The God of the Hive: the new Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes story

When the latest book in a beloved series is released, I rush to read it, to find out the latest news and adventures from familiar characters.
I reviewed The Language of Bees last year, in which Sherlock Holmes is approached by his estranged son for help in locating the son's missing wife and young daughter. When the wife turns up dead, Sherlock's son is the prime suspect and they must elude Scotland Yard while working to clear the son's name. At the climax of the story, a faceoff with a religious madman, when a suspense novel would traditionally tie up the loose ends, this one ended "To be continued" instead!
In the continuation, The God of the Hive, Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell are separated during their attempts to protect Sherlock's son and granddaughter. Perilous travels by airplane and boat through remote parts of Scotland endanger various lives, and although both Sherlock and Mary are trying to make it safely back to London, neither is sure whether London will be safe for them at all. When Sherlock's brother Mycroft Holmes, a secretive leader of government intelligence operations, is reported to have been questioned by Scotland Yard and then gone missing, the group realizes that something much bigger and much more dangerous than just a religious madman is at work in the country. With each member of the team working in isolation for their own safety, when the obituary of a key character appears in The Times, the remaining members panic, mourn, and craft a plan to draw out the invisible adversary.
Author Laurie R. King is a natural storyteller. This book is every bit as adventurous, suspenseful, well narrated, and masterfully constructed as the previous novels in this series. With new characters introduced, richer and more complex backgrounds for familiar characters, and a fast moving story, this latest installment in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series will not disappoint!
Read my original review of the first book in this series The Beekeeper's Apprentice or check out any of the books in this series from the library.
Bonus for listeners: All of the books in this series have been recorded as audiobooks by the excellent and talented narrator Jenny Sterlin.

354 pages.