PIRATE KING

Jenny Sterlin IS Mary Russell, aka, Mrs. Sherlock Holmes. After silent-film industry mogul Randolph Fflytte’s secretary disappears under suspicious circumstances, Inspector Lestrade convinces Russell to go undercover as Fflytte’s new assistant. In her 11th outing, this time without Holmes, Russell grudgingly traipses off to Lisbon, then Morocco, where a film crew is desperately trying to film an action-adventure loosely based on Gilbert and Sullivan’s PIRATES OF PENZANCE. Sterlin delivers Russell’s droll observations with perfect timing. Disturbed by the foolishness of actors, directors, genuine pirates, rumrunners, and other villainous types, Russell laments in a letter to her absent husband, “Holmes, I am awash in a sea of megalomaniacs.” Sterlin’s intelligent performance keeps Laurie R. King’s delightful descriptions, breakneck action, and appealing characters humorous and captivating. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2011]