Rating: 
Summary: Mr. Millett, Give Me a Break!
Review: After reading the disasters that Meyer claims to be the further adventures of Sherlock Holmes's ("The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" and "The West End Horror"), I thought that Millett would provide a better treatment of the Holmes's world. He DID NOT.I had to suffer reading this book, which is not a mystery (just like the horrible "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution"), there was not real interesting way to reach the villain. It begins in London, where Holmes was invited by a rich American to Minnesota. This is the first author I read for who brings Holmes to America. That is not bad. Changing the British spelling into American was not bad either. The plot was. If you have read the Doyle's version of Holmes you would not like this new version. Here Holmes did not appear to be so intelligent. Watson was as dumb as ever. After reaching Minnesota, Holmes starts his investigation which leads him to a whore house, and there a strange episode occurs to Watson with two twin prostitutes. I did not like it. In my opinion, Millett's style had ruined Holmes. In the end a big fire takes place, and Holmes helps people ... as if he is a fire fighter. Anyway, I hated the book. You are welcome to read it, but do not expect me to urge you to do so.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent pastiche, satisfies without thrills...
Review: As a huge Holmes fan, and great admirer of Doyle, I am always looking for a pastiche that will transport me into the world of Holmes and Watson. While Millet has suceeded in conveying the right tone and pacing (both usually missed by Doyle imitators) he disappoints slightly in the lack of what one might call "character juice" - and simply puts the Holmes and Watson we know so well through their very familiar paces as Holmes tries to prevent an arsonist from destroying a railroad and many people in a remote Minnesota town. Besides adding nothing new to the character lore, Millet disappoints with his villain and secondary characters, and misses a real chance to play up cultural differences by placing a couple of London Victorian dandies in the Wild West. Despite these missed opportunities, plot, dialogue and details ultimately satisfy as a light Holmes read.
Rating:
Summary: Decent pastiche, satisfies without thrills...
Review: As a huge Holmes fan, and great admirer of Doyle, I am always looking for a pastiche that will transport me into the world of Holmes and Watson. While Millet has suceeded in conveying the right tone and pacing (both usually missed by Doyle imitators) he disappoints slightly in the lack of what one might call "character juice" - and simply puts the Holmes and Watson we know so well through their very familiar paces as Holmes tries to prevent an arsonist from destroying a railroad and many people in a remote Minnesota town. Besides adding nothing new to the character lore, Millet disappoints with his villain and secondary characters, and misses a real chance to play up cultural differences by placing a couple of London Victorian dandies in the Wild West. Despite these missed opportunities, plot, dialogue and details ultimately satisfy as a light Holmes read.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Conan-Doyle redux
Review: As an ardent,purist Holmes fan I was pleasantly surprised by Larry Millet's grasp of the Conan-Doyle style of writing. Bravo! I look forward to the sequels.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read captures holmes and watson interplay
Review: Author Larry Millett has written an amusing well researched pastiche. Holmes fans will love this book. If you are a Rathbone & bruce fan you will especially love the book. The books watson is reminscent of nigel bruce's charcterization. Amust read
Rating:
Summary: The game is afoot! (Spoiler)
Review: I am a Sherlock Holmes fan. Not a rabid fan, but a fan nonetheless. I cannot possibly successfully debate the finer points of Holmes trivia with anyone, but I do enjoy the stories by Doyle and others, and the many radio plays, movies and TV series involving the characters. In the Raymond Benson James Bond series, I discuss why I have problems rating books a '1' or a '5'. I will not repeat it here. Suffice to say that, except for some minor issues I have with Millet's writing, I could push this book towards a '5'. A '4', though, will have to do. Millet, I feel, creates a scenario with Holmes and Watson that I find believable. I can accept the characters in their situation, I can accept their dialog, and I can accept how they approach a given situation and work its solution. That is vital to any set of characters, but particularly so where the protagonists have already been created and discussed at length. In my mind there is a clear picture of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, and they mesh well with Millet's creation. He has found the character's souls, and he uses them well. What struck me most with Millet's writing is a scene where Holmes is pacing a room, deep in thought, and Watson describes Holmes as "frustrated with having to wait for real events to catch up with the swift workings of his mind." A beautiful description of Holmes and his personality, and one that sticks with me. This behavior of Holmes is present not just in Sir Doyle's work, but in his followers as well. It is the quintessential Holmes. Millet also writes a thrilling conclusion. The race to save townspeople from the raging inferno as Bill Best holds the train far later than is safe was a page turner of the highest level. I could not have put the book down and stopped reading even if that inferno was bearing down on my chair. And as it described on a real-life event (there really was a Bill Best, and he really did hold a train for fleeing residents as the town burned around him), it was all the more chilling. I could visualize every detail as I read, picture the people fleeing the walls of fire, and hear the cries of terror and the tension of their panic. Now THAT was a climax. Given that, why not a '5'? Sorry to say, but Millet enjoys far too much in the Holmes quirk of describing everything about a person when they first meet. This is heavily overused, and greatly interrupts the story flow as I mentally shout, "What, again?!?" I just couldn't give this story a '5'. Overall, though, a highly entertaining book, and one that I will reread again. I recommend that you check it out as well.
