This is another title in the excellent Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. Both the setting (Venice) and time period (1925), with the menace of the rise of fascism add to the already suspenseful plot. I also loved the addition of the Cole Porters to the mix.

I am a very big fan of Laurel R King and especially of the Mary Russell series. For some reason, Venice has figured into much of my reading lately, and I had to laugh (because I didn’t read the Net Galley blurb, just requested the book) when the plot brought Mary and Holmes there. Venice is brilliantly rendered under the author’s pen—I dreamed of gray-green lagoons all night long last night—as is Cole Porter and his wife, the gandolieri, the Bright Young Things, the Blackshirts, and Bedlam, to name a few reasons to love this book. The plot moves along quickly and logically with a wonderful smash-bang superhero scene before the big reveal.

This is one of my all-time favorite Holmes spin-off series. In Laurie R. King's oh-so-capable hands, the Great Detective is handled brilliantly - and his wife and co-conspirator, Mary Russell, is one of my favorite heroines in fiction. She is sassy, brilliant, and holds her own more than admirably as she matches - and shares - wits with her husband, Sherlock Holmes. It is extra impressive that King has managed to run this series well into double-digit books with so few missteps (the Pirate book aside) and with so many original and unique mysteries that cross so many borders (thematically, sociologically, geopolitically) and are consistently so entertaining.

This latest installment takes us from England to Venice, and the social and political issues (homosexuality, the role of women in society, the rise of Fascism) are as wide-ranging as the geography. King has a remarkable gift for bringing history to life amidst a character-driven mystery, and her touch is as deft here as it always is. The supporting cast includes a blend of new and old faces (as is typical), and - as is also typical for King but rarely typical in fiction, to my taste - includes a blend of historical and famous figures that are as organically well-placed within the story as any other characters. The plot is a marvelous blend of action, adventure, character study, and pure entertainment, and King's writing style is - as always - engaging, drawing the reader in from the opening pages. The humor and sly wit are Holmesian in all the best possible meanings of the word - particularly when they come from the deliciously droll Mary Russell.

If you aren't familiar with the series, you really should pick it up - it's one of the best in this area.

I am always eager to read each installment in the Mary Russell series, and this book did not disappoint.
As with the last few books, in this story Russell and Holmes are brought into a new case almost immediately following their last. This time the case involves Mary's old friend from Oxford, Ronnie, and her family. After investigating clues in England, including breaking into Bedlam Hospital, Russell and Holmes make their way to Venice to try to solve the case.
This book was fast paced and an enjoyable read. While not the best in the series, it is definitely good addition to the series.