In this thrilling new crime novel that ingeniously bridges Laurie R. King's Edgar and Creasey Awards--winning Kate Martinelli series and her bestselling series starring Mary Russell, San Francisco homicide detective Kate Martinelli crosses paths with Sherlock Holmes-in a spellbinding dual mystery that could come only from the "intelligent, witty, and complex" mind of New York Times bestselling author Laurie R. King....
Kate Martinelli has seen her share of peculiar things as a San Francisco cop, but never anything quite like this: an ornate Victorian sitting room straight out of a Sherlock Holmes story-complete with violin, tobacco-filled Persian slipper, and gunshots in the wallpaper that spell out the initials of the late queen.
Philip Gilbert was a true Holmes fanatic, from his antiquated décor to his vintage wardrobe. And no mere fan of fiction's great detective, but a leading expert with a collection of priceless memorabilia-a collection some would kill for.
And perhaps someone did: In his collection is a century-old manuscript purportedly written by Holmes himself-a manuscript that eerily echoes details of Gilbert's own murder.
Now, with the help of her partner, Al Hawkin, Kate must follow the convoluted trail of a killer-one who may have trained at the feet of the greatest mind of all times.
From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

Missed the target:

I have read and loved all of the Kate Martinelli mysteries, until this one. It went well until the "Sherlock Holmes" manuscript was wedged in. After that, the book became dull and predictable, with the only bright spot being at the very end, when Kate and her partner Lee were whisked off to city hall for an impromptu wedding.

disappointing:

After reading the Beekeepers Apprentice, I was eager to experience Laurie King's other works, but The Art of Detection was a big disappointment when I "read" it via an audio version. It started out slowly and with a vast mass of dull research material regarding San Francisco harbor fortifications and descriptions of the Sherlockian victim's home - the former was (as I feared) never very relevant to the story. While the story got going with the "story within the story" a possibly original Sherlock Holmes in... more info

What a relief!:

I really love both the Martinelli and Russell/Homes series, but I found the last Martinelli outing disappointing. It was a great pleasure to see Kate back in grand form, with the added deliciousness of the Russell/Holmes tie-in. I love watching Kate deal with the peculiarities of reenactors and the "is it real or is it fake" manuscript market -- a nice change from more typical urban violence
While I agree that the pace is slower in this plot than is typical for this series, I didn't find that the... more info

Just an Average Read:

I've read several of Laurie King's books over the years. With the exception of A Grave Talent which was quite good, most of her books are just average, this one included. She is NOT a master of plotting. Her books meander here and there and eventually reach a conclusion that may be less than satisfying. So it is with The Art of Detection. The supporting characters are only vaguely drawn. Her protagonist, Kate Martinelli, is not that interesting. Now I'm a liberal Californian, but I could hardly stand to... more info

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