Subtle eddies and tidal pulls will have you gliding seamlessly from point of view to point of view; Mary Russell's trying to keep her eyes on the shore of what is right and true, Sherlock Holmes' deciding upon which body of water he chooses to swim in and Mary's elusive, Uncle Jake Russell who sails under many flags. When her Uncle Jake decides to reenter Mary's life, not uncoincidentally timed for when Holmes is away from home, she chooses to team up with him in Ireland in an attempt to locate the Irish Crown jewels. The same jewels Jake had a hand in stealing long ago. The same jewels that Holmes had a hand in attempting to locate. The same jewels with which Mycroft Holmes' powerful position in government had a role to play in their not being located. Never discount Mary's ability to balance intellect, heart and courage even in such troubled waters.

Every single word on the page was perfectly placed and was a complete joy to read. I literally smiled with delight throughout the book. All the multitude of seemingly magical elements Ms. King has created within this world are present. Mary's indomitable spirit and courageous heart are present in spades. The instances of Holmes' deep caring for her both when she is aware and unaware as well as his protective stance regarding Jake are gems. I cheered as family-deprived Mary learned at her uncle's side about her father and mother's personalities in addition to Russell family history. Sprinkled throughout are touching unspoken glimpses of how Jake reminds Mary of her father and how Mary reminds Jake of her parents. Additionally, the supporting characters are all interesting and highly entertaining. The plot twists and sleight of hand of "where did it go?" and “who done it?” had me guessing up until the last. Thank you Random House Publishing Group and and NetGalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this latest installment of the Mary Russell series. As always, the writing was intelligent and well-researched. I like how the author anchors her fictional characters to real people and historical events. I found the 3 POV a little jarring at times but it did allow for understanding the characters a little better and showing their growing understanding and respect for each other. And an added bonus was having part of the story set in County Wicklow, home of my ancestors.

A cozy and light-hearted adventure, this installment doesn't have much mystery but is a fun exploration of a new character. I agree with other readers that having a second first-person view (Jake's) was a bit jarring, but in the end it didn't detract from the story. This book didn't rely too heavily on the plots of previous volumes, which was fine with me because I realized I really need to do a re-read of the series to refresh my memory of the various relations and revelations that have appeared so far. Laurie King remains one of the best in the business with her evocation of the era and her seamless weaving of historical details, events, and figures into the plot.

Knave of Diamonds returns Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes to England, and just when I had enough time to be pleased with that after several books set in Europe, the story moved to Ireland. Luckily, it came with a new character, Mary's uncle, Jake Russell.

Having just recently re-read Locked Doors, I truly enjoyed this look at the part of Mary's family that had not previously been explored. I also find the books to be at their best when they intersect with real events, and the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels is that for this edition.

I found the book hard to put down and really enjoyed the character additions, especially the new resident of Sussex (I'll avoid saying more due to spoilers). Also, any book where Sherlock gets one up on Mycroft is that bit extra fun!

All in all, it left me happy and ready for the next book in the series whenever it may arrive!

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Russell has fond memories of her Uncle Jake even though he disappeared from her life shortly before her family were killed in a tragic car accident. His knocking on her door in rural Sussex one afternoon knocks her for sixes and sevens. He urgently needs her help with a problem that has haunted him and others for years...the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels. This is the crime of legend that stymied not only Scotland Yard. the government and even the great Sherlock Holmes himself. And Jake wants to drag her into this murky mischief? But Mary can never resist a challenge and the game's afoot. When the "Beekeeper's Apprentice" was released decades ago I was immediately captivated by what I consider the best pastiche of Arthur Conan Doyle's canon ever conceived. The concept of the greatest detective becoming partners with a bespeckled, awkward fifteen year old was mind boggling yet brilliant. This nineteenth entry is just as original and fresh as the beginning. Mary is very much her own woman with skills and abilities that provide a balance to the relationship. Featuring the points of view of the three participants the reader gains in sight into each character's cleverness and their back story. As always King does solid research and the narrative reflects the history culture and society of the times making for an informative and entertaining read. If you have not discovered this treasure of a series you have many hours of enjoyment in store.

Book 19 in the Mary Russell series
This book picks up shortly after the last one, The Lantern's Dance. Mary and Sherlock have arrived home from France when Mary gets an unexpected visitor, her long lost, beloved, and slightly criminal uncle Jack. He wants her to help him with an old crime he committed but was then betrayed by his partners.

I have been reading and enjoying this series for a long time and I’ve appreciated the varied settings and puzzles. This one is a bit more light hearted than some of the other books and I enjoyed meeting a new member of Mary's family book, the Irish setting and the resolution to the jewel theft. Add in some colorful side characters- I particularly liked Mrs. Marsh, the botanist companion- and Knave of Diamonds was a thoroughly fun read!

