The Beekeeper's Apprentice

This was an excellent female extension of Conan Doyle's work. I enjoyed the mystery greatly.

This was compelling enough that I let the kids stay up late so I could read the end, but lacking enough that I was ultimately a bit disappointed.

Anyone who likes Holmes and doesn't mind some tinkering with him should check it out. I think the main character is a little too much a Mary Sue, and could have used a few more realistic flaws in place of her Tragic Backstory, but just when I would think, “Mary is just too insufferable,” the author would make her look a bit foolish or awkward, and she'd become more sympathetic.

I had figured out the basics of whodunnit pretty early, and I'm not a great hand at that sort of thing, but the ride was pretty absorbing regardless. I appreciate the dual challenge of writing Holmes anew, while creating a character who's his match without being off-putting. In the end, I think Conan Doyle made the right choice to narrate through the approachable Watson, but Mary is fun in her own way too.

Fantastic...