Locked Rooms

By: Laurie R. King

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

New York Times best-selling author Laurie R. King has won sweeping critical acclaim and an impressive collection of awards for her writing. Although other writers have tried, no one has matched King's ability to capture the allure of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth, Sherlock Holmes.

Haunted by her dreams, Mary Russell arrives in San Francisco in 1924 to settle her parents' estate. But she quickly encounters a few surprises and learns there may be a great deal more to her childhood in this city than she ever knew. As Mary tries to cobble the pieces of her shadowy past together, her husband Holmes wonders if she may be repressing vital memories. And one thing seems certain; someone wants Mary's remembrances to stay buried.

King is at the top of her game with Locked Rooms, a wonderfully intricate and marvelously evocative mystery rich with unexpected twists and turns.

©2005 Laurie R. King (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"A highlight in an altogether outstanding series." (Booklist)
"Richly imagined....The narrative has real momentum, the characters are engaging, and the prose, as always, is intelligent, evocative, and graceful." (Publishers Weekly)
"A humdinger of a plot that deepens with each retelling of the dreams, plus pulsating descriptions of San Francisco's tent cities, looters, and flattened Chinatown in the 1906 quake's aftermath." (Kirkus Reviews)

I love Mary Russel, thanks Ms.King

I just finished this book for the second time. I had been thinking of it and it every bit as good as the first time. This book fill in gaps and gives the background that brings others stories together.
So clever.

Fun story

I enjoy the conversation between Russell and Holmes. The story always has lots of twist and turns.

Standout Entry in a Standout Series

Writing this review from work, semiconscious, because I couldn't sleep until this story wrapped up. An excellent mystery with high personal stakes for the Holmes/Russell duo. The setting is beautifully detailed and atmospheric, the characters develop in ways both compelling and satisfying. Well done indeed.

Off to buy the next one . . .

Great storytelling

An engrossing story with fantastic characters. The narrator is wonderful. I am addicted and look forward to the next in the series

Better and better.

This series gets better and better,especially with resolve in this book.Such a so good story.

I love this series.

Unlike the previous reviewer, I like the narration. I have both read and listened to the whole series. This is the voice I have come to associate with the main character. The amnesia is believable, in light of the previous books.

Perhaps the best

I have listened to all of the Mary Russel stories up until this one. I enjoy them all but at times they can become slow and laborious with detail. This particular novel had a good pace, was an easy listen and difficult to "put down," so to speak. I enjoyed it very much. I believe that breaking the story with periods of third person dialog following Holmes in Mary's "absence," was quite a nice change from the usual continuous 1st person Mary monologue. Well done!

will keep you on the edge of your seat

I never thought i was one for mystery novels but this was a great book! I didn’t realize this was a series and started in the middle but i didn’t feel lost. And the last part was so thrilling i couldn’t put it down, i recommend this book.

A remarkable achievement...

Taking a page from her previous book, The Game, Laurie R. King delves into uncharted though welcome waters. The series has been a joy to read as it pits a very modern woman with the inimitable Sherlock Holmes, clearly equals in every sense of the word. I have enjoyed this series immensely and was eager to delve into this new book. However, I was not prepared for the psychological overtones this book handles so eloquently. It is deeply believable and frequently moving in scope.

Furthermore, the descriptions of post earthquake/fire San Francisco are oddly reminiscent of post Katrina New Orleans. I always wondered why looters weren't shot on sight in these situations and Ms. King's description of overzealous police shooting the innocent along with the guilty gave me chills. King applies her prodigious intellect to such subjects as psychology, auto mechanics and feng shui, each with a deft style that is easy to read and totally engaging. Get this for that long trip when you can devote a number of hours to a deeply satisfying read.

A Favorite

If you could sum up Locked Rooms in three words, what would they be?

Mary's Mystery Solved

What did you like best about this story?

It tells the background of Mary Russell's life. I always wondered about the full story of how she was orphaned. I liked how Mary becomes more "human" in this story, has the same wounds and lost memories as all of us would have from serious traumas.

What does Jenny Sterlin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love Jenny Sterlin's voices. She can even do a Chinese- American accent that is believable. Holm's and Mary's voices remain the same throughout the series. This is remarkable. If I had only read these books, I would miss HEARING these familiar voices. Thank you Jenny.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

San Francisco Earthquake Mystery 1906

Any additional comments?

This is one of my favorite Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell stories focused on one of my favorite cities, San Francisco. I was fascinated to hear details of the 1906 Earthquake and fires, the chaos afterwards, and the strength of the survivors. A most interesting time period and a story I will listen to again.