Laurie R. King: Mary Russrll's War

[bibliogramma]

Laurie R. King's novella Mary Russell's War is a prequel to her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, covering the year immediately preceding the first volume of that series. It takes the form of a personal journal kept by Mary during the run-up to, and first year of, the first World War.

The journal alternates between events in Mary's life - which include the traumatic accident in which her parents and brother died, and her decision to leave the custodial care of her paternal grandparents in Boston to return to her mother's home in England - and actual photos and news articles that appeared in various American and British publications during the time period covered by the novella.

It was unintended but somewhat serendipitous that I read this so soon after Remembrance Day; the historical war-related documents included in the journal had perhaps a bit more of an impact than they might otherwise have had on me.

It's quite an introduction to Mary Russell, and plants the seeds of much that comes out slowly during the later books of the series. A quick but enjoyable read, with a distinctly serious quality to both the narrative and the additional material.