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Title: The Problem of the Slipshod Pastiche
Review: Actually, "monstrous" doesn't begin to describe the outrageous liberties which Laurie R. King takes with the master detective in this, her second resurrection of Sherlock Holmes in her Mary Russell series. Nor does that fine word cover the extent of the disappointment which readers, your truly included, feel (or are likely to feel) after trudging through a lame plot - laced with religious philosophy that's about as subtle as being brained with a service revolver - only to arrive at a cliched ending straight out of MACMILLIAN AND WIFE. Those who thrilled to King's truly remarkable THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE will no doubt wish to discover how Mary Russell developes into her own, but be warned: this time, the game is afoot, and it's limping - badly.
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