''O Jerusalem'' is the fifth book in the Mary Russell series by

Laurie R. King Laurie R. King (born September 19, 1952) is an American author best known for her detective fiction. Life and career Born in Oakland, California, King earned a degree in comparative religion from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1977 ...

. Set during the voyage of Mary Russell and

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

, the action of this novel takes place chronologically during the action of ''

The Beekeeper's Apprentice ''The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Or On the Segregation of the Queen'' is the first book in the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King. It was nominated for the Agatha best novel award and was deemed a Notable Young Adult book by the American Libra ...

''. In

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

Mary and Sherlock meet up with Mahmoud and Ali Hazr, two apparently

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...

guides, to counter a plot against the British in Jerusalem under General Edmund Allenby.

Brief character overview

Mary Russell: She is nineteen, and currently on a break from studying theology at Oxford University. During the escapade, she is dressed as a young Bedouin man and must learn the Arabic language on the go. She keeps throwing knives in her boots and has excellent aim.

: The aging detective has recently had his back badly hurt in ''

''. He visited Palestine previously, and so already has experience with the customs and language, to a certain degree. Mahmoud Hazr: He works as a traveling scribe, which covers up that he and Ali are British spies. He has a scar on his face from being previously tortured. He is taciturn and is described as being as steady as a rock. Ali Hazr-: He is Mahmoud's younger brother, and dresses very flamboyantly. He uses a large unwieldy knife for everything, including carving small wooden figures. He has excellent night vision, and is said to have, “Eyes like a cat.” He is highly distrustful of Holmes and Russell when they first come. Joshua: He is a spymaster, whom the Hazrs report to. He collects reports from a small shack outside of Beersheva. He was in France fighting in the trenches for six months during World War I and works for the British Empire.

External links

Laurie R. King official website
1999 American novels Mary Russell (book series) Sherlock Holmes pastiches Novels set in Israel Fiction set in 1918 Novels set in Jerusalem Bantam Books books {{1990s-hist-mystery-novel-stub