Dreaming Spies

Narrator Jenny Sterlin is required to be nimble of tongue as Sherlock Holmes's wife, Mary Russell, journeys from Oxford to Japan and back to expose a blackmailer and save the honor of Japan's future emperor. With a variety of native Japanese and English speakers with various accents in conversation together, some voices tread close to clichés, but every one precisely fits author Laurie King's descriptions--whether it's the vaguely Australian-sounding crew member, the arrogant aristocratic youth, or the Japanese. The plot is intricate, with myriad details of Japanese culture, a portrait of shipboard life, and fascinating details on Oxford's Bodleian Library. K.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine