Pirate King

By: Laurie R. King

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

In England’s silent-film industry, Randolph Fflytte is king. Mary Russell is dispatched to investigate the criminal activities that surround Fflytte’s movie studio, but nothing seems amiss until the company starts rehearsals in Lisbon.

There the 13 blonde-haired, blue-eyed actresses whom Mary is bemusedly chaperoning meet the swarm of real buccaneers Fflytte has recruited to provide authenticity. As movie make-believe becomes true terror, Russell and Holmes themselves may experience a final fade-out.

©2011 Laurie R. King (P)2011 Recorded Books Inc

I usually LOVE Kings stories but

Pirate King took much longer to develop, and I missed Homes in the early parts. Usually King creates such a wonderful sense of place but it wasn’t as strong for me in this book. I couldn’t feel Lisbon, there was more to it once arriving in Morocco.

Chaotic fun

And a good break from the seriousness and heartbreak of several preceding books. Fun to see a strange view of the British film industry, pirates, and non-binary characters. I,as a faithful reader, needed this. Now, on to the next.

Mediocre & disappointing coming from King

I have quite enjoyed the Russell-Holmes novels (in order) ti this point. So, I am very disappointed with Pirate King (or Queen?); it just doesn't meet up to the expectations I had for LK's next in the series. Don't get me wrong, I still mostly enjoyed it, but certainly not as much as the rest. It is slow, plodding, & predictable all the way through. It reads as though King was writing to meet a publisher's deadline while her muse was on vacation, rather than because she was interested in any of her characters -- or readers. I hope future books with these chararacters -- which I will read regardless -- return to the standard of her first ones. Until today, I have considered King to be the closest to the Doyle canon in a large field of contemporary Holmes tribute authors. I hope her next novel reclaims that status. After all, it's next in my Audible library.

Russell and Holmes, always amusing.

I have enjoyed every book about these two characters. The tête-à-tête between them and the twists of the plot are very entertaining. A very good listen.

Less than stellar

I’ve read every story in the Mary Russel series. Not to say I didn’t enjoy this one, but it’s not at the top of the pile to recommend. Slow development of story dragged. A bit ridiculous premise. Ended flat. Always stellar performance by Jenny Sterlin.