An Agatha Award Best Novel Nominee Named One of the Century's Best 100 Mysteries by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association From "New York Times" bestselling author Laurie R. King comes the book that introduced us to the ingenious Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes mysteries In 1915, Sherlock Holmes is retired and quietly engaged in the study of honeybees when a young woman literally stumbles into him on the Sussex Downs. Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes--and match him wit for wit. Under his reluctant tutelage, this very modern twentieth-century woman proves a deft protegee and a fitting partner for the Victorian detective. In their first case together, they must track down a kidnapped American senator's daughter and confront a truly cunning adversary--a bomber who has set trip wires for the sleuths and who will stop at nothing to end their partnership. Full of brilliant deductions, disguises, and dangers, this first book of the Mary Russell--Sherlock Holmes mysteries is "wonderfully original and entertaining . . . absorbing from beginning to end" ("Booklist").

勞拉·金（Laurie R. King），齣生於1952年，美國著名推理小說傢，著作數十部，部部登上暢銷書排行榜，其中“瑪麗·羅素與大偵探福爾摩斯”係列令其聲名遠播。

迄今她已獲得並提名瞭幾乎全部推理界的奬項，堪稱阿加莎·剋裏斯蒂之後的女性推理小說傢。這些奬項包括美國偵探作傢協會頒發的全世界偵探小說奬項埃德加·愛倫·坡奬，美國國傢懸疑作品協會頒發的美國著名推理小說奬項阿加莎奬，英國重要的文學奬項之一橘子奬，以及尼祿·沃爾夫奬、剋利西奬、麥剋維蒂奬、巴利奬等等。

請登錄作者個人網站參與活動：http://laurierking.com/