DREAMING SPIES, by Laurie R. King

13/series starring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. Witty, entertaining, full of fascinating detail, and starring two characters who play off each other perfectly (with no clear winner). Delightful! This one features the fascinating Holmes/Russell duo on a cruise from India to California; half-way there, they meet the diminutive Japanese Haruki Sato. The young lady, it turns out, is a...no, if I tell you I give away a lot of the plot. Click here for more...
When they reach Japan, Russell and Holmes are subtly challenged to arrive at a certain small onsen (a hotel around a natural spring, of which Japan abounds) at a certain time. Intrigued, they respond, only to discover they're to meet young Hirohito, future emperor of Japan. Intrigue, international relations, blackmail, aristocratic thieves, and a nice little touch of sadism make this book fabulously readable. The author calls her books "entertainments" and she's spot-on. But they're much more than that. Read one, the first was The Beekeeper's Apprentice, and you'll be hooked. It's a 4.
Find the author at her excellent website www.laurierking.com
For many more book reviews in all genres, go to www.nuts4books.com