious as to how this development will affect future books. I am looking forward to the next installment.

The latest installment in a long running series- I love the series and am eager to read each new one, which is a rarity for a series on its 18th book. I enjoyed this one for itself- like all of them, it is very well written, the quality of writing is far far beyond most mystery series- but in the context of the series it was not one of my favorites. A couple of reasons for that: One, the books are best when Holmes and Russell are together and in this one they're separate for pretty much all of it. Secondly, and the biggest reason really, Russell's chapters were pretty much just dedicated to journal entries she was reading about someone else, so not much about her/she wasn't doing much. The tale those entries were telling was, again, well written and interesting in and of itself but for a Holmes/Russell book it's a letdown (to me at least) to have so much devoted to that.
The overall plot of the book and the twist at the end was farfetched- certainly in the context of the novels I can suspend my disbelief and accept it, but it was a bit eyeroll worthy. Definitely all worth reading and an enjoyable read in and of itself, just a bit of a letdown in the context of an installment of this stellar series.

From the first sentence we are back in the world of Russell and Holmes. I like this world. Russell is a bit cranky, being restricted in her physical movements, but it turns out to be a good thing. It gives her time to do an amazing decoding/translation that becomes pivitol to the entire series. There are three POV's that intertwine with Russell, Holmes, and the author of the item being translated. When all is said and done, I was fully satisfied with this book. And yet, it definitely leaves the promise, hopefully, of more to come. I highly recommend this book and this series.

A wonderful addition to the Mary Russell series - really well done with the various perspectives and jumping from diary to Holmes to Russell and back again. King is a master.

I enjoyed this novel very much, but it was challenging because of the. Multiple plot lines and narrators. There are opportunities to meet Sherlock’s son and his family. There is also an intruder who seems to offer a threat, boxes of family paintings, and a nearly untranslatable journal that may be connected to the men investigating Damian Adler.
A challenging but engrossing book.

Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes were supposed to be paying a visit to his semi-estranged son Damian Adler and his family. However, they arrive at the quaint French village to find the whole Adler crew gone, spooked by a late night intruder. Holmes rushes off to find the Adlers, get them someplace safe, and find their stalker, but Russell is nursing a sprained ankle so she stays behind. Luckily, the crates of ephemera from a distant relative Damian recently acquired contain an enciphered memoir, the decoding of which keeps Russell entranced. Not very action-packed, but does a ton to flesh out the Holmes family as a whole.

I've been a huge fan of Ms. King since first stumbling across 'The Beekeepers Apprentice'.
While I appreciate the Kate Martinelle books and the standalones like 'The Folly' and "Back to the Garden',
it's the Russell and Holmes books that hold my heart.

While owning hardcovers of all the Russell and Holmes novels, I must admit that I had not read any past
'Justice Hall'. Life intervened and between one thing and another they just all got shuffled onto my 'keep'
shelf and not touched since. I am VERY thankful to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the
opportunity to read and review Ms. Kings latest novels and remind me just how much I enjoy them!

While I quite enjoyed 'Castle Shade' I must admit that, for me, 'The Lantern's Dance' is the superior novel.
This book reminding me STRONGLY of the early novels, especially 'A Letter of Mary'. Russell is in her element
in this book. All of her native intelligence, plus her Oxford training and of course Holmes training is in evidence.

I very much enjoyed the fact that the reader is pretty much getting three books for the price of one. Russell has
her investigation, Holmes his and then there is the story of the author of the mysterious cyphered journal. All of
which come to an extraordinarily satisfying and shocking conclusion.

After 18 books and 30 years you think there's not much more you can learn about Russell and Holmes and
'The Lantern's Dance' deftly and quite fluidly proves one definitely mistaken in that assumption.

I'm being deliberately vague because I want the reader to enjoy the novels twists, turns and revelations for themselves!

It’s difficult to review the seventeenth in a series without giving away plot spoilers. So let me start by saying that, first, I love everything about the series as a whole—the sole exception being the forty-year age gap between the two leads, given the nature of their relationship, and that is evident from chapter 1 of the first book—and second, that this latest installment fits beautifully into what has come before.

The novel begins with Russell and Holmes arriving at a small house in the French countryside. They soon discover that their intended host and his family have left for parts unknown because of a recent attempted break-in. Holmes sets off in search of the missing family, while Russell, whose twisted ankle has yet to heal, remains in the village to see what she can figure out about the intruder, identified only as a dark-skinned man probably from the Indian subcontinent, and his goals. She unpacks a series of boxes and discovers, in addition to paintings and photographs, a lantern designed to act as a kind of early projection camera and a coded journal written in a woman’s hand, with an introduction in French. Having little else to do with her time, Russell exerts herself to crack the code, and the rest of the novel is told from the alternating perspectives of Russell and Holmes, interspersed with chapters from the journal. As each short journey into the past reaches its end, its impact on the present becomes clearer, by the end revealing a secret thread running through Holmes’s past.

Although this was one of the rare times when I figured out what was going on before Russell did (which, I admit, gave me a wonderful sense of complacency), I would place this among the best in the series—right up there with Locked Doors, which has always been my favorite. If you prefer lots of action and politics, this may not the Russell & Holmes for you, but I love the personal developments and the way that Laurie R. King tweaks the canon to humanize and enrich Holmes as a character. The Lantern’s Dance definitely does both.

This outstanding entry in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series offers a set of mysteries that bring together the couple’s past and present., While Sherlock is out in the field investigating one aspect of the mystery, Mary does her research while confined to quarters with an injured foot — somewhat reminiscent of Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time. To tell more of the mystery would give too much away, but fans of the series will find it both enjoyable and extremely satisfying.. I highly recommend!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

One would think after 17 previous books and a handful of short stories that readers would have lost interest in Mary Russell's adventures over the last 30 years AND YET WE BEG FOR MORE! Laurie R. King has created such an incredible character that I often forget that the reason I picked up the first book in the series several years ago was because of Sherlock Holmes.
The Lantern's Dance gives readers a new insight into Holmes this time around. More than ever before we're given glimpses of his life before Russell tripped into his life. What I love most about the Russell/Holmes books is how every one of them stands out. Each have such unique and unforgettable plots and character insights that always leave me wanting more. Russell and her Holmes feel more real to me than any other Sherlock Holmes ever could even though his character has been written and rewritten countless times. King knows how to build worlds, craft mysteries, and introduce characters that could step out of the pages.