Garment of Shadows by Laurie R King

I have been waiting for this plot line since I started this series. Mary has lost her memory, and is wondering at the blood on her hands and the police at the door. Fleeing from the room, she wanders the streets, discovering that she may be a thieving acrobat. A piece of paper with scribbles on it in her pocket is of no help, while Holmes is miles away meeting a distant relative. As the war in Morocco between France, Spain, and the Rif Revolt draws ominously closer, Holmes must trudge through it all to find his missing wife. While Mary trudges through it all attempting to find herself.

Like I said above, I have been waiting for this novel. Almost every crime/mystery/thriller series I have ever read has at least one novel with someone with amnesia. In this case, it is our protagonist and the lack of memory allows for the reader to view the situation from Holmes' perspective.

King was a genius to involve the history and culture of Morocco, which allowed the reader to follow along and learn. The various speech patterns also allowed for the reader to get a deeper sense of the characters.

Overall I rate this 4 out of 5 stars, mainly because the plot line has been used before. And as I have said I was expecting it.