Review: The Game by Laurie R. King

I Mooched this book a few years ago. It's the next in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series that I've been making my way through for the last few months. And it was a doozy.

In this installment, Holmes and Russell are asked to investigate the disappearance of a British border spy in India named Kimball O'Hara - the basis for Kipling's novel Kim. O'Hara hasn't been heard from in quite some time, which is not unusual for a spy in the wilds of India, but some other events have come about which have given the British government (and hence Mycroft) pause. Holmes and Russell head off to British-occupied India to see if they can uncover a trace of O'Hara's whereabouts. On the way, they meet some interesting Americans, who might also be Communist spies. Once in India, Holmes and Russell split up, with Russell visiting a maharaja in a northern Indian state, trying to pick up some word of Kimball O'Hara. But the maharaja seems a bit...unbalanced. Will Russell escape with her life? Will the two find Kimball O'Hara? What is the maharaja up to, anyway?

I really enjoyed this one. I've been craving some fiction set during the British colonial period in India. For some reason, I find this particular time and place in history extremely romantic (think A Little Princess). This story takes place a bit late in the colonial period (1924 - India achieved independence in 1947, I believe), but it still had that flavor that I was looking for. As usual, Russell and Holmes get into and out of some sticky situations, are chased by bad guys, and get their man in the end. Five out of five Whatevers. Love this series!

2012-13