Castle Shade by Laurie R. King

CASTLE SHADE by Laurie R. King is the latest in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series (beginning with Beekeeper’s Apprentice through last year’s Riviera Gold). This time the duo are off to Transylvania and the suspense, complete with local superstition and folklore, mounts. After all, “there’s nothing like a long winter with a forest outside to stir the imagination.” Their client is the Queen of Roumania (yes, an actual historical figure) whose daughter, Ileana is threatened. Russell and Holmes alternate as chapter narrators, moving the story along as they visit Castle Bran and meet the servants and townspeople. Suspicious happenings (scary fall, bloody injury) gradually escalate to evening attacks and chloroformed kidnappings. King cleverly conveys a sense of menace with plenty of action and many references to real life characters. I enjoyed the mystery and often found myself taking a tangent to learn more about the royal family and others, like the nobleman Barbu Stirbey, rumored to be Queen Marie’s lover.  CASTLE SHADE received a starred review from Library Journal.  Enjoy!