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Sherlock Holmes in Minnesota #8
Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma
Dogged by depression, doubt, and as a trip to the Mayo Clinic has revealed emphysema, 66-year-old Sherlock Holmes is preparing to return to England when he receives a a note slipped under his hotel room door, from a vicious murderer he d nearly captured in Munich in 1892. The murderer, known as the Monster of Munich, announces that he has relocated to Eisendorf, a tiny village near the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
If Holmes is not what he once was, the same can be said for once a thriving community founded by German idealists but now a dying town with only forty residents two of whom have, indeed, died recently under highly mysterious circumstances. Replete with all the gothic richness of Larry Millett s earlier Holmes novels, Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma links events in 1892 Germany with those in small-town Minnesota in 1920 in a double mystery that tests the aging detective s mettle and the reader s nerve as never before.
Guided by Eisendorf s peculiar archivist and taunted by the Monster, Holmes finds himself drawn into the town s dark history of violence and secrecy, and into the strange tunnels that underscore the old flour mill where answers, and grievous danger, lie in wait. No longer the cool, flawless logician of times past, Holmes must nonetheless match wits with a fiendish opponent who taunts him right up to a final, explosive confrontation.
"
If Holmes is not what he once was, the same can be said for once a thriving community founded by German idealists but now a dying town with only forty residents two of whom have, indeed, died recently under highly mysterious circumstances. Replete with all the gothic richness of Larry Millett s earlier Holmes novels, Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma links events in 1892 Germany with those in small-town Minnesota in 1920 in a double mystery that tests the aging detective s mettle and the reader s nerve as never before.
Guided by Eisendorf s peculiar archivist and taunted by the Monster, Holmes finds himself drawn into the town s dark history of violence and secrecy, and into the strange tunnels that underscore the old flour mill where answers, and grievous danger, lie in wait. No longer the cool, flawless logician of times past, Holmes must nonetheless match wits with a fiendish opponent who taunts him right up to a final, explosive confrontation.
"
301 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2017
23 people are currently reading
556 people want to read
About the author
Larry Millett
50 books79 followersLarry Millett has combined his interest in journalism, architectural history, and mystery fiction to create an unusual writing career. A native of Minneapolis, he attended school there and then went on to obtain a bachelor’s degrees in English from St. John’s University and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago.
He began working as a general assignment reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 1972 and became the newspaper’s first architecture critic after a year of study on a fellowship to the University of Michigan.
Larry’s first book, The Curve of the Arch, appeared in 1985. Since then, he’s written eleven other works of nonfiction, including Lost Twin Cities, which has been in continuous print for more than twenty years.
Larry began writing mystery fiction in 1996 by bringing the world’s most famous consulting detective to Minnesota for The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon. He’s published six other novels featuring Holmes, Dr. Watson, and St. Paul saloonkeeper Shadwell Rafferty.
Larry lives in St. Paul’s historic West Seventh Street neighborhood with his wife and occasional writing partner, Jodie Ahern, who is also an accomplished painter and a freelance copy editor.
He began working as a general assignment reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 1972 and became the newspaper’s first architecture critic after a year of study on a fellowship to the University of Michigan.
Larry’s first book, The Curve of the Arch, appeared in 1985. Since then, he’s written eleven other works of nonfiction, including Lost Twin Cities, which has been in continuous print for more than twenty years.
Larry began writing mystery fiction in 1996 by bringing the world’s most famous consulting detective to Minnesota for The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon. He’s published six other novels featuring Holmes, Dr. Watson, and St. Paul saloonkeeper Shadwell Rafferty.
Larry lives in St. Paul’s historic West Seventh Street neighborhood with his wife and occasional writing partner, Jodie Ahern, who is also an accomplished painter and a freelance copy editor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 4, 2018
Excellent book! I love all the detail and the colorful characters.
August 8, 2017
Meet a more mature Sherlock Holmes.
