I enjoyed my reread of A Monstrous Regiment of Women. My most vivid memory of the book was the chapter headings of historical misogynist quotes They make an interesting juxtaposition to Mary Russell's investigation, the times they depict, and her relationship with Sherlock Holmes.
For those who don't know, this is a part of series, begun in the previous book, The Beekeeper's Apprentice which matches Sherlock Holmes with King's creation, Mary Russell. She's only just gained her majority and her inheritance at the beginning of this book; just turned twenty-one to Sherlock Holmes fifty-nine. I like how she's both a match and foil--this American Jewish feminist who read theology and chemistry at Oxford and can more than keep up with Holmes' agile mind, and whenever they're together in this book, it's a treat.
This is set in the England of 1921, after World War I, the age of Jazz, flapper, and the Lost Generation. As Russell herself explains at one point, British women were seen as "surplus." Of six million men of marriageable men at the beginning of the war, two million returned wounded and one million never returned at all. And women, though they finally had the vote, found themselves displaced from positions of responsibility and independence they had held during the war. Enter Margery Childe, the charismatic head of the New Temple of God, which tries to mix feminist theology and politics and give those displaced women a new purpose. Mary Russell is drawn into her circle and into danger when women associated with the Temple are mysteriously killed.
I loved the blend of romance, historical fiction, mystery and suspense. If this shines a bit less than The Beekeeper's Apprentice, its only because the novelty, the delighted shock over King's invention of the character has worn off--the quality has not, and this was a pleasure to read.
