The Game

A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

By: Laurie R. King

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

In the early days of 1924 Mary Russell and her husband, the inimitable Sherlock Holmes, are given an urgent task by his brother Mycroft: Find a British spy gone missing along India's north­west frontier, where men are dying and trouble is brewing.

The spy's name? It is one Holmes knows from his sojourn in India long ago, and one Russell knows from a book. It is Kimball O'Hara, known to the world by the name Rudyard Kipling called him—Kim...

©2008 Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller (P)2008 Recorded Books,LLC

Why are the chapters so confusing? Not consistent

I love Holmes and have long since exhausted ACD's canon, so I devour solid Holmesian fiction. This series elegantly incorporates, enhances and builds on the canon while gently tweaking some details. But this series is unique in the fresh inflection brought by the heroine, Mary Russell. I highly recommend this series if you are a Baker Street irregular. I also recommend it for feminists (acknowledging the issues inherent in the historical context) and anyone who enjoys historical fiction with tremendous cultural detail (Palestine/Arabia and India are examples of places this series has gone and I have several books to go!).

So, with all that praise aside, the reason I am writing this review is because the chapter breaks the listener hears from the narrator are unrelated to the chapter breaks as they appear on the screen (in the App). By the end of the book, I heard 30 chapters announced but the list of chapters I could use to navigate ended at 20. So confusing and frustrating. Within the first few chapters, the two numbering systems were already off (not matching). The App's chapter 20 included both longish and shorter chapters all crammed together. I know because the narrator told me! I listened to this book entirely on my phone/in App, but when I checked the chapter list for the book on a laptop (Audible's website), it was yet another, third chapter numbering system, which had 22 total chapters! Good heavens.

I recently finished the sci-fi comedy trilogy of the Bobiverse on Audible (which is excellent as well!). These books had many tiny chapters and each and every one was listed separately for navigation. It can be done! And of course there should be no problem with lengthy chapters... just leave them alone! So, that is my only complaint, really. I returned another book in the series for some audio problems but this is not about sound quality or skipping -- nor is it about the story quality or narration quality. I am frustrated with poor production regarding the variety of ways this audio has been chapter-ed.

That said, I am loving Audible, the Mary Russell series and almost all of the functionality of the App. Thank you.

A Grand Conceit, A Deligntful Listen

The Mary Russel series is a grand conceit that extends the Sherlock Holmes character into middle age where he first mentors then partners with and finally marries Ms. Mary Russell. She is thoroughly competent and very emancipated. Each story is told from Russell's point of view. The novelty of the stories is the way she includes historical characters both real and literary. In this seventh of the series Laurie R. King introduces Rudyard Kipling's Kim as an older British spy in 1924 India who has an adolescent son. The story plot is built around a mythical Indian prince who is up to no good. It was a delightful listen.

Witty and Engaging

Would you listen to The Game again? Why?

Laurie King is a superb writer and this latest addition is one of her best. If you love a good Sherlock Holmes mystery you will be enchanted with this 1920 intrigue set in British India. Mary Russell, Holmes' associate, partner and wife, is a good counterpart for the detective post Watson. I really enjoyed this audible book.

As Always Another Great

I've begun to feel that rating this series is redundant for me because I always find the storyline, the narration and everything else far better than very good

I am addicted

Hard to believe this one was better than the last one, but it was. I listen on 1.25 speed, which is perfect. Excellent narration, to say the least, and the characters and story was intriguing and fascinating. How much research goes into a book like this.

On to the next in the series. I can't stop!!!