The latest adventure for the intrepid Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes takes readers into the frenetic world of silent films, where the pirates are real and the shooting isn't all done with cameras. In England's young silent-film industry, the megalomaniacal Randolph Fflytte is king. Nevertheless, Mary Russell is dispatched to investigate the criminal activities that surround Fflytte's popular movie studio. So Russell is travelling undercover to Portugal, along with the film crew that is gearing up to shoot a ...
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The latest adventure for the intrepid Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes takes readers into the frenetic world of silent films, where the pirates are real and the shooting isn't all done with cameras. In England's young silent-film industry, the megalomaniacal Randolph Fflytte is king. Nevertheless, Mary Russell is dispatched to investigate the criminal activities that surround Fflytte's popular movie studio. So Russell is travelling undercover to Portugal, along with the film crew that is gearing up to shoot a cinematic extravaganza, Pirate King. Based on Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, the project will either set the standard for movie-making for a generation or sink a boatload of careers. Nothing seems amiss until the enormous company starts rehearsals in Lisbon, where the thirteen blonde-haired, blue-eyed actresses Mary is bemusedly chaperoning meet the swarm of real buccaneers Fflytte has recruited to provide authenticity. But when the crew embarks for Morocco and the actual filming, Russell feels a building storm of trouble: a derelict boat, a film crew with secrets, ominous currents between the pirates, decks awash with budding romance - and now the pirates are ignoring Fflytte and answering only to their dangerous outlaw leader, La Rocha. Plus, there's a spy on board. Where can Sherlock Holmes be? As movie make-believe becomes true terror, Russell and Holmes themselves may experience a final fadeout.
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Add this copy of Pirate King to cart. $8.11, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM.
Add this copy of Pirate King Mary Russell Sherlock Holmes a Thrilling to cart. $10.44, new condition, Sold by Books2anywhere rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fairford, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2012 by Allison & Busby.
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Add this copy of Pirate King Mary Russell Sherlock Holmes a Thrilling to cart. $11.09, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop International rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fairford, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2012 by Allison & Busby.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Add this copy of Pirate King (Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes) to cart. $5.03, like new condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2012 by Allison & Busby.
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Add this copy of Pirate King (Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes) to cart. $5.08, good condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2012 by Allison & Busby.
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Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Add this copy of Pirate King to cart. $15.63, fair condition, Sold by Y-Not-Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Rotherwas, HEREFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2013 by Magna Large Print Books.
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Add this copy of Pirate King to cart. $16.93, good condition, Sold by The Yard Sale Store rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Narrowsburg, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Recorded Books.
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This is the eleventh volume in the author?s ?Mary Russell? series. It is an attempt at humor and adventure where neither Mary nor Sherlock need to save the world, nor even the British Empire. Mary is maneuvered by Sherlock, Lestrade and Mycroft into applying for a secretary/assistant position with a British film producer who is planning on making a movie about pirates. This producer is seen by His Majesty?s Government as Great Britain?s answer to the industry dominance of the American film studios, so his effort must be successful. The fact that certain nefarious transactions seem to dog the footsteps of this producer?s so-far-successful efforts is really of no consequence to his investors (Royal, noble and otherwise), but they do want an official presence to watch out for their interests.
Mary, with her Oxford degree and her multiple Language skills, is a godsend to the producer, whose current assistant has gone missing, as he is planning on filming at locations in the Mediterranean. Eventually she and the ?cast and crew? head off to Portugal to begin their travels. There they find an ideal pirate ship and acquire a crew of pseudo-pirates to man it. From there it is ?off to Morocco? to begin filming their epic.
Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly, so Mary is faced with problems ranging from Languages and seasickness to oversexed cast and crew. She keeps her knowledge of Arabic to herself and so hears more than people intend. The pirates they hired begin to seem more and more real as the ideal pirate ship looks less and less ideal. The complexities grow even faster than the budget and more and more secrets pop out of the woodwork.
As a comedy, the effort falls a bit flat. Many of the situations are amusing, but they do not sing of silliness or resound with offstage laughter. It all seems a bit strained and no one seems happy, ever. Everyone seems to be taking things very seriously and yet no one seems really interested in the people around them. It just reads like a tiresome task that Mary must perform. Nothing is fun, not even the ending, with Mary asked to star in a new picture based on Byron?s ?Corsair? titled ?Pirate Queen.?
As an adventure, this book is interesting. It has lots of thrills and realistic menaces. Much of the Nineteenth Century lurks in out-of-the-way corners of the world, even after The War to end all Wars. The slave trade, both white and otherwise, remains active and Piracy is still profitable if performed discretely. However, the pirates can learn as well as anyone else and the opportunities in this modern world can be dazzling if a bit of imagination is applied. Unfortunately, the author has not really applied herself to creating her trademark intriguing characters. She has produced a variety of personages, but most are not quite filled out or believable. This book is just not up to her usual standard.
