
Knave of Diamonds
A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
Random House Publishing Group · Print & ebook · June 10, 2025
Mary Russell’s allegiances are tested by the reappearance of her long-lost uncle—and a tantalizing case not even Sherlock Holmes could solve.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A familiar pairing, with enough suspense to keep the tea untouched.
- Genres
- Historical Mystery, Women Detectives, Historical Fiction
- Published
- Random House Publishing Group, June 10, 2025
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genre: Historical Mystery.
The Hound of JusticeClaire O'Dell62% match
The Whole Art of DetectionLyndsay Faye59% match
The Secret HoursMick Herron52% match
Miss AustenGill Hornby52% matchAlso shares Historical Fiction
Pirate King (with Bonus Short Story Beekeeping for Beginners)Laurie R. King77% matchAlso shares Women Detectives
Holmes EntangledGordon McAlpine61% matchAlso shares Historical Fiction
A Study in Scarlet WomenKate Reading, Sherry Thomas64% matchAlso shares Women Detectives
The Frozen PeopleElly Griffiths61% match
For younger readers: The Secrets of Lovelace Academy, Lazarus Machine, Velvet Undercover
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
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.
Continue reading
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.
Familiar Shadows
A familiar pairing, with enough suspense to keep the tea untouched.
Come here for
- Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
- historical-mystery comfort with a sharper edge
Expect
- collector-friendly entry point
- steady, immersive pacing
Where it sits
| Historical Mystery | 94% |
|---|---|
| Women Detectives | 32% |
| Historical Fiction | 31% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Women Detectives
- Historical Mystery
- Suspense
- Authors
- Laurie R. King
- Publisher
- Random House Publishing Group
- Published
- June 10, 2025
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Women Detectives