I can't claim to be an expert in Sherlock Holmes, so I can't judge Larry Millett's version as in-keeping, or otherwise, with the genre of Holmes also-rans, but it kept my attention and benefited from the narration by Steve Hendrickson.
The Sherlock Holmes of this novel is a much older, less fit version of the man in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books. He is visiting the Mayo clinic in Minnesota, US, to find answers to his health problems and comes away with a diagnosis of emphysema, from years of smoking.
As he prepares to return to England, he receives a note under his hotel door, from a past adversary, The Monster of Munch. The Monster had evaded capture nearly thirty years earlier and is now living in near-by Eisendorf. He issues a challenge that Holmes's pride cannot allow him to ignore.
So Holmes visits the ailing town of Eisendorf, with only forty residents remaining. They are a fascinating characters bunch of though, all of German descent, who relocated to this part of America in three waves and very few of whom remain.
There is secrecy and violence, a fascinating series of tunnels and a somewhat simple girl who wears angel wings and a tiara. An interesting mix, and plenty of puzzles for Holmes to solve.
I listened to this rather than reading it and enjoyed Steve Hendrickson's voice, which was perfect for Sherlock Holmes. His characters were easily distinguishable, just his German voices didn't quite ring true.
With thanks to Audiobook Boom for the audio version in exchange for an unbiased review.
I can't claim to be an expert in Sherlock Holmes, so I can't judge Larry Millett's version as in-keeping, or otherwise, with the genre of Holmes also-rans, but it kept my attention and benefited from the narration by Steve Hendrickson.
The Sherlock Holmes of this novel is a much older, less fit version of the man in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books. He is visiting the Mayo clinic in Minnesota, US, to find answers to his health problems and comes away with a diagnosis of emphysema, from years of smoking.
As he prepares to return to England, he receives a note under his hotel door, from a past adversary, The Monster of Munch. The Monster had evaded capture nearly thirty years earlier and is now living in near-by Eisendorf. He issues a challenge that Holmes's pride cannot allow him to ignore.
So Holmes visits the ailing town of Eisendorf, with only forty residents remaining. They are a fascinating characters bunch of though, all of German descent, who relocated to this part of America in three waves and very few of whom remain.
There is secrecy and violence, a fascinating series of tunnels and a somewhat simple girl who wears angel wings and a tiara. An interesting mix, and plenty of puzzles for Holmes to solve.
I listened to this rather than reading it and enjoyed Steve Hendrickson's voice, which was perfect for Sherlock Holmes. His characters were easily distinguishable, just his German voices didn't quite ring true.
With thanks to Audiobook Boom for the audio version in exchange for an unbiased review.
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June 29, 2017I just can't get into this right now. Stopping at 11%, and I'll pick it up again at some point in the future when I'm more in the mood
February 13, 2017
Actually 3.5 stars but I have rounded up.
Firstly I will start with the disclaimer that I haven't actually read many of the original Holmes books. I am very familiar with the characters but this is mostly from the old TV shows (not the new one, that's a whole other entity in itself) so I read this with that in mind rather than comparing with Conan Doyle's original books and, on that basis, I did enjoy it.
So Holmes is ill, and in America seeking treatment in a hospital in Minnesota under an alias. He is shocked when he receives a note under his door allegedly from an old adversary, the Monster of Munich, one that he let slip from his grasp many years ago in Germany. Apparently he's back and not too far from where Holmes is now. A small village called Eisendorf and it is to here that Holmes ventures after being discharged from the hospital. It's a bizarre old place. Owned and populated entirely by German immigrants who came over in several waves. To say they are a bit of a closed shop would be an understatement and they are very reluctant to outside interference. But the town is on the decline and to add turmoil has recently been hit by two deaths. Are these deaths linked to the Monster's reappearance? Will Holmes manage this time where he failed last?
To link to the original books, this author starts the book after the Reichenback Falls incident and mentions both this incident along with Moriarty, adding another element of danger to the story here as Moriarty's henchmen are still out for revenge on Holmes. This sets a familiarity to the story that, in my limited experience, continues throughout the book.