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of this wonderfully entertaining book. A search for gems is at the center of the action and brings Mary Russell's cousin into the action playing out in England and Ireland. Sherlock enters into the plot as Mary and her cousin benefit from his help. It is a light hearted romp even though one would expect more danger considering the value of what is at stake.

This is a book that I feel would be of literary interest to students and teachers in literature classes and any Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell readers. It is very detailed in wording, a pictorial situation in the narrative.
In each chapter, some very short, some lengthy wording is spoken by the main characters, Sherlock Holmes, Mary Russell, and her cousin Jake. All of this works together as you feel family loyalties, the bad and the good, belief and disbelief as they set out to find a treasure, The Crown Jewels. Will one of them keep the jewels or return to elderly owner? It is a broad scenario of family, deceit, and many lies. At the end, you may feel somewhat connected to the interactions of people throughout the world today.

I wish it were possible to always have an unread Laurie King book on my kindle, or side table. I am an unabashed fan of her smart historic mysteries and this new addition to the series had me riveted from the first chapter.

The plot is engaging, but the best feature of the novel for me is that it further exposes the family history of Sherlock’s wife, Mary.

“Uncle Jake” adds depth and a bit of mischief to the family tree and the book exposes his character and the mystery simultaneously.

I loved everything about this book and think fans of the series will be thrilled with this new chapter of Mary’s adventures.

I grew up on Sherlock Holmes, and until I found Laurie King, I had no idea he had been married. I was introduced to Mary Russell at least 15 years ago, and have read every one of the fantastic stories. Just when I think there cannot possibly be any new adventures, along comes another book and a whole new journey. As is often the case, history gets blended with Mary Russell to make a great story. This time we leave the comforts of Sussex and find our way to Ireland in a tale about the missing Irish Crown Jewels. Once again, I could not put the book down and wished it would never end. I am looking forward to our next adventure together.

I’ll start by saying that I absolutely love the series. Love the way it’s written, how fleshed out the characters and environment is, and I’ll say that Knave of Diamonds follows that trend. I started the book and just could not put it down. Started it on a Saturday afternoon and finished it Sunday morning. Having it take place immediately after the Lanterns Dance put into revelation that the last several books took place over 2-3 months from Mary’s perspective. I now have a desire to go read the series again from the start while waiting for the hopeful next entry.

Mary Russell returns from many months away from home to find her long lost uncle waiting for her with a tale she knows is not entirely the whole truth. An adventure ensues taking Holmes and Russell to Ireland with a secretive Uncle Jake in search of the Irish Crown Jewels.

I found it a slow start (there was a lot of sitting and chatting in the first third of the book) but then the characters got off their feet and got the storyline moving. (The slow start is likely more attributable to my mental state regarding current world events rather than LRK’s writing which is, as always, intelligent and well-researched.) Each chapter was told from the perspective of either Mary, Holmes, or Jake. I was not particularly fond of Jake’s chapters although I understand the need for them to tell the story. By the middle of the novel I was accustomed to them and they didn’t detract from the storyline. Jake definitely still has some secrets at the end of the novel and I am sure we will see him show up in Mary’s life again in a future story.

Overall I found it was a satisfactory addition to Russell’s memoirs and I’m looking forward to listening to the audiobook at a later date.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for an eARC of this book in return for an honest, thoughtful review.

I truly enjoyed this book. 19th in the Holmes and Russel series! Laurie King demonstrates her knowledge and appreciation for Sherlock Holmes by continuing to put Holmes and Russel into interesting plots and places. Always clever, witty and intriguing, another entertaining read!

Another delightful outing for Russell and Holmes! The 19th in the series, this book introduces us to the black sheep of Russell's family, her Uncle Jack, her father's brother. While he's an important figure in Russell's life, as we soon learn, he also has his own, previously unknown connection to Holmes as well. This book explores the history of the so-called Irish Crown Jewels and their theft in the early 20th century, the recent-in-the-book Irish War of Independence and its effects in the immediate years after, and (briefly, but interestingly!) the breed history of the Irish Wolfhound. It's a very Irish-focused book, on the whole!

Whereas the last book was a departure in form and style, this book was a return to the adventure format, though there isn't really a ton of actual mystery to be solved here. The topic implies that there is, but in truth, many of the characters have the answers that are being sought and just reveal things over time. While this doesn't have a strong mystery focus, and moves away from the quieter, introspective character study of Lantern's Dance, it does hew closely to an adventure format, which makes sense given the character of Jack Russell and his own personal background. It's a very fast-paced story, moving swiftly from beat to beat as it carries us along to find the Irish Crown Jewels. A majority of the characters we meet are real people (if sometimes unmoored in time, as the author herself admits in her note at the end), which brings home the historical elements of this historical mystery. One thing Laurie R King always does so well is present these elements of history to us in a way that makes me, at least, immediately go to look things up and learn more about the topic. This book was no exception.

