The Game

Laurie R. King

Mycroft Holmes approaches his brother and sister-in-law about a delicate foreign situation. Could they take a trip to India and find a missing man - Kimball O'Hara, the Kim of Rudyard Kipling's novel? Could they perform some espionage to discover if O'Hara has become a traitor or a victim? And could they take this trip quietly without anyone knowing their purpose? So Sherlock Holmes and his wife, Mary Russell, take a voyage to India.

On the voyage Mary starts learning the language and magic. When they arrive they will disguise themselves as traveling players so they can move freely around the country. They meet the Goodheart family, Americans on the trip that become a nuisance when they try to leave them behind. Later, when Mary (without Holmes at her side) visits the Maharajah, Jimmy, she meets them again.

The Maharajah is the focus of their search. It is believed that O'Hara was last seen with him. Mary soon realizes that Jimmy is an Indian who believes himself to be the king of the land. Since the British rule he has cooperated with them but has not been comfortable. But if O'Hara is there, she doesn't see him. She slips out in the middle of the night to rejoin her husband when Jimmy threatens to keep her with him.

First, Laurie R. King has created an interesting couple with Mary Russell and the older Sherlock Holmes. To understand their relationship it is best to read the earlier novels in this series, especially The Beekeeper's Apprentice and A Monstrous Regiment of Women. But that isn't necessary to enjoy the mystery and the novel.

The phrase "the game" is used throughout the book for espionage by the English. This book takes place in the mid 1920's when Britain still rules much of the world although its power is declining. There are many gung ho military men such as Geoffrey Nesbitt to keep the rule. But India is changing. Lenin is ruling Russia to the north. Ghandi has started his political ascent. There are factions within India that would like to throw off the British yoke. The Game uses all those events to create an intriguing tale.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice
A Monstrous Regiment of Women
A Letter of Mary
The Moor
O Jerusalum
Justice Hall
The Game
Locked Rooms
The Language of Bees