"In the second Mary Russell story, two years have passed since the events in _The Beekeeper's Apprentice_, and Mary is in her third year at Oxford and about to turn 21 and come into her inheritance. It is the winter of 1920-21. A friend from school introduces her to the New Temple of God and its charismatic leader, the feminist and possible religious mystic Margery Childe. Mary notices that wealthy young women who have volunteered for the church and made room for it in their wills have been dying regularly and mysteriously, much to the organization's enrichment. She decides to probe deeper, with help from her friend and mentor, Sherlock Holmes. King is a fine writer, and though the mystery itself is not all that compelling, her characters -- particularly her narrator/heroine and her excellent evocation of the great private consulting detective -- and the recreation of London in the 1920s are superb."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
"Mary Russell becomes involved with a semi-religious group which is headed by a intriguing woman named Margery Childe. Russell finds the group interesting because of its ties to religion, the social changes it tries to make, and perhaps above all, the odd, intense power Margery seems to have over her followers. There are several murders in this story, but it takes a bit before Russell begins to realize how they are tied together - and how she can determine who's behind them. This story also highlights the depth of Russell's friendship with Sherlock Holmes (it's the sequel to The Beekeeper's Apprentice.)"
, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of A Monstrous Regiment of Women
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 10% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
- Moderately Challenging
Time/era of story:
- 1900-1920's
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 40%
- 70%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- local police w/ IQ of a houseplant
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Religious overtones?
Yes
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in that culture
- politics
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Genius (really!)
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- almost none
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- bulging muscles
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
City:
- London
- dangerous
Misc setting
- moving train
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
- 5-7
Unusual forms of death
- run over
- crushed
- flamed
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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