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Title: Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon by Larry Millett, John Watson ISBN: 0-14-029644-1 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 02 January, 2001 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.77 (26 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Reasonable Holmes in an unlikely location
Comment: Larry Millett's "Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon" takes the Great Detective from his usual London haunts into the pinelands of northern Minnesota. The results are variable.
The book is overshadowed by Holmes' failure to stop a massive fire that kills hundred of people. While this may seem to give away part of the story, it is plainly revealed in the blurb, broadly hinted at in the introduction, and the extent of the fire is shown on a map before the novel begins!
Instead, the reader gets to watch Holmes seeking to discover who is behind the impending disaster. So, while Millett's depiction of Holmes' deductive activity is fine. Most of the clues Holmes relies upon are in plain sight of the reader, which is not always the case in a Holmes' story, so perhaps some readers can enjoy matching withs with the Great Detective.
I found Millett's portrayl of Holmes a little off-key, and this is highlighted by Watson maiking references to Holmes' unusual behaviour. Not being from Minnesota (or even America!) I cannot comment of the depiction of the area and its people, but for a foreigner they seemed quite natural.
Millett has written two further Holmes novels - "Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murder (hinted at in the closing pages of this book) and "Sherlock Holmes and the Runestone Mystery" - both of which I believe are also set in Minnesota. Based on this book, I believe they are likely to be worth a read.
Rating: 5
Summary: A must read for Holmes aficianados
Comment: This is a must read for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Holmes solves a satisfying mystery in the northwoods of Minnesota in one of the best Sherlock Holmes stories that I have ever read including the originals. The background setting is accurately painted by the first-time novelist, and the book is very well written. All of the elements that make Doyle's characters so popular can be found in the novel as well. There are a cast of interesting characters that can puzzle a reader as to who the red demon is. I guessed who the villian was......
Rating: 3
Summary: I learned more about Minnesota than about Holmes...
Comment: Larry Millett's "The Red Demon" was a decent attempt at a Holmes pastiche. However, there were many flaws that, unfortunately, detracted greatly from my enjoyment of the book. Having myself read the entire canon and multiple pastiches, I found that Millett seemed extrodinarily intent on proving to the reader that he had done his research. Throughout the book, Millett's Watson refers CONSTANTLY to previous Holmes' cases, many of which Doyle never ever wrote! (These were explained as one of the many "unwritten Watson accounts" in the footnotes.)
And speaking of footnotes, they over-ran the entire novel. They ranged from clarifying innumerable details about the Minnesota railway, to basic facts any Holmesian would know. I found both Watson's uncharacteristic voice and the many times needless footnotes distracting.
Millet's Watson proves slower than usual. And as for Holmes, while the entire mystery was interesting, I believe Doyle's Holmes would have discovered the "missing motive" long before the final 30 pages of the novel. It made for a great climax to the novel -- but I felt as though I had to read 250 pages of un-Holmes' like investigation before the traditional Holmes' narrative finally shone through.
The novel overall was entertaining, and the Millett paints a beautiful picture of Minnesota at the turn of the century. However, as I enjoy Holmes more than I do Minnesota history, I won't be reading any of his subsequent novels.
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Title: Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery by Larry Millett ISBN: 014029645X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 31 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders: From the American Chronicles of John H. Watson, M.D by Larry Millett ISBN: 0140280898 Publisher: Penguin USA (Mm) Pub. Date: 01 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance by Larry Millett ISBN: 0142001554 Publisher: Penguin USA (Mm) Pub. Date: October, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes by Larry Millett ISBN: 0142003409 Publisher: Penguin USA (Mm) Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes: A Mystery Featuring Shadwell Rafferty by Larry Millett ISBN: 0670031402 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 14 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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