Knave of Diamonds

"it's the king of diamonds" [MAZA]

It took Laurie R. King six years to find a publisher for her first book, but it was worth the wait. She won the Edgar in 1994 for Best First Novel with A Grave Talent, which launched her Kate Martinelli series, set in San Francisco. That same year, The Bee-Keeper's Apprentice introduced the impressive, young Mary Russell, who would meet and eventually marry the retired Sherlock Holmes — "the least marriageable man I knew," according to Mary, in 1921.

Since then, Russell and Holmes have traveled the world in eighteen novels, finding mystery and adventure everywhere from the English countryside to Palestine to California. Along the way, Mary's partnership with Holmes has evolved, usually in plots that mix real events with suspenseful intrigue.

Now Knave of Diamonds, the nineteenth book in the series, brings Mary a case not even Sherlock Holmes could solve: the very real theft of the Irish Crown Jewels from Dublin Castle years before. It comes with the sudden return of Mary's unprincipled Uncle Jake, traveling on a cloud of fabrications and falsehoods.

Laurie R. King was named a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master in 2022. Join us for a conversation about the Irish Crown Jewels, Laurie's approach to storytelling, Mary's background and her conflicting loyalties, and much more.

So you can see what's coming, we share the first half of August in "The Learned Societies" segment. Madeline Quiñones is back with "A Chance of Listening," and the Canonical Couplet quiz tests your Sherlock Holmes knowledge, with a signed copy of Knave of Diamonds for the winner. Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock.com by July 14, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

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Links

• Knave of Diamonds
• The Mary Russell series
• Knave of Diamond reading group guide
• Laurie R. King's website
• Other episodes mentioned:
• Episode 281: The Lantern's Dance
• The Learned Societies: Sherlockian Calendar
• A Chance of Listening: Elementary, My Dears
• Find all of our relevant links and social accounts at linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock.

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