Audiobooks by Laurie R. King

Knave of Diamonds: A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

"Mary Russell’s allegiances are tested by the reappearance of her long-lost uncle—and a tantalizing case not even Sherlock Holmes could solve. When Mary Russell was a child, she adored her black sheep Uncle Jake. But she hasn’t heard from him in many years, and she assumed that his ne’er-do-well ways had brought him to a bad end somewhere—until he presents himself at her Sussex door. Yes, Jake is back, and with a load of problems for his clever niece. Not the least of which is the reason the family rejected him in the first place: He was involved—somehow—in the infamous disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels from an impregnable safe in Dublin Castle. It was a theft that shook a government, enraged a king, threatened the English establishment—and baffled not only the Dublin police and Scotland Yard, but Sherlock Holmes himself. And, now, Jake expects Russell to step into the middle of it all? To slip away with him, not telling Holmes what she’s up to? Knowing that the theft—unsolved, hushed-up, scandalous—must have involved Mycroft Holmes as well? Naturally, she can do nothing of the sort. Siding with her uncle, even briefly, could only place her in opposition to both her husband-partner and his secretive and powerful brother. She has to tell Jake no. On the other hand, this is Jake—her father’s kid brother, her childhood hero, the beloved and long-lost survivor of a much-diminished family. Conflicting loyalties and international secrets, blatant lies and blithe deceptions: sounds like another case for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. The audio-exclusive short story 'Two Kids on a Grift' features Uncle Jake, Mary Russell's ne'er-do-well uncle who comes back into her life inKnave of Diamonds. Uncle Jake has made a career out of swindles and scams. So when he spots a couple of kids on the street one day fleecing passers-by in a clever game of three-card-monte, he needs to take a closer look. Why do the kids remind him so much of his niece and her brother … ?"

Laurie R. King (Author), Amy Scanlon, Jefferson Mays, Steven Crossley (Narrator)

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The Lantern's Dance: A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

"Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, hoping for a respite in the French countryside, are instead caught up in a case that turns both bewildering and intensely personal. After their recent adventures in Transylvania, Russell and Holmes look forward to spending time with Holmes’ son, the famous artist Damian Adler, and his family. But when they arrive at Damian’s house in Délieux, they discover that the Adlers have fled from a mysterious threat. Holmes rushes after Damian while Russell, slowed down by a recent injury, stays behind to search the empty house. In Damian’s studio, she discovers four crates packed with memorabilia related to Holmes’ granduncle, the artist Horace Vernet. It’s an odd mix of clutter and treasures, including a tarnished silver lamp with a rotating shade: an antique yet sophisticated form of zoetrope, fitted with strips of paper whose images dance with the lantern’s spin. In the crate is an old journal by a woman called Lakshmi, written in a nearly impenetrable code. Intrigued, Russell sets about deciphering the intricate cryptograph, slowly realizing that each entry is built around an image—the first of which is a child, bundled into a carriage by an abductor, watching her mother recede from view. Russell is entranced, then troubled, and each entry she decodes brings more questions. Who is the young Indian woman who created this elaborate puzzle? What does she have to do with Damian, or with Horace Vernet—or the threat hovering over the house? The secrets of the past appear to be reaching into the present. And it seems increasingly urgent that Russell figure out how the journal and lantern are related to Damian—and possibly to Sherlock Holmes himself. Could there be things about his own history that even the master detective does not perceive?"

Laurie R. King (Author), Amy Scanlon (Narrator)

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Back to the Garden

"The Gardener Estate is one of the most storied and beloved sites on the West Coast. Its owners thought their secrets were buried forever—but when cold-case investigator Raquel Laing arrives, secrets are all she sees. A magnificent house, vast formal gardens, a golden family that shaped California, and a colorful past filled with now-famous artists: The Gardener Estate was a twentieth-century Eden. And now, just as the Estate is preparing to move into a new era, restoration work on some of its art digs up a grim relic of the past: a human skull, hidden away for decades. Inspector Raquel Laing has her work cut out for her. Fifty years ago, the Estate’s young heir, Rob Gardener, turned his palatial home into a counterculture commune of peace, love, and equality. But that was also a time when serial killers preyed on innocents—monsters like The Highwayman, whose case has just surged back into the public eye. Could the skull belong to one of his victims? To Raquel—a woman who knows all about colorful pasts—the bones clearly seem linked to The Highwayman. But as she dives into the Estate’s archives to look for signs of his presence, what she unearths begins to take on a dark reality all its own. Everything she finds keeps bringing her back to Rob Gardener himself. While he might be a gray-haired recluse now, back then he was a troubled young Vietnam vet whose girlfriend had vanished after a midsummer festival at the Estate. But a lot of people seem to have disappeared from the Gardener Estate the summer when the commune mysteriously fell apart: a young woman, her child, and Rob’s brother, Fort. The pressure is on, and Raquel needs to solve this case—before The Highwayman slips away, or another Gardener vanishes."

