I previously read one of Laurie R. King's "Mary Russell" books more than two years ago, so it was interesting to go back and re-read my comments in light of my latest read, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, which is the first of the "Mary Russell" books.
As I wrote then, Mary Russell should by rights be an unbearable Mary Sue. She's (almost) as smart as Sherlock Holmes, physically very fit, a deadshot aim with a rock (which plays a role in two separate incidents in the novel), and manages to get Holmes off his cocaine habit just by meeting him. And yet... I enjoyed the novel quite a bit. I couldn't even really say why.
King gives us some nice chemistry between Holmes and Russell, and she doesn't try to have Russell over-shadow Holmes. In fact, though Russell is shown to be very fast, in the end Holmes is still the lead. (which makes sense, as he's got a leg up of 40 years' worth of experience).
Having said all that, I still find a little goes a long way, and I imagine it will be a while till I return to the Russell/Holmes duo.
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