Dreaming Spies (2015) by Laurie R. King is the thirteenth installment in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series, a richly atmospheric mystery that blends Golden Age sleuthing with Japanese cultural intrigue. Set in 1925, the novel follows Russell and Holmes as they board an ocean liner to California, only to be drawn into the schemes of a blackmailer targeting British aristocracy—and a missing rare book tied to imperial Japan. Their journey detours to rural Japan, where they train in ninjutsu under the enigmatic Haruki Sato, while unraveling a plot involving political assassination and a stolen haiku scroll that could destabilize East-West relations.
King’s meticulous research shines in her depiction of Taishō-era Japan—its tea ceremonies, spy networks, and the rising tensions foreshadowing WWII. The novel’s dual timeline (with a 1924 Oxford coda) deepens the emotional stakes, revealing Russell’s vulnerability and Holmes’s uncharacteristic humility in a foreign land.
A standout for series fans, offering less whodunit than why-dunit, with lyrical prose and geopolitical nuance.