Laurie R. King (Author), Vivienne Leheny (Narrator)

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The Beekeeper's Apprentice 'International Edition': or, On the Segregation of the Queen

"What happens when Sherlock Holmes—a pompous, proper Victorian gentleman—takes an outspoken American woman as his apprentice? Edgar Award–winning author Laurie R. King reveals the answer in The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, an absorbing novel steeped in exquisite understanding and charming intelligence. In 1914, a bold young American named Mary Russell meets a retired beekeeper in the English countryside. His name is Sherlock Holmes. And although many years have passed since he astonished Watson by solving Scotland Yard’s most baffling crimes, the Great Detective is no fool. He instantly spots a fellow intellect in Mary. When his greatest enemy returns with a fiendishly resourceful plan for revenge, Holmes knows he faces the case of his lifetime—and that he needs Mary’s help to solve it. Few writers dare to touch the classic canon of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and even fewer match the legendary style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But in this richly entertaining, enchanting novel, Laurie R. King succeeds with astonishing brilliance and originality."

Laurie R. King (Author), Jenny Sterlin (Narrator)

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To Play the Fool 'International Edition'

"Edgar Award winner Laurie R. King has attracted an enthusiastic following with her finely crafted mysteries. The Kate Martinelli series follows the challenging career of a young San Francisco police detective who struggles to maintain her personal privacy, even as her complex cases bring her into the glaring eye of the public. The first cremation the homeless people held in Golden Gate Park was for a dog; their second pyre held a much larger body. To find the one responsible for these deaths, Martinelli sets out on a quest for Brother Erasmus. An enigmatic creature who has befriended the homeless, he speaks only in quotations. When public fear of the peculiar band of park-dwellers threatens to grow out of control, Martinelli must unravel the guilt that lies at the bottom of Erasmus’ refusal to give direct answers to her questions. King weaves the stories of the homeless and their eccentric spokesman into one of the feisty detective’s most tantalizing murder mysteries. Filled with vivid characters and provocative issues, To Play the Fool showcases King’s superb talents."

Laurie R. King (Author), Alyssa Bresnahan (Narrator)

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A Grave Talent 'International Edition'

"Fans of Laurie R. King have applauded her fascinating portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. Now the Edgar Award–winning author begins an intricate but hard-boiled crime series, spinning a masterful tale that deftly unveils the multiple layers of her intriguing characters. When?Kate Martinelli, an ambitious rookie, is teamed up with reluctant veteran detective Al Hawkin, they must put aside any reservations they have about each other as they hunt for a sadist who is strangling six-year-old girls. All the clues point to an artist who has been convicted of a similar crime. But when the evidence begins to look too obvious, Martinelli and Hawkin are forced to use the immensely talented but emotionally fragile artist as bait for the real killer. King keeps the thread of suspense taut as the precarious investigation twists and turns ever tighter around the obsessive core of a monstrous psychopath."

Laurie R. King (Author), Alyssa Bresnahan (Narrator)

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A Monstrous Regiment of Women 'International Edition': A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell an

"In The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, Laurie R. King told a richly entertaining tale starring Mary Russell, a spirited American girl who becomes an apprentice to the famous English detective Sherlock Holmes. Now in this eagerly awaited sequel, Mary returns to solve—with the aid of Holmes, of course—a case of murder, mystery, and religion. The case begins when a classmate from Oxford University introduces Mary to Margery Childe, the charismatic spiritual leader of the New Temple of God. Curious about Margery’s popular teachings, Mary begins attending temple meetings. But when Margery’s followers—all well-bred, well-heeled young women—become targets for murder, Mary senses something sinister lurking within the walls of the temple. With Holmes at her side, she plunges headlong into the most dangerous investigation of her life. Steeped in charming intelligence and finely crafted suspense, A Monstrous Regiment of Women continues the enchanting adventures of the most beguiling and ingenious detective team in the world of mystery fiction."

