Laurie R. King
Encyclopedia
Laurie R. King is an American
author
best known for her detective fiction
. Among her books are the Mary Russell series of historical mysteries, featuring Sherlock Holmes
as her mentor and later partner, and a series featuring Kate Martinelli, a fictional lesbian San Francisco, California
, police officer.
King's first book, A Grave Talent
(1993), received the 1994 Edgar Award
for Best First Novel and a 1995 John Creasey Memorial Award
. This was followed by the 1996 Nero Award
, for A Monstrous Regiment of Women
, and the 2002 Macavity Award
for Best Novel, for Folly. She has also been nominated for an Agatha Award
, an Orange Prize, and two more Edgars. Using the pseudonym "Leigh Richards", she has published a futuristic novel, Califia's Daughters (2004).
King earned a BA degree in comparative religion from the University of California, and then completed an MA in Old Testament Theology at Graduate Theological Union where her thesis was on "Feminine Aspects of Yahweh". She later received an honorary doctorate from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific
. She has lived for many years in the hills above Monterey Bay near Santa Cruz, California. From 1977 until his death in early 2009, she was married to the historian, Noel Quinton King. They became the parents of two children, Zoe and Nathan.
53-63.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
best known for her detective fiction
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
. Among her books are the Mary Russell series of historical mysteries, featuring Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
as her mentor and later partner, and a series featuring Kate Martinelli, a fictional lesbian San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, police officer.
King's first book, A Grave Talent
A Grave Talent
A Grave Talent is the first book in Laurie R. King's Kate Martinelli series. Concerning the search for the murderer of several young girls, it won the 1994 Edgar Award for Best First Novel...
(1993), received the 1994 Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for Best First Novel and a 1995 John Creasey Memorial Award
CWA New Blood Dagger
The CWA New Blood Dagger is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association for first books by previously unpublished writers. It is given in memory of CWA founder John Creasey and was previously known as The John Creasey Memorial Award. The award is voted on by past winners and...
. This was followed by the 1996 Nero Award
Nero Award
The Nero Award is a literary award for excellence in the mystery genre presented by The Wolfe Pack, a society founded in 1978 to explore and celebrate the Nero Wolfe stories of Rex Stout...
, for A Monstrous Regiment of Women
A Monstrous Regiment of Women
A Monstrous Regiment of Women is the second book in the Mary Russell series of mystery novels by Laurie R. King.-Explanation of the novel's title:...
, and the 2002 Macavity Award
Macavity Awards
The Macavity Awards are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the "mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The award is given in four categories -- best novel,...
for Best Novel, for Folly. She has also been nominated for an Agatha Award
Agatha Award
The Agatha Awards are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write via the same method as Agatha Christie...
, an Orange Prize, and two more Edgars. Using the pseudonym "Leigh Richards", she has published a futuristic novel, Califia's Daughters (2004).
King earned a BA degree in comparative religion from the University of California, and then completed an MA in Old Testament Theology at Graduate Theological Union where her thesis was on "Feminine Aspects of Yahweh". She later received an honorary doctorate from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific
Church Divinity School of the Pacific
Church Divinity School of the Pacific is one of the eleven seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is located in Berkeley, California, and is a member of the Graduate Theological Union...
. She has lived for many years in the hills above Monterey Bay near Santa Cruz, California. From 1977 until his death in early 2009, she was married to the historian, Noel Quinton King. They became the parents of two children, Zoe and Nathan.
Kate Martinelli mysteries
- A Grave TalentA Grave TalentA Grave Talent is the first book in Laurie R. King's Kate Martinelli series. Concerning the search for the murderer of several young girls, it won the 1994 Edgar Award for Best First Novel...
(1993) ISBN 0-312-08804-3 - To Play the FoolTo Play the FoolTo Play the Fool is the second book in the Kate Martinelli series by Laurie R. King. Preceded by A Grave Talent and followed by the novel With Child, it describes the investigation into the murder of a homeless man.-Plot summary:...
(1995) ISBN 0-312-11907-0 - With ChildWith ChildThis article is about a mystery novel; for information about human pregnancy, see Pregnancy.With Child is the third novel in the Kate Martinelli series by Laurie R. King. In the book, a teenaged girl is kidnapped while she was supposed to be in Kate's care...
