The Beekeeper's Apprentice cover art

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, Book 1

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

By: Laurie R. King
Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Only £0.99 a month for the first 3 months. Pay £0.99 for the first 3 months, and £8.99/month thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Start my membership

About this listen

It's 1914, and a bold, young American called Mary Russell is about to experience a rather dynamic change of life. Deep in the rural English countryside, she meets a retired beekeeper by the name of Sherlock Holmes. Although many years have passed since he astonished Watson by solving Scotland Yard's most baffling crimes, The Great Detective is still very much in possession of his excellent faculties.

Surprisingly for both of them, he sees Mary's untapped potential for his old line of work. When Holmes' greatest enemy returns with a diabolically resourceful plan of revenge, Holmes realises he's facing the case of his lifetime - and that he needs Mary's help to solve it.

©1994 Laurie R. King (P)2002 W F Howes Ltd Detective Historical Mystery Traditional Detectives Fiction Sherlock Holmes Suspense Crime

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Brother Cadfael cover art
The Mammoth Book of the Adventures of Moriarty cover art
Thunderhead cover art
Into the Wilderness cover art
Murder Is Binding cover art
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin cover art
The Anglesey Murders: Unholy Island cover art
The Very First Damned Thing cover art
Virgins cover art
A Great Deliverance cover art
Glass and Steele Boxed Set: Books 1-3 cover art
Speaks the Nightbird cover art
New Spring cover art
Crocodile on the Sandbank cover art
Troubles cover art
Bleeding Heart Square cover art
All stars
Most relevant
I love this block of work by Laurie King and having read them all I was worried that hearing it read by someone couldn’t possibly match that, but apart from the first chapter (which is disconcertingly read in the authors American voice) the book has been completely enthralling, delivered at a perfect pace and with great characterisation. Looking forward to listening to more.

Amazing book really well read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is an excellent collection of books, weaving a wholly believable story. The characters are clear from the beginning and the storyline as good as Conan-Doyle would have produced. Highly recommended and I believe would make an excellent TV miniseries.

The clarity and annunciation of the reader

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve read these books and enjoyed everyone but I just can’t continue the series with this dreary monotone voice with not a hint of humour . All of Mary’s character and the wit and banter between her and Holmes is reduced to a tedious recitation with no tension. It really is awful and very disappointing as I would have gradually worked my way happily through the entire series but I have given up half way through book two.

Love the story but can’t stand the narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Note: The characters have English accents. Only the introduction is in an American one, which you hear in the clip.

This first in a series introduces a new character Mary Russell who is to become the retired Holmes new partner in the adventures ahead. The first part of the book covers the building of this partnership which needs doing when you're introducing a new character into the very established world of Sherlock Holmes. I found Mary an interesting character in her own right which is a credit to the author. Mrs Hudson is involved as is Watson which was a nice touch. It's different to the Conan Doyle original in that there is a lot more about the characters and the plot develops at a slower pace. I really enjoyed it, I was very impressed by the writing and Jenny Sterlin's Holmes voice was okay.

Holmes' later years.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Ignore the boring old men who came for more Sherlock Holmes, this is an exquisitely constructed homage sequel to the works of Conan Doyle but stands up very well in its own right. Unless you need a man to he front and centre in your fiction, you'll enjoy this action mystery as well as I have.

Beautifully written and engaging

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews