O Jerusalem

Praise for

O J
ERUSALEM

“King’s considerable talent makes history virtually leap
off the page.… READERS CAN’T LOSE.”

—
Booklist

“King’s impeccable research combines with her
colorful, fully drawn characters to make this
ANOTHER MEMORABLE ADDITION TO A
STRONG SERIES.”

—
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

“The portrait of the region and of Jerusalem is
IRRESISTIBLE.… A story that is part spy, part
murder mystery … and part thriller moving to AN
EXPLOSIVE CLIMAX.”

—
Booknews
from The Poisoned Pen

“VIVID … a SATISFYING and dramatic
conclusion.”

—
Library Journal

Praise for Russell and Holmes’s
previous adventures

T
HE
B
EEKEEPER’S
A
PPRENTICE

Editor’s Choice of 1994,
The Drood Review of Mystery

“Wonderful: an intelligently and imaginatively crafted
novel that’s also great fun.”

“ROUSING … RIVETING … SUSPENSEFUL.”

—
Chicago Sun-Times

“REMARKABLY BEGUILING.”

—
The Boston Globe

“Worthy and welcome, with the power to charm the
most grizzled Baker Street Irregular.”

—
Daily News,
New York

A M
ONSTROUS
R
EGIMENT OF
W
OMEN

“AS AUDACIOUS AS IT IS ENTERTAINING AND
MOVING.”

—
Chicago Tribune

“BEGUILING … TANTALIZING.”

—
The Boston Globe

“ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST … Enormously
appealing … Rich in atmosphere and a plot that
will keep the reader breathing hard.”

—
Mostly Murder

A L
ETTER OF
M
ARY

“A LIVELY ADVENTURE IN THE VERY BEST OF
INTELLECTUAL COMPANY.”

—
The New York Times Book Review

“The great marvel of King’s series is that she’s
managed to preserve the integrity of Holmes’s
character and yet somehow conjure up a woman
astute, edgy, and compelling enough to be the partner
of his mind as well as his heart. … SUPERB.”

—
The Washington Post Book World

“SUSPENSEFUL … Laurie R. King takes England
and literature’s most famous detective with masterful
aplomb. I loved it.”

—Elizabeth George

“AN INTELLECTUAL PUZZLER, full of bright red
herrings and DAZZLING asides.”

—
Chicago Tribune

T
HE
M
OOR

“THERE’S NO RESISTING THE APPEAL OF
KING’S THRILLINGLY MOODY SCENES OF
DARTMOOR and her lovely evocations of its legends.”

—
The New York Times Book Review

“ERUDITE, FASCINATING … by all odds the most
successful recreation of the famous inhabitant of
221B Baker Street ever attempted.”

—
Houston Chronicle

“King has the tone, mood, and voice precisely right.
… Very good—AS SATISFYING AT THIS TIME OF
YEAR AS A TRULY RICH FRUITCAKE.”

—
The Boston Globe

Raves for King’s stand-alone thriller

A D
ARKER
P
LACE

“Laurie R. King delivers a story that … casts a spell
of psychological terror more visceral than any serial
killer melodrama that, for the thoughtful reader, offers
intellectual rewards as well.”

—
The San Diego Union-Tribune

“A nail-biter thriller.”

—
The New York Times Book Review

“A literary thriller to end all literary thrillers.”

—
Booknews
from The Poisoned Pen

“A terrific book. The many fans of Laurie R. King’s
two series … will not regret that she takes us in a
different direction and to a ‘darker place.’ A real
page-turner.”

—
The Drood Review of Mystery

“King is an original and skilled writing talent, and
Waverly is one of the more fascinating new
protagonists to come along.”

—
The Plain Dealer,
Cleveland

“Murky, complex, deeply disturbing and aptly titled
… Highly original.”

—
The Denver Post

“King always writes well, and her stories sweep along
with an inexorable force that comes from a power
greater than mere skillful plotting. …
A DARKER
PLACE
is a fine study of sympathy and how it clouds
our judgment about integrity.”

—
The Boston Globe

abayya
a robe worn over a long skirt or loose trousers and shirt

afreet
a demon or troublesome imp

agahl
a heavy ropelike wrap that holds the
kuffiyah
on the head

aleikum es-salaam
a greeting (response to
salaam aleikum
)

bakshish
a payment, tip, bribe, or donation

burkah
a concealing woman’s garment

effendi
an honorary address

fellah/fellahin
peasant, countryman

firengi
a foreigner, a “Frank”

Ghor
the low-lying Jordan River valley

imam
Muslim religious leader

insh’allah
a saying: if it is God’s will

kuffiyah
a loose headcloth

laban
a drink of sour milk or diluted yogurt

maalesh
a saying: oh, well …

muezzin
the man who calls the faithful to prayer from a mosque

mukhtar
headman of a village

mullah
a Muslim religious leader

narghile
a water pipe

saj
curved sheet of steel used to cook flat bread over a fire

salaam aleikum
a greeting: peace be with you

sitt
Mrs., Madam

souk
or
suq
bazaar

wadi
water-cut valley, often dry but for sudden floods

wallah!
an expression of surprise: by God!

ya walud
an expression of greeting or to call attention