Rating:
Summary: The game is afoot! (Spoiler)
Review: I am a Sherlock Holmes fan. Not a rabid fan, but a fan nonetheless. I cannot possibly successfully debate the finer points of Holmes trivia with anyone, but I do enjoy the stories by Doyle and others, and the many radio plays, movies and TV series involving the characters. In the Raymond Benson James Bond series, I discuss why I have problems rating books a '1' or a '5'. I will not repeat it here. Suffice to say that, except for some minor issues I have with Millet's writing, I could push this book towards a '5'. A '4', though, will have to do. Millet, I feel, creates a scenario with Holmes and Watson that I find believable. I can accept the characters in their situation, I can accept their dialog, and I can accept how they approach a given situation and work its solution. That is vital to any set of characters, but particularly so where the protagonists have already been created and discussed at length. In my mind there is a clear picture of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, and they mesh well with Millet's creation. He has found the character's souls, and he uses them well. What struck me most with Millet's writing is a scene where Holmes is pacing a room, deep in thought, and Watson describes Holmes as "frustrated with having to wait for real events to catch up with the swift workings of his mind." A beautiful description of Holmes and his personality, and one that sticks with me. This behavior of Holmes is present not just in Sir Doyle's work, but in his followers as well. It is the quintessential Holmes. Millet also writes a thrilling conclusion. The race to save townspeople from the raging inferno as Bill Best holds the train far later than is safe was a page turner of the highest level. I could not have put the book down and stopped reading even if that inferno was bearing down on my chair. And as it described on a real-life event (there really was a Bill Best, and he really did hold a train for fleeing residents as the town burned around him), it was all the more chilling. I could visualize every detail as I read, picture the people fleeing the walls of fire, and hear the cries of terror and the tension of their panic. Now THAT was a climax. Given that, why not a '5'? Sorry to say, but Millet enjoys far too much in the Holmes quirk of describing everything about a person when they first meet. This is heavily overused, and greatly interrupts the story flow as I mentally shout, "What, again?!?" I just couldn't give this story a '5'. Overall, though, a highly entertaining book, and one that I will reread again. I recommend that you check it out as well.
Rating:
Summary: Holmes in Minnesotta
Review: I didn't think it would work, Sherlock Holmes AND Minnesotta. However, Millett pulls it off excellently. He does a good job of keeping to Doyle's style and paints an excellent background for the story to take place in. Very good for a first time.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good....
Review: I found this book to a quick read (although it is over 300 pages) and a worthwhile one. I have not read Holmes stories in quite a while, but when I discovered this book in a bookstore I decided to give it a try. If you like Holmes and mysteries, then you'll like this book. There are lots of interesting characters and the setting itself is interesting as well. The only drawback to this book is that the villain is unmasked to be someone quite unexpected, although if this is to be considered a drawback, there sure are a lot of mystery books with drawbacks! Anyhow, Millett offers a good and believable explanation as to how the villain did the deed and why. All in all, a good read (Millett writes well and reads easily) and a better than average "mystery". Many people have voiced negative opinions concerning the "end-notes" found in the book, but I quite liked them and found them to be helpfull and educational. Four out of five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading!!
Review: I grew up in a small town about 20 miles from Hinckley, MN, so stories of the Hinckley Fire have been a part of my life ever since I can remember. I am also a major Sherlock Holmes fan, and I was very glad to see this book come out. Historically, the book is very accurate and well researched, but the real appeal of the book was Holmes. A whole different side of him appears in this book that I found very refreshing and very interesting. All in all, this book combines my favorite literary character with a story I'm highly familiar with, and I give it a 10+
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