Mary Russell hasn't seen her roguish Uncle Jake in over a decade, but she has enough fond memories to hear him out when he shows up at her door with a convoluted tale. He asks for her help in tracking down the Irish crown jewels, infamously stolen in 1907. This is particularly awkward because her husband, Sherlock Holmes, was part of the hunt at the time and remains salty that his investigation was quashed. The unlikely trio engages in a fairly low-stakes romp across Ireland, meeting plenty of larger-than-life historical figures as they trace the purloined gems.

Laurie R. King once again displays her extraordinary storytelling skills and masterful prose in book #19 of the Mary Russell and Sherlock Homes historical mystery series. Devotees of the series know that Mary (called Russell in most of the books) is the much younger wife of renowned detective Sherlock Holmes and has become a skilled and trusted participant in her husband's investigations and adventures, along with some of her own.

This story features a character that Russell had thought dead for more than a decade, her Uncle Jake Russell. Jake has often been in trouble as a thief and con man, and he implores his niece to assist him in finding and restoring the Irish Crown Jewels to their rightful owner (despite the fact that he is considered one of the suspects in their theft). Russell knows this could negatively affect her relationship with Sherlock, but Jake was her childhood hero and the younger brother of her deceased father, who had perished along with Mary's mother and brother in a fiery crash years ago.

As always, the descriptions are fascinating and the story is immersive. One of my regrets, however, is that there is a great deal of exposition about Jake and his background, which slows the story down in the early chapters. I also felt the plot was so twisty and had so many characters as to make it difficult to follow (for me, anyway). But King's books are always worth reading, and her impressive research and imagination combine to produce ambitious, beautifully written mystery novels.

My thanks to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher. This book was such a great read that I couldn't put it down. It had everything that I enjoy about this series including a tightly plotted mystery told from multiple viewpoints. Believed to be an orphan, Mary's black sheep uncle making an appearance at her home while Sherlock is away certainly is a shock to her as is the mystery that he quickly pulls her into regarding missing Irish crown jewels. Ms. King does a great job in keeping the reader guessing, and Uncle Jack is a wonderful addition a rich catalogue of supporting characters. Jack's background is slowly reveal and readers can understand why Mary has such fond memories of her uncle. I'm not going to rehash the plot as the book description does a wonderful job. Long time readers of the series won't be disappointed and newcomers will quickly find themselves rushing to find copies of back titles to immerse themselves in the world of Russell and Holmes. I'm looking forward to future titles and hope we get to see Mycroft soon.

After 17 delightful Russell/Holmes adventures, I was stunned to see a new one. After all, Holmes has to be around 80 by now. So while the story is largely Russell's, King finds a way to keep Holmes involved and relevant. Told from three perspectives, the story in fast moving and satisfying. The introduction of Holmes' mother (thought long dead), while not relevant to this adventure, hints at more to come from King. Fans will be thrilled and newcomers to the series will be hooked.

A solid entry in this series. A more fast paced adventure than typically, which I like. I enjoyed the multiple POV’s.

This is a very good Russell and Holmes mystery involving stolen Irish jewels and the reappearance
of Russell’s mysterious Uncle Jake with a new Mrs. Hudson thrown in for good measure.

The knave of diamonds is a story of family loyalty as well as a treasure hunt for cursed gems.

When her black sheep uncle turns up Mary Russell allows herself to be drawn away from her husband, Sherlock Holmes into a nefarious hunt for the fruits of a historically notorious robbery. She knows getting involved is a bad idea but feels obligated after having assumed her uncle was dead most of her life.

What follows is a labyrinthine trip through half lies and half-truths, entanglement with police as well as past victims. She also finds herself tempted to find and keep the treasure instead of returning it to the proper parties.

I have enjoyed all the Mary Russell novels and am reminded of a saying of Holmes, that gems are magnets for crime. It is fascinating watching Mary try repeatedly to search out the various locations where the stolen gems got cached, then moved. It’s a bit like a serial Indiana Jones adventure.

Mary mentions that it was fate that prevented her from being raised by her uncle, and I find myself wondering, with Mary mirroring her uncle's nefarious instincts, if possibly she might more than a niece...

This novel is suitable for Holmesian fans and young adults who are fond of Victorian mysteries.

I love this series and this book may be my favorite so far out of all of them. I loved the different POV's and the storyline. It was engaging, interesting, just delightful. I loved it and can't wait for more Russell and Holmes.