Laurie R. King (Author), Jenny Sterlin (Narrator)

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A Letter of Mary 'International Edition'

"Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell mystery series sizzles with the intellectual and emotional energy that sparkles between world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes and Mary, his young wife and partner. Together, they take on tantalizing cases that break new ground in crime detection. When an old archaeologist friend gives Mary a curled scrap of papyrus, Mary is startled to see that it is covered with Greek symbols. The writing may be a letter from an unknown—female—apostle. Soon the old friend has been murdered, the Holmes’ cottage has been ransacked, and Mary is faced with a particularly dangerous and painful investigation. From the solitude of the English countryside to the dark, teeming streets of London, A Letter of Mary carries the two quick-witted sleuths through a maze of clues and cul-de-sacs. At every turn, the pair realize they are not only solving a murder, but also harboring a relic that could stand Christendom on its ear."

Laurie R. King (Author), Jenny Sterlin (Narrator)

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The Language of Bees 'International Edition': A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherloc

"New York Times best-selling author Laurie R. King has won or been nominated for every major award in mystery writing. King's beloved sleuth Mary Russell here attempts to reverse her legendary husband Sherlock Holmes' greatest failure. 'A one-woman case for the defense of unauthorized literary sequels . intelligent, witty, complex and atmospheric .'-Washington Post Book World"

Laurie R. King (Author), Jenny Sterlin (Narrator)

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The Moor 'International Edition': A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russel

"When Laurie R. King brought Sherlock Holmes out of retirement in The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, readers were delighted. When she gave him Mary Russell, an American half his age, as a partner and wife, mystery fans around the world were astonished. Laurie R. King had skillfully revived literature’s most fascinating and eccentric snoop. Sherlock Holmes has received a call for help from an old friend. The Reverend Barring-Gould, noted parson and folklorist, wants Holmes to investigate some strange sightings. When Mary Russell realizes where their search will take them, however, her blood runs cold. A ghostly coach and giant dog have been glimpsed on Dartmoor—the chilling landscape of the Hound of the Baskervilles. As Holmes and Russell work through a challenging tangle of evidence, gossip, and legend to uncover the truth, the grey mystery of the moor swirls around them."

Laurie R. King (Author), Jenny Sterlin (Narrator)

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Castle Shade: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.

"A queen, a castle, a dark and ageless threat--all await Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes in this chilling new adventure. The queen is Marie of Roumania: the doubly royal granddaughter to Victoria, Empress of the British Empire, and Alexander II, Tsar of Russia. A famous beauty who was married at seventeen into Roumania's young dynasty, Marie had beguiled the Paris Peace Conference into returning her adopted country's long-lost provinces, single-handedly transforming Roumania from a backwater into a force. The castle is Bran: a tall, quirky, ancient structure perched on high rocks overlooking the border between Roumania and its newly regained territory of Transylvania. The castle was a gift to Queen Marie, a thanks from her people, and she loves it as she loves her own children. The threat is...now, that is less clear. Shadowy figures, vague whispers, the fears of girls, dangers that may only be accidents. But this is a land of long memory and hidden corners, a land that had known Vlad the Impaler, a land from whose churchyards the shades creep. When Queen Marie calls, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes are as dubious as they are reluctant. But a young girl is involved, and a beautiful queen. Surely it won't take long to shine light on this unlikely case of what would seem to be strigoi? Or, as they are known in the West...vampires."

Laurie R. King (Author), Jenny Sterlin (Narrator)

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In League with Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon

"The latest entry in Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger’s popular Sherlock Holmes-inspired mystery series Sherlock Holmes has not only captivated readers for more than a century and a quarter, he has fascinated writers as well. It is little wonder, then, that when the renowned Sherlockians Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger invited their writer-friends and colleagues to be inspired by the Holmes canon, a cornucopia of stories sprang forth, with more than sixty of the greatest modern writers participating in four acclaimed anthologies. Now, King and Klinger have invited another fifteen masters to become In League with Sherlock Holmes. The contributors to this volume include award-winning authors of horror, thrillers, mysteries, westerns, and science-fiction, all bound together in admiration and affection for the original stories. The resulting stories are funny, haunting, thrilling, and surprising. All are unforgettable."

Laurie R. King, Leslie S. Klinger (Author), Alison Belle Bews, Gabrielle De Cuir, John Allen Nelson, John Rubinstein, Judy Young, Justine Eyre, Kasey Lansdale, Kate Orsini, Mirron Willis, Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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