There's an interesting sub-class of mystery stories which probably should be called "Sherlockiana." It's based on Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes short stories and novels, and it usually is the province of other mystery authors trying their hand at pastiches of a Holmes story. Other authors have used the Holmes saga as a background for a more modern mystery - see my recent post here about Julian Symons's "The Kentish Manor Murders."
The approach taken by Laurie R. King is a little different: she has created a character, Mary Russell, who becomes Holmes's apprentice in 1915. Russell is fifteen when she meets - in fact, quite literally, almost steps on - Holmes, after the latter's retirement to the Sussex Downs to keep bees. In the first novel of the series, "The Beekeeper's Apprentice," the two meet, and Russell becomes Holmes's disciple. In this very entertaining book, the two set out to solve a number of smaller mysteries before tackling a much bigger problem - a mysterious murderer who appears to be trying to kill them both.
"The Beekeeper's Apprentice" doesn't exactly fit the mold of a classic mystery, but it is great fun, particularly for those familiar with the Holmes stories. King takes Doyle's character and makes him more approachable and accessible. He is still a genius, but he is matched (or very nearly so) by Mary Russell, who throws deductions back at him and even catches a couple of clues which Holmes had missed completely. I was also amused to find that King gives one of her characters the name "John Dickson" - undoubtedly after John Dickson Carr, who wrote a number of Holmes pastiches with Doyle's son, Adrian, as well as a biography
There are several more novels in King's series featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes - by the way, the reviews tell me that the book is fine for teenagers and young adults as well - and I'm looking forward to reading them.
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