This was a solid entry in the series, though not one I would recommend for newcomers as the first foray into a Russell/Holmes adventure. In many ways, it was more of a character study of Jake Russell and his relationship with Mary than anything. This story was split into three POVs, which is unusual for this series-- Mary, Jake, and Holmes all take turns--but I did enjoy the effect the alternating viewpoints provided. The mystery in this novel is not one that I found to be particularly intriguing or complex; given that it had happened many years prior, it was more of a backdrop for travel and some minor hijinks as Uncle Jake and Russell reconnected. Not my favorite Russell adventure, but an enjoyable book that set up future Holmes an Russell tales.

This was a very pleasant addition to the memoirs of Mary Russell. Long lost black sheep Uncle Jake brings his dubious past baggage to Russell for assistance in resolving an old burglary gone wrong. Holmes becomes involved because he worked on the other side of this theft trying to discover where the Irish crown jewels went. It turns into a delightful little adventure in Ireland with no real danger or consequences, but still a good read.

I must admit to having mixed feelings about this book, but I don't think that's the fault of this particular book. I have loved the Mary Russell series for 20 years now, but have enjoyed the series less and less as the cast of permanent characters has expanded. What I loved was the dynamic & mystery solving abilities of Holmes & Russell together - in many of the recent books, they've been separated for large chunks while other characters take more of the spotlight. They've felt more like platonic business associates than a married partnership in the books published in the last decade or so, That's still the case..

It's not a bad book by any means. If you really enjoy the widening world of the series, you'll probably like this one. I must admit to not particularly caring about Russell's Uncle Jake, and this book is all about Uncle Jake. If you primarily like the Holmes & Russell dynamic, there's not much here.

England, 1920s: Mary Russell and husband Sherlock Holmes have finally returned home, a few days early, unfortunately, but Sherlock’s brother Mycroft needs them. While Sherlock is consulting with his brother in London, Mary’s black sheep Uncle Jake shows up asking for Mary’s help in a not-so-legal endeavor involving the Irish Crown Jewels.

A bit of back story: Russell (as she’s referred to in the books) met Sherlock Holmes on the Sussex downs when she was 15 years old. She had recently lost her parents and brother in a tragic car accident that left her both grieving and recovering from serious physical injuries. She quickly became his apprentice, then his his partner , and then - once Russell was of legal age, of course - his wife. There’s eighteen previous books in the series that describes their many adventures. Meanwhile, her Uncle Jake had disappeared before many years the accident, and based on a single short story, had truly earned the ‘black sheep’ title.

I really enjoyed this book! Some of the Russell books are a bit hit or miss, but this one was a hit - one of my favorites. Ms. King’s writing, as always, is lovely; in this book, she manages to have the point of view of three different characters, all with a distinct voice. And as a bonus, we get to meet Uncle Jake and meet a new delightful character, Mrs. Walsh, a ‘gloriously idiosyncratic kind of gem’.

Highly recommended. Despite it being part of a long running series, I think it works as a stand alone, although I also recommend picking up the others in the series. I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.com which I voluntarily reviewed.

It’s no secret that I love the Russell and Holmes series. I’ve read all the books and enjoyed every one of them. Among the many things I look forward to with each new installment are the clever extensions of the Sherlock Holmes canon as developed by Arthur Conan Doyle. Earlier novels have introduced new members of the Holmes and Adler families and elaborated an entire hidden past for Mrs. Hudson. This one—like “Locked Rooms,” one of my favorites in the series—focuses instead on Mary Russell’s past.

Russell, as she prefers to be known, is, of course, herself an extension of the canon—a female Sherlock Holmes. For the sake of readers who haven’t read as far into the series as I have, I don’t want to say too much about her family situation, which has been gradually revealed over time. “Knave of Diamonds” introduces her uncle, Jacob (Jake) Russell, a charming grifter assumed to have died fourteen years before the novel opens, when Russell was eleven years old. Jake’s last big con before his disappearance involved a set of diamonds known as the Irish Crown Jewels, the theft of which was investigated by, among others, Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes still bears a grudge fourteen years after the fact, because his original investigation and that of the Scotland Yard detective charged with the case were shut down by direct order from the king. So when his brother Mycroft asks Holmes to reopen the investigation on the grounds that the jewels have resurfaced, Sherlock Holmes refuses—until he returns home and realizes that Russell has decamped for Ireland with her uncle Jake …

This is a great addition to the series, well written and fast paced, as they all are. If you already love Russell and Holmes as a detecting pair, don’t hesitate to dive into this one. If you enjoy historical mysteries and haven’t encountered the series before, do yourself a favor and start with “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice.” It won’t take you long to get through that and the next sixteen books.

