I found this Russell/Holmes story absolutely fascinating! From the explanation of Japanese culture and architecture to the mystery itself I was completely hooked. At the final show down I couldn't put the book down because I was dying to see how it all played out. I'm so glad I've gone back to this series because it has not let me down yet. This is a bit more action oriented then some of the other books in the series and I really enjoyed that Russell and Holmes weren't really in control for most of the book. It was definitely a bit different from the norm for them.

One of the best Mary Russell books thus far! This plot kept me guessing all the way through and continued to build up this amazing world!

It has been a long wait for fans of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes (GARMENT OF SHADOWS was published in 2012), and Laurie R. King's DREAMING SPIES (New York: Bantam, 2015; 352 pp., $26.00) is welcome indeed. Russell and Holmes are en route from India to San Francisco (between events in THE GAME and LOCKED ROOMS), and are diverted to Japan and presented with a mystery that's finally solved only after they return to England; the characters are interesting and the plot both imaginative and complicated. Laurie has an
excellent web-site at <www.laurierking.com> that's fun for both newcomers and old hands (you can also subscribe to her newsletter "Between the Lines: The Buzz from Laurie R. King").

his is not the book to reading start the Mary Russell series. It's definitely a series that you need some background to understand Mary Russell's marriage to Sherlock Holmes. As she says in this book she married the older Holmes for adventure. It's a marriage that abounds in this. In mostly flash backs she tells the story of time spent in Japan, her friendship with a real ninja and how she helps retrieve a valuable book for the emperor of Japan, Hirohito. Although I knew from almost the beginning who the real blackmailer was, there are plenty of red herring. And unlike some books when I' expectations solved the meaning early, there's enough action a travel dialogue about Japan to keep me up till 1am to reach the satisfying end. One of the things I like about the Mary Russell series is her relationship to Holmes. I've always considered Holmes pompous and conceited. Mary manages to remain his intellectual, independent partner.

Loved the book, well written in true Sherlock Holmes style