Wow, can you believe it's been 30 years since the most amazing Sherlock Holmes retelling, "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" came out? And that the newest in the series, Book #18 (!), "The Lantern's Dance", just came out?! Join us with author Laurie R. King as we discuss the origin story to this series, the taking on of an icon, the twists and turns of storytelling, and the impact (cultural, social, political, etc) of Holmes and Russell on our collective consciousnesses! Bring your own tea and cake so we can all enjoy a bit of repast during the conversation (honey cake anyone? :).

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About The Beekeeper's Apprentice:

I was fifteen when I first met Sherlock Holmes, fifteen years old with my nose in a book as I walked the Sussex Downs, and nearly stepped on him. In my defence I must say it was an engrossing book, and it was very rare to come across another person in that particular part of the world in that war year of 1915. In my seven weeks of peripatetic reading amongst the sheep (which tended to move out of my way) and the gorse bushes (to which I had painfully developed an instinctive awareness) I had never before stepped on a person.

About The Lantern's Dance:

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes are caught up in a case that turns intensely personal, shining light on a past that even Holmes himself did not suspect. Could there be things about his own history that even the master detective has not yet perceived?

About Laurie:

Laurie R. King is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels and other works, including the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes stories (The Beekeeper’s Apprentice was chosen as one of the “20th Century’s Best Crime Novels” by the IMBA.) She has won the Agatha, Anthony, Creasey, Edgar, Lambda, Macavity, Wolfe, and Romantic Times Career Achievement awards, has an honorary doctorate in theology, and is a Baker Street Irregular. In 2022, she was named Grand Master by Mystery Writers of America. She co-edited (with Lee Child) the new handbook from Mystery Writers of America, How to Write a Mystery, and has a new contemporary series with SFPD Inspector Raquel Laing, beginning with Back to the Garden.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and in partnership with a multitude of MA Libraries.