This one is really good, friends.

I was at first worried about the extra POV because I’m always glad to just stick with Mary, but it worked here with Jake, Holmes, and Mary. A solid entry mixing the real with the imagined. Less introspective than other Mary Russells lately and more fast paced adventure, which I like.

Subtle eddies and tidal pulls will have you gliding seamlessly from point of view to point of view; Mary Russell's trying to keep her eyes on the shore of what is right and true, Sherlock Holmes' deciding upon which body of water he chooses to swim in and Mary's elusive, Uncle Jake Russell who sails under many flags. When her Uncle Jake decides to reenter Mary's life, not uncoincidentally timed for when Holmes is away from home, she chooses to team up with him in Ireland in an attempt to locate the Irish Crown jewels. The same jewels Jake had a hand in stealing long ago. The same jewels that Holmes had a hand in attempting to locate. The same jewels with which Mycroft Holmes' powerful position in government had a role to play in their not being located. Never discount Mary's ability to balance intellect, heart and courage even in such troubled waters.

Every single word on the page was perfectly placed and was a complete joy to read. I literally smiled with delight throughout the book. All the multitude of seemingly magical elements Ms. King has created within this world are present. Mary's indomitable spirit and courageous heart are present in spades. The instances of Holmes' deep caring for her both when she is aware and unaware as well as his protective stance regarding Jake are gems. I cheered as family-deprived Mary learned at her uncle's side about her father and mother's personalities in addition to Russell family history. Sprinkled throughout are touching unspoken glimpses of how Jake reminds Mary of her father and how Mary reminds Jake of her parents. Additionally, the supporting characters are all interesting and highly entertaining. The plot twists and sleight of hand of "where did it go?" and “who done it?” had me guessing up until the last. Thank you Random House Publishing Group and and NetGalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this latest installment of the Mary Russell series. As always, the writing was intelligent and well-researched. I like how the author anchors her fictional characters to real people and historical events. I found the 3 POV a little jarring at times but it did allow for understanding the characters a little better and showing their growing understanding and respect for each other. And an added bonus was having part of the story set in County Wicklow, home of my ancestors.

A cozy and light-hearted adventure, this installment doesn't have much mystery but is a fun exploration of a new character. I agree with other readers that having a second first-person view (Jake's) was a bit jarring, but in the end it didn't detract from the story. This book didn't rely too heavily on the plots of previous volumes, which was fine with me because I realized I really need to do a re-read of the series to refresh my memory of the various relations and revelations that have appeared so far. Laurie King remains one of the best in the business with her evocation of the era and her seamless weaving of historical details, events, and figures into the plot.

Knave of Diamonds returns Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes to England, and just when I had enough time to be pleased with that after several books set in Europe, the story moved to Ireland. Luckily, it came with a new character, Mary's uncle, Jake Russell.

Having just recently re-read Locked Doors, I truly enjoyed this look at the part of Mary's family that had not previously been explored. I also find the books to be at their best when they intersect with real events, and the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels is that for this edition.

I found the book hard to put down and really enjoyed the character additions, especially the new resident of Sussex (I'll avoid saying more due to spoilers). Also, any book where Sherlock gets one up on Mycroft is that bit extra fun!

All in all, it left me happy and ready for the next book in the series whenever it may arrive!

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Russell has fond memories of her Uncle Jake even though he disappeared from her life shortly before her family were killed in a tragic car accident. His knocking on her door in rural Sussex one afternoon knocks her for sixes and sevens. He urgently needs her help with a problem that has haunted him and others for years...the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels. This is the crime of legend that stymied not only Scotland Yard. the government and even the great Sherlock Holmes himself. And Jake wants to drag her into this murky mischief? But Mary can never resist a challenge and the game's afoot. When the "Beekeeper's Apprentice" was released decades ago I was immediately captivated by what I consider the best pastiche of Arthur Conan Doyle's canon ever conceived. The concept of the greatest detective becoming partners with a bespeckled, awkward fifteen year old was mind boggling yet brilliant. This nineteenth entry is just as original and fresh as the beginning. Mary is very much her own woman with skills and abilities that provide a balance to the relationship. Featuring the points of view of the three participants the reader gains in sight into each character's cleverness and their back story. As always King does solid research and the narrative reflects the history culture and society of the times making for an informative and entertaining read. If you have not discovered this treasure of a series you have many hours of enjoyment in store.