Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes Book Series in Order
In some cases, we earn commissions from affiliate links in our posts.
Many, many books have spawned from some point within the Sherlock Holmes universe, but few are as well-loved as Laurie King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. The award-winning mystery series has been going strong for more than 20 years now, with more than a dozen novels and shorter works now out for all of us to enjoy.
All of Laurie R. King's Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes Book Series in Order
Below, we've included all the full-length novels in order. Shorter works can be found in the next section.
Mary Russell Series, Book 1 | The Beekeeper's Apprentice
It's 1913 and an aging Sherlock Holmes meets 15-year-old Mary Russell when she trips over him on the Sussex Downs. He quickly discovers the young woman to be in possession of an uncommon intellect, and with some persuading, he takes her on as a sort of apprentice. Before too long, Holmes is called to help find an American senator's missing daughter and the two embark on a case with clues connected to Holmes's past.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 2 | A Monstrous Regiment of Women
Now in 1921, we catch up with Mary Russell as a new Oxford graduate with a theology degree – and soon, a sizable inheritance. A more adult form of affection is beginning to grow between young Russell and the 50-something detective, but they'll first have to contend with the mysteries happening at the Temple of God. Its charismatic suffragette leader seems irresistible, but bodies are piling up around her.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 3 | A Letter of Mary
It's 1923 and Mary Russell is now Mary Russell Holmes. As she and her new husband are enjoying a quiet summer, they receive a visit from an old friend, archaeologist Dorothy Ruskin. She leaves an ancient manuscript in their care, then promptly gets herself killed in an accident. In possession of a potentially explosive historical artifact and very much in doubt about the nature of her accident, the two will soon find themselves hot on the trail of a murderer.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 4 | The Moor
Dartmoor has long been a desolate landscape full of myths and superstitions. When Sherlock Holmes summons his wife at Oxford, the two will embark on an investigation relating to death and supernatural phenomena on the moors.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 5 | O Jerusalem
At the end of 1918, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes find themselves in British-occupied Palestine. This time, they're helping out on a mission for His Majesty's government. Disguised as Bedouins, they'll investigate a series of murders in the midst of growing religious tension.
Note: While this book came out fifth, the events of the book take place during The Beekeeper's Apprentice.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 6 | Justice Hall
Returning to a timeline just hours after the events of book 4, another murder shows up at their doorstep. This time, the murder will lead them from a tiny English hamlet to the cosmopolitan city of Paris and the prairie land of the New World.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 7 | The Game
1924 has only just begun and already, Mary and Sherlock find themselves wrapped up in scandal and intrigue. New Year's visit from Mycroft brings a strange package containing the papers of a missing British spy called Kimball O’Hara. Given that O'Hara is an old friend of Sherlock, they soon find themselves headed for India to search for him.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 8 | Locked Rooms
On the way to San Francisco to settle her family's estate, Mary Russell begins to have troubling dreams that hint at a past different from the one she's always described. Over time, a series of mysterious deaths will lead Mary and Sherlock to the truth about her forgotten past.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 9 | The Language of Bees
When Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes returned home after seven months abroad, they find an entire colony of bees has disappeared from Holmes's beloved hives. Soon after, a troubled young man seeks their help in finding his missing wife and child. The ensuing investigation will prove to be one of the most dangerous they've ever faced.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 10 | The God of the Hive
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes have managed to arouse the wrath of a powerful and murderous secrets. secret organization, now they're separated, wanted by the police and on the run from an organization with seemingly limitless resources, though brilliant together, will separating proved to be their downfall. Communicating by coded messages, there's no one they can trust in this fight for their lives.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 11 | Pirate King
At the request of Scotland Yard, Mary Russell goes undercover on the set of silent film King Randolph flights latest production when they set off to film on location in Morocco. Troubles abound in Sherlock Holmes is nowhere to be found
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 12 | Garment of Shadows
in an unfamiliar room in Morocco, Mary Russell wakes up with blood on her hands and no idea who she is. Worse yet, soldiers are pounding on the door. escaping through alleys and rooftops she'll survive by picking locks and pockets as she attempts to figure out the meaning of her one and only clue. a scrap of paper with a mysterious Arabic phrase.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 13 | Dreaming Spies
After a lengthy spell in India for a case Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes are headed to California to handle long neglected family business. On the way they plan to stop briefly in southern Japan. Aboard the ship, however, their plans got a bit more complicated. Holmes recognizes a well connected blackmailer and the pair begin to suspect their Japanese. Something isn't who she claims to be. The ensuing mystery will take them from the unfamiliar city of Tokyo back to The much loved libraries of Oxford
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 14 | The Murder of Mary Russell
Mary Russell is no stranger to dark secrets. Over the years with her husband Sherlock Holmes, they've come across all manner of unsavoury business. Nothing could prepare her, though, for the day a man showed up on their doorstep, holding a gun and claiming to be the son of their housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson.
It seems that can't possibly be true, and yet she believes the man. Then, everything changes in a devastating instant. When the scene is discovered, all the clues point directly to Clara Hudson. The real answers may lie in Mrs. Hudson's secret past. Sherlock will have to put aside his anguish and look deep into his housekeeper's secret life back before she became Clara Hudson.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 15 | Island of the Mad
The last thing Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes need is to deal with an old friend and her mentally ill missing aunt. Ever since the Great War, she's been moved from one asylum to another. Though she seemed to be improving, she's now disappeared entirely after an outing from her hospital. Russell wants nothing to do with the case – but she can't say no.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 16 | Riviera Gold
It's summertime on the French Riviera, and Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes are looking forward to a relaxing summer of warm sun and cool jazz. They soon make new friends with an American couple, the Murphys, but they'll also reunite with their former housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson. She hasn't been seen since she fled England under a cloud of false murder accusations.
When a young man is found dead in Mrs. Hudson's front room, she becomes the chief suspect in yet another murder case. Russell is sure she's innocent, but she'll have to prove it – not only to the police, but to her husband.
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Mary Russell Series, Book 17 | Castle Shade
Something's not right in Roumania. Queen Marie of Roumania, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, has called Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell to help her. The threat, however, is unclear. There are shadowy figures, fake whispers and accidents that might be something far more sinister. Could it be a case of vampires – or a more mundane form of evil?
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Shorter Works in the Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes Series
Most of the Mary Russell short stories can be found in the collection below.
Mary Russell Series | Mary Russell's War & Other Stories of Suspense
This collection offers a number of short Mary Russell stories:
- Mrs Hudson’s Case (1997)
- A Venomous Death (2009)
- My Story (2009)
- Birth of a Green Man (2010)
- A Case in Correspondence (2010)
- Beekeeping for Beginners (2011)
- Mary’s Christmas (2014)
- Mary Russell’s War (2015)
- The Marriage of Mary Russell (2016)
- Stately Holmes (2016)
Get it: Kindle | Audible | Paperback
Will There be More Novels in Laurie R. King's Marry Russell & Sherlock Holmes Series?
At time of writing, author Laurie King is alive and well and in her early 70s. Though recent blog posts have alluded to health and energy issues, there's nothing to suggest she's done writing. In fact, she's spoken at length about projects she hopes to tackle.
We wish her good health and many more years of writing.
