Just finished reading...

The God of the Hive* by Laurie R. King.

As one of many readers waiting anxiously for the continuation of the story begun in The Language of Bees, I was absolutely thrilled when I learned I was getting one of the coveted ARCs of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

When we last saw Sherlock Holmes, he was spiriting his injured son, Damian Adler away from the "altar" where religious maniac Thomas Brothers had attempted a human sacrifice. At the same time, Holmes' wife Mary Russell is trying to keep Damian's daughter Estelle hidden from Brothers. Mary and Holmes, who work together incredibly well, are separated geographically for much of this book, yet still seem to work in concert.

Meanwhile, Sherlock's brother Mycroft, recovering from a heart attack, has disappeared, and a young, unnamed bureaucrat is orchestrating obscure political processes. (The details of these political machinations is unimportant; it's sufficient to know that they are a bid for power.)

As usual, King's incidental characters are amazingly constructed, particularly the hermit who calls himself Robert Goodman, and the young female doctor who is abducted to care for Damian.

It's difficult to describe the story without giving too much away, but the all the threads described above do end up connecting into a single story, which though it has a more satisfactory conclusion than The Language of Bees, still leaves a few openings for future adventures. And, as usual, King's prose is exquisite and a real pleasure to read.

*ARC received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.