Friday, December 9, 2016

Forgotten (or Overlooked) Book: O JERUSALEM (1999) by Laurie R. King


"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning." Psalm 137:5

This is a re-working of a review I posted a few years ago. These days (with good reason) many of us are looking for escapism, books that are thrilling and well written and take us out of ourselves and maybe also take us back in history to a time when all things were possible. And who better to travel with than Sherlock Holmes and his apprentice, Mary Russell whom we met in the brilliantly conceived,THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE. (And if we haven't met her, then rush right out and buy the book for goodness' sake - it's a keeper! Even Conan Doyle would have approved of Russell.)

Please note: This is not the second book in the series begun so spectacularly (and audaciously) with THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE, though I think it should have been. I always recommend reading O JERUSALEM second if you've just begun or are about to begin reading the Holmes/Russell series. But of course, it's totally up to you. The 'official' second book in the series is actually A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN, but this could easily be read as the third book without missing a beat. All my own opinion, you understand.

At any rate, if you favor historical fiction, I can't stress enough how imaginative, how dazzling, how truly wonderful O JERUSALEM is without seeming like a slavering groupie. Well, okay, I'm a slavering groupie. There's worse things I could be. Ha!

The plot:

It is 1918, Sherlock Holmes and his apprentice/partner, the brilliant Oxford student Mary Russell are forced by deadly circumstance to get away from London for awhile. So off they go to the British protectorate of Palestine, a country liberated from the Turks the previous autumn. At the behest of Mycroft Holmes - Sherlock's brother who is high up in murky government circles - both travelers will be performing some vague undercover work while they make their way across the rugged terrain to the city of Jerusalem. (Given a choice of several destinations by Holmes, it is Russell who has chosen to travel to Palestine, she is Jewish and Jerusalem holds special allure for her.)

To that end and upon arrival at night hidden in a skiff, they must meet and pass muster with two suspicious Arab agents who do not want them there in the first place. Mahmoud and Ali regard Holmes and Russell as nuisances who have been foisted upon them. They are not happy playing nursemaids at a time when any wrong move could bring disaster. Palestine is (and always appears to have been) a hazardous place, especially for outsiders. Jerusalem in 1918 is a hodgepodge of Brits, Arabs, Jews, Christians, spies, troublemakers and possible terrorists.

Steven immediately shipped his oars, stood, and stepped over the prow of the little boat into the shallow water. Holmes grabbed his haversack and went next, jumping lightly onto the coarse shingle. I followed, pausing for a moment on the bow to squint through my salt-smeared spectacles at the dark shore. Steven put his hand up to help me, and as I shifted my eyes downward they registered with a shock two figures standing perfectly still, thirty feet or so behind Holmes.

"Holmes," I hissed, "there are two women behind you!"

Steven's hand on mine hesitated briefly, then tugged again. "Miss Russell, there'll be a patrol any minute. It's all right."

I stepped cautiously into the water beside him and moved up to where Holmes stood.

"Salaam aleikum, Steven," came a voice from the night: accented, low, and by no means that of a woman.

"Aleikum es-salaam, Ali. I hope you are well."

"Praise be to God," was the reply.

"I have a pair of pigeons for you."

"They could have landed at a more convenient time, Steven."

"Shall I take them away again?"

"No, Steven. We accept delivery. Mahmoud regrets we cannot ask you to come and drink coffee, but at the moment, it would not be wise. Maalesh," he added, using the all-purpose Arabic expression that was a verbal shrug of the shoulders at life's inequities and accidents.

The inscrutable Mahmoud and Ali, go on to become two of author Laurie R. King's most indelible characters. I have never forgotten them and with my memory (or lack thereof) that's saying something. (They will show up later in another of King's books, JUSTICE HALL under totally different circumstances.) Here they almost steal the show from Russell and Holmes. How these four characters become trusting equals realistically takes most of the book, all paths hindered by the fact that Russell is a woman who, to Mahmoud and Ali's horror, must masquerade as a man for most of their journey.

Almost from the start, things go wrong, beginning with the brutal murders of some Jewish farmers. After a brief examination of the crime scene, Holmes senses that more is afoot than just the slaughter of a farm family. The bodies have apparently been left as inflammatory messages. He is able to deduce that the dead settlers are only the beginning of some bizarre plot. A dangerous traveler is abroad in the land.

In the end, it becomes a race against time (don't you love that?) to save Jerusalem, save the peace, and save our travelers from the machinations of an insidious terrorist plot.

This is the sort of story in which the most minute clue must be interpreted correctly or disaster waits. The reader is brought along on a gritty, hair-raising adventure, travelling in unfamiliar country, across treacherous unforgiving terrain, meeting up here and there with friends but mostly with enemies. All the while Russell learning the language and dialects so she can 'pass'. Mostly they label her a mute and leave it at that. It is fortunate that Russell has a genius for languages and as she beings to get a handle on the dialects, we do too. We also begin to understand the possible repercussions from the slightest of mistakes. This is an ancient and very complex society made more even more volatile by its recent history and its current (though temporary) domination by the British.