The mystery that Holmes investigates here kept my attention very well. The American-German village setting with its eclectic mix of characters intrigued me as I, along with Holmes, learned more about it from the Archivist. Holmes himself was, to my limited experience, well represented. We were privy to his inner monologue as expected throughout the book and that felt very familiar. It had to suffice as his usual sounding board, Watson, was absent for the majority of the book. But he did play his part, eventually!
With the story of the Monster being told both in the present and the past, in flashback, there could have been a danger of it getting a bit complicated and convoluted but, here the author manages to inject the right amount of past at the right time to complement the present so it didn't become confusing. At times, we also delve back into the history of the village How it began, its founder families and how they began their journeys and this too is inserted at the right time and place. All three threads intersecting and diverging along the way, all the time leading to a perfectly satisfactory conclusion.
All in all this was a solid satisfying read. I am not sure how the Holmes purists will take it as I am not in that camp but, for me, it fit with my idea of Holmes, his personality, manners and methods, and at the end of the day it was an intriguing case indeed; the climax of which left me satisfied.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Firstly I will start with the disclaimer that I haven't actually read many of the original Holmes books. I am very familiar with the characters but this is mostly from the old TV shows (not the new one, that's a whole other entity in itself) so I read this with that in mind rather than comparing with Conan Doyle's original books and, on that basis, I did enjoy it.
So Holmes is ill, and in America seeking treatment in a hospital in Minnesota under an alias. He is shocked when he receives a note under his door allegedly from an old adversary, the Monster of Munich, one that he let slip from his grasp many years ago in Germany. Apparently he's back and not too far from where Holmes is now. A small village called Eisendorf and it is to here that Holmes ventures after being discharged from the hospital. It's a bizarre old place. Owned and populated entirely by German immigrants who came over in several waves. To say they are a bit of a closed shop would be an understatement and they are very reluctant to outside interference. But the town is on the decline and to add turmoil has recently been hit by two deaths. Are these deaths linked to the Monster's reappearance? Will Holmes manage this time where he failed last?
To link to the original books, this author starts the book after the Reichenback Falls incident and mentions both this incident along with Moriarty, adding another element of danger to the story here as Moriarty's henchmen are still out for revenge on Holmes. This sets a familiarity to the story that, in my limited experience, continues throughout the book.
The mystery that Holmes investigates here kept my attention very well. The American-German village setting with its eclectic mix of characters intrigued me as I, along with Holmes, learned more about it from the Archivist. Holmes himself was, to my limited experience, well represented. We were privy to his inner monologue as expected throughout the book and that felt very familiar. It had to suffice as his usual sounding board, Watson, was absent for the majority of the book. But he did play his part, eventually!
With the story of the Monster being told both in the present and the past, in flashback, there could have been a danger of it getting a bit complicated and convoluted but, here the author manages to inject the right amount of past at the right time to complement the present so it didn't become confusing. At times, we also delve back into the history of the village How it began, its founder families and how they began their journeys and this too is inserted at the right time and place. All three threads intersecting and diverging along the way, all the time leading to a perfectly satisfactory conclusion.
All in all this was a solid satisfying read. I am not sure how the Holmes purists will take it as I am not in that camp but, for me, it fit with my idea of Holmes, his personality, manners and methods, and at the end of the day it was an intriguing case indeed; the climax of which left me satisfied.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
August 28, 2020
“Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma” is the sixth and latest entry in this excellent, but lesser known Holmesian series. Larry Millett develops his stories and his characters very well; his style seems to closely emulate Doyle. Moreover, he has done his research as each book is written with a very detailed set of end notes, which carefully provides his source information. Millett is an architectural critic for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and the author of several books on the history of architecture in Minnesota. His knowledge of history and architecture adds a great depth of reality to the local color of his books as you can notice as Holmes enters the small community of Eisendorf. Most of this “Minnesota Holmes” series really features