I did have some critiques for this book, however, though I did enjoy it a great deal. I thought it was repetitive in some places, for example. We have 3 POVs in this book (Russell, Holmes, and Jack), and often two characters will be together while another character is off somewhere else, leading to moments where we have a scene with two of the characters, and later those characters provide a recap of the on-page scene to the third character who wasn't present. It's usually kept rather short, but it still wasn't really necessary. I continue to lament that the one thing I want in the series since book 10 STILL hasn't happened (JUST LET MYCROFT AND MARY FIGHT), though it was hinted at in a truly tantalizing fashion here. I also found some of the character motivations slightly unbelievable, particularly with Jack, leaving me to feel like there is more going on than was really explored or even hinted at.

Nonetheless, this was just an enjoyable, relaxing, and familiar read. I continue to return to these books over and over because they're comfortable and fun and I love seeing what will happen next. King has mentioned some possibilities for her next Russell books in her newsletter, and there is one in particular that I do hope she gets to write in the next few years - hopefully I'll get to write a review for that book at some point!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book; all opinions are my own.

I think this is my favorite book in the series so far. Traveling with Uncle Jack, Russell, and Holmes to Ireland to retrieve the Irish Crown Jewels was such a fun trip. Each book in this series gets better and better. A must read for lovers of the Russell and Holmes series.

This book was so good! I love Mary's uncle's character and revisiting an old Holmes case. An entertaining, must read that I couldn't put down.

I'm a longtime fan of this series and am always eagerly awaited a new installment. I had mixed feelings about this book however.

On the plus side, King's books are always well-written. I'd say for mysteries she's near the top in terms of writing quality. The plot is always detailed and engaging. This is absolutely the case for Knave of Diamonds. Enjoyed it and read it in the span of a couple days easily.

On the minus side- while admittedly some of the books in this series veered toward being overly descriptive, this one actually featured a lot less and was more dialogue heavy, at the expense of the depth of many of the other books in the series. Secondly, and somewhat relatedly- the series started off and continued until more recently being completely from the first person POV of Mary Russell.. We really got into her inner thoughts and experiences. King started several books back interspersing fairly brief sections with Sherlock Holmes' third-person POV. Pointing aside the question of how such accounts would be included in what is supposed to be Mary Russell's "memoirs" - these are enjoyable and allow readers to get more insight into the mind of the series' other man character. However, now in the last couple we're getting long sections told from the POV of other characters- Mrs. Hudson who at least was a long time character in the books in the previous series installment, and in this one Russell's Uncle Jake, who to my knowledge had never been mentioned prior. All well and good and interesting plot wise to introduce this long lost relative, but for a long standing series where readers are ostensibly invested in Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, devoting a third or so to the POV of a new character is a bit of a hard sell (at least for me.)
Totally enjoyable to read, but a bit disappointing for this fan at least. I will say the Uncle Jake sections were focused on his thoughts and interactions about and with Russell and Holmes- the story is still centered on Russell as they all are, but this makes it feel a bit diluted.
That being said, I understand we're 20+ books deep into the series so things inevitably have to evolve, and I enjoyed this book and am back to eagerly awaiting the next one.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC.

I have been a long-time fan of this series, although must admit that I've struggled with the past few books - this one included. It seems like the plot of each novel gets more drawn out as the series progresses, with a concomitant uneven pacing that is slowing down the reads for me and making them somewhat less enjoyable as a result. I really liked the addition of Jacob, and the resulting information about Mary's past, but I got frustrated with him as often as not. I also felt like the rehashing of the theft of the jewels just kept being retold, from each perspective, as new witnesses and characters were introduced, and that pulled me out of the story because it felt repetitive rather than additive. On the whole this wasn't one of my favorites...

When her errant uncle Jake walks back into Mary Russell’s life, she knows enough about his reputation to realize it’s not just out of familial affection. Years after the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels, new circumstances cause it to be brought to the forefront again, which stirs up memories for Holmes and has Jake squarely at the center of the intrigue. Told in alternating perspectives — Mary, Jake Russell, and Holmes — Knave of Diamonds is a good, but not great, addition to this beloved series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Laurie R. King's "Knave of Diamonds" tells the story of a jewelry theft from the perspectives of both Mary Russell and her uncle, Jake. It's an intriguing look at Mary's backstory, with Uncle Jake reappearing in the adult Mary's life after a long absence. Needless to say, Jake is in trouble and needs Mary's help; Sherlock gets involved -- and it becomes a heist mystery as they try to track down the missing jewels.

This was a fun read, but perhaps not the best in the Mary Russell series. I found the changing perspectives confusing, especially at the very start of the book, and Jake was not as sympathetic a character as Mary deserved. 

King's characters are so well rendered that I consider them acquaintances — and I look forward to spending more time with them soon.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.