Knave of Diamonds: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

By Laurie R. King

Book Overview

Mary Russell's allegiances are tested by the reappearance of her long-lost uncle--and a mystifying case from the past that even Sherlock Holmes could not solve.

When Mary Russell was a child, she adored her black-sheep Uncle Jake. But she hasn't heard from him in many years, and she's assumed that his ne'er-do-well ways had brought him to a bad end somewhere--until he presents himself at her Sussex door. Yes, Jake is back, and with a load of problems for his clever niece. Not the least of which is the reason the family rejected him in the first place: he was involved--somehow--in the infamous disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels from a secure safe in Dublin Castle.

It was a theft that shook a government, enraged a King, threatened the English establishment--and baffled not only the Dublin police and Scotland Yard, but Sherlock Holmes himself. And now, Jake expects Russell to step into the middle of it all? To slip away with him, not telling Homes what she's up to? Knowing that the theft--unsolved, hushed-up, scandalous--must have involved Mycroft Holmes as well?

Naturally, she can do nothing of the sort. Siding with her Uncle Jake, even briefly, could only place her in opposition to both her husband-partner, and to his secretive and powerful brother. She has to tell Jake no.

On the other hand, this is Jake--her father's kid brother, her childhood hero, beloved and long-lost survivor of a diminished family.

Conflicting loyalties and international secrets, blatant lies and blithe deceptions: sounds like another case for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 059387398X
• ISBN13: 9780593873984
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A real page-turner!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballentine for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own unless otherwise noted. This is #19 in the series, and I’m one of those fans who has read them all (in order). The series follows the mystery-solving exploits of Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, and are cleverly written with wit, suspense, and humor. The novel alternates between chapters told from Mary’s point of view, Holmes’ and Mary’s long lost Uncle Jake, whose sudden reappearance and request for help from Mary sets the story in motion as they travel to Ireland to find the infamous missing Irish Crown Jewels. The book starts out a little slowly, but don’t give up as it soon improves and doesn’t let you go until the last page. Satisfying and entertaining – this was a real page-turner!