Knave of Diamonds Audiobook By Laurie R. King cover art

Knave of Diamonds

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, Book 19

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Knave of Diamonds

By: Laurie R. King
Narrated by: Amy Scanlon, Steven Crossley, Jefferson Mays
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About this listen

Mary Russell’s allegiances are tested by the reappearance of her long-lost uncle—and a tantalizing case not even Sherlock Holmes could solve.

When Mary Russell was a child, she adored her black sheep Uncle Jake. But she hasn’t heard from him in many years, and she assumed that his ne’er-do-well ways had brought him to a bad end somewhere—until he presents himself at her Sussex door. Yes, Jake is back, and with a load of problems for his clever niece. Not the least of which is the reason the family rejected him in the first place: He was involved—somehow—in the infamous disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels from an impregnable safe in Dublin Castle.

It was a theft that shook a government, enraged a king, threatened the English establishment—and baffled not only the Dublin police and Scotland Yard, but Sherlock Holmes himself. And, now, Jake expects Russell to step into the middle of it all? To slip away with him, not telling Holmes what she’s up to? Knowing that the theft—unsolved, hushed-up, scandalous—must have involved Mycroft Holmes as well?

Naturally, she can do nothing of the sort. Siding with her uncle, even briefly, could only place her in opposition to both her husband-partner and his secretive and powerful brother. She has to tell Jake no.

On the other hand, this is Jake—her father’s kid brother, her childhood hero, the beloved and long-lost survivor of a much-diminished family.

Conflicting loyalties and international secrets, blatant lies and blithe deceptions: sounds like another case for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.

The audio-exclusive short story "Two Kids on a Grift" features Uncle Jake, Mary Russell's ne'er-do-well uncle who comes back into her life in Knave of Diamonds. Uncle Jake has made a career out of swindles and scams. So when he spots a couple of kids on the street one day fleecing passers-by in a clever game of three-card-monte, he needs to take a closer look. Why do the kids remind him so much of his niece and her brother … ?

©2025 Laurie R. King (P)2025 Recorded Books
Historical Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Sherlock Holmes Detective
Exciting Adventures • Vivid Descriptions • Outstanding Narrators • Fresh Storytelling • Excellent Plot
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changes in narrator was a bit confusing because they both had the same speaking style.

Different

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Laurie King’s Mary Russell series of books are so much fun. They are brilliantly researched and she captures details of the period that inform the reader of the context in which Russell and Holmes live and work.

Another winner from a prolific writer and a delightful series

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some difference between Jake voiced by Jefferson Mays and the others. I really like Jefferson from the fabulous Expanse series

multiple voices as opposed to Jenny Sterlin, in previous Mary Russell/Holmes books, so viewpoints also differ

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I'm a long time fan and this series is an automatic buy for me. I own the entire series in audio and print. I can't get into the new narrator for Mary. She makes Mary sound so young and immature and lacking the self possession and intelligence that is the very foundation of her character. I also absolutely cannot stand the voice she does for Holmes and her accents are inconsistent. The barrier for Holmes himself was far too stodgy sounding.

The story was interesting if not my favorite. It just felt more surface level than the series typically does and I'm not sure if it was the plot or the narration that lacked the sense of urgency I'm used to in this series. I feel like there were too many unresolved side plots with Jake and Holmes felt like he was phoning it in in places.

Multiple Narrators Not My Favorite

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I felt like there were way too many scenes of characters talking about events in the past, relating what happened, etc. Lots of exposition and not much interaction between characters and not much action, until the very end. It was also very choppy, with three different points of view, instead of just two or one. Sometimes it was interesting to see how different characters viewed the same events, but mostly they just took up the narrative where the last one ended, thus causing discontinuity. I also felt like things were rushed, and oftentimes characters acted out of character. This just didn’t feel like the author’s best work.

I will say, that the three narrators each did a fine job, especially the outstanding Jefferson Mays, who is one of my very favorite narrators! Having three narrators, one for each POV, did help each character feel more real, I think.

However, I don’t think that made up for the subpar plot and execution.

Not the best in the series but still entertaining

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Loved the story and the narration. Great continuation of the Russell and Holmes story. Always fun to learn more about Mary’s family.

Perfect Story

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This story features chapters variously written from the perspective of Mary Russell, of Sherlock Holmes, and of Mary's Uncle Jake. The two voice actors assigned to Holmes and Jake are uneven, esp. the one voicing Jake. The inconsistencies are momentarily confusing rather than seriously detrimental to the story, but they're annoying.

Compared to King's early Russell/Holmes novels, this is less interesting, but it does provide a bit more info about Mary's family, and it intoduces an entertaining new character who is likely to stick around.

decent story with uneven narration

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Loved the storyline and I enjoyed the dramatic reading. A new read format for this series.

Engaging and Different

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Once again Laurie R King has delivered in the Holmes & Russell saga. I'll await the next release, anxious to see where it leads, and curious to see how the new Mrs Hudson and Uncle Jake make appearances. Such a great storyteller and she does such a good job on characters, location, and plot.

Excellent story

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She's done it! Ami has found Russell's Voice! The performance in this story is spot on for Russell -and Holmes. Thank you Ms King for Jake's story at last!

Performance

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