One of many things I like about King's books is that she often mixes 'real' persons within her stories. In O JERUSALEM, we get a level, sympathetic portrayal of General Allenby, the legendary British commander. There is also mention of T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and we get a brief glimpse of him near the end.

I can't equivocate, I love this book. I love the writing, the constant wary sense of danger, the grand adventure, the relationship between the four characters, the setting, the historical turmoil and everything, anything having to do with this amazingly well told story. When I feel like leaving reality behind and heading out on an improbable adventure, I reread O JERUSALEM.

P.S. In a way, this book is almost a stand-alone, being more a thriller than a whodunit or 'regular' mystery in the Holmes vein. It is totally different from any Holmes story heretofore in canon or pastiche. If you have trouble seeing Holmes as a man of action, author Laurie R. King will convince you that not only is he capable of feats of endurance more natural to a younger man, but that he is, in her hands, more a man of flesh and blood than Conan Doyle ever envisioned.

I have a signed first/first of O JERUSALEM which I watched Laurie R. King sign for me in Las Vegas years ago, it is one of my most prized possessions.

Since this is Friday, don't forget to check in at author Patricia Abbott's blog, Pattinase, to see what other forgotten or overlooked books other bloggers are talking about today.


18 comments:

  1. I think you should glory in your slavering groupie-ness. You certainly can't avoid it. King's books, and O Jerusalem in particular, are lovely to get lost in. Thanks. This is just what I needed.

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    1. You're welcome, Pat. I am glorying in my slavering groupie-ness. HA!

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  2. i read this also, and , although i'm not as enthusiastic as you are, i still greatly enjoyed it.... some of the later novels in the series get a bit beyond the pale, stylistically, but most will like them, i should think...

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    1. There are a few among the later novels which I didn't enjoy as much, but still a very attractive and exciting series. I love the first few books especially. And I think THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE a classic. JUSTICE HALL broke my heart.

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  3. I've been trying to get a comment in all day, but wrestling with the weather while getting to the Post Office to mail boxes of gifts to family and friends took forever.

    This is a series I like very much indeed. This is a very good one, though I may like JUSTICE HALL even better. A fine choice, and a very, very nice review. Well done.

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    1. Pesky reality, Richard. :) JUSTICE HALL is amazing. BUT the crime at its center is so foul, so tragic that I have real trouble dealing with it. Hard to re-read. BUT I love the ending. Just right.

      And thanks for the kind words.

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  4. I've been meaning to read King's series for years...I suspect I've recommended Michael Chabon's THE FINAL SOLUTION to you directly, but if I haven't, this review suggests to me that you'd enjoy it quite a lot. Another who makes more of Holmes than his creator chose to.

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    1. I haven't read THE FINAL SOLUTION, Todd. But I may. Thanks for the reminder.

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  5. Great review, Yvette. I have only read the first in the series. Maybe I will find this one and read it before I read A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN.

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    1. Thanks, Tracy. This is one of my favorite books ever. You definitely should read this one next. I re-read THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE all the time, it also is at the top of my Favorites list.

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  6. I read the first two books in this series. I would read this one, but am afraid of the politics, and at this point, I don't want to read anything aggravating, what with this insane election and the House of Horrors about to be foisted upon millions of us who don't want it and millions who will be hurt by the roll-back of rights and benefits.

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    1. But this is perfect escapist literature, Kathy. Believe me, I wouldn't recommend it otherwise. Sure, bad things happen, but it's Holmes and Russell to the rescue! And so wonderfully written.

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  7. OK. I hope they don't take sides in this fraught situation.

    Escapism is what I'm about now. Books, movies,chocolate, etc.

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    1. Holmes and Russell can be trusted to do the right thing. Escapism is my new religion. I'm streaming shows on my computer and reading up a storm. It's the only way I'm going to get through the next four years. Oh, that and screaming: I TOLD YOU SO!!! from the sidelines.

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  8. GASP!! I'm rushing right out, or over, to Amazon to get The Beekeeper's Apprentice!! I had not known of the Sherlock pastiches with Mary Russell! I am experiencing outrage at myself for being so unaware! Thank you, Yvette! Thank you thank you!!

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    1. Why you're very very welcome, Mathew. I'm surprised you've never heard of it. But envious too. Now you get to read it for the first time. THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE is listed on many many 100 Best Mysteries lists, including mine. Happy reading!

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    2. After giving it some thought, it occurs to me the title The Beekeeper's Apprentice is familiar, but I had no idea what it was about. It now sits sans cover, oddly, in my Kindle awaiting my attention. Thanks again!

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  9. I'm reading up a storm, too. But for four years? Won't something cataclysmic happen soon so this nightmare will be over? I mean, four years of this? The comedians are having fun; I'm not.
    And I'm eating a lion's share of comfort food (read "junk food," i.e., chocolate of any type).
    I'll read O Jerusalem but not this year. I'm trying to finish up a Book Bingo and have to finish a few categories.
    I did like The Beekeeper's Apprentice and The Monstrous Regiment of Women.

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