(1996) ISBN 0-312-14077-0 - Night WorkNight WorkNight Work is the fourth book in the Kate Martinelli series by Laurie R. King. It is preceded by With Child and followed by The Art of Detection....
(2000) ISBN 0-553-10713-5 - The Art of DetectionThe Art of DetectionThe Art of Detection is the fifth book in the Kate Martinelli series by Laurie R. King. It is preceded by Night Work.-Plot summary:Philip Gilbert, the head of a group of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts, is found dead in a national park's artillery battery...
(2006) ISBN 0-553-80453-7 (Lambda Literary AwardLambda Literary AwardLambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
2006)
Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes mysteries
- The Beekeeper's ApprenticeThe Beekeeper's ApprenticeThe Beekeeper's Apprentice is the first book in the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King. It was nominated for the Agatha best novel award and was deemed a Notable Young Adult book by the American Library Association....
(1994) ISBN 0-312-10423-5 - A Monstrous Regiment of WomenA Monstrous Regiment of WomenA Monstrous Regiment of Women is the second book in the Mary Russell series of mystery novels by Laurie R. King.-Explanation of the novel's title:...
(1995) ISBN 0-312-13565-3 - A Letter of MaryA Letter of MaryA Letter of Mary is the third in the Mary Russell mystery series of novels by Laurie R. King.-Plot summary:August 1923. All is quiet in the Holmes household in Sussex as Mary Russell works on academic research while Sherlock Holmes conducts malodorous chemistry experiments...
(1997) ISBN 0-312-14670-1 - The MoorThe Moor (novel)The Moor is the fourth book in Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King.Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes investigate strange goings-on on Dartmoor. Reprising the setting and some of the plotlines of The Hound of the Baskervilles, Holmes and Russell come to the aid of the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould....
(1998) ISBN 0-312-16934-5 - O JerusalemO Jerusalem (Mary Russell novel)O Jerusalem is the fifth book in the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King.Set during the voyage of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes to the Holy Land, the action of this novel takes place chronologically during the action of The Beekeeper's Apprentice...
(1999) ISBN 0-553-11093-4
(Although written fifth in sequence, the events in this book take place during the latter part of those described in The Beekeeper's Apprentice) - Justice HallJustice HallJustice Hall is the sixth book in the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King. In this installment, Mary Russell has accepted her tumultuous relationship with her now-husband, Sherlock Holmes and is looking forward to some time alone...
(2002) ISBN 0-553-11113-2 - The GameThe Game (Mary Russell novel)The Game is the seventh book in the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King, which focuses on the adventures of Russell and her partner and, later, husband, an aging Sherlock Holmes.-Plot:...
(2004) ISBN 0-553-80194-5 - Locked RoomsLocked RoomsLocked Rooms is the eighth book in the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King. It was published in 2005. Unlike King's previous Mary Russell novels, Locked Rooms is split into 5 separate "books". The books alternate between the familiar Mary Russell first-person narrative and a third-person...
(2005) ISBN 0-553-80197-X - The Language of BeesThe Language of BeesThe Language of Bees is a 2009 mystery novel by American author Laurie R. King. Ninth in King's Mary Russell series, the story features detectives Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes...
(2009) ISBN 0-553-80454-5 - The God of the HiveThe God of the HiveThe God of the Hive is a 2010 mystery novel by American author Laurie R. King. Tenth in the Mary Russell series, the story features married detectives Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes...
(2010) ISBN 0-553-80554-1 - Beekeeping for Beginners (an ebook novella) (2011) ISBN 9780749040598
(This short story describes the early events of The Beekeeper's Apprentice from the point of view of Sherlock Holmes) - Pirate King (2011) ISBN 0-553-80798-6
Non-series books
- A Darker Place (1999)
- Folly (2001)
- Keeping Watch (2003)
- Califia's Daughters (as Leigh Richards) (2004)
- Touchstone (2007) ISBN 978-0553803556
Further reading
Emrys, A. B. "Under Cover of Wartime: Disguised Murder in Works by Rennie Airth, Laurie R. King, Martha Grimes, and Anthony Horowitz." CLUES: A Journal of Detection 25.4 (Summer 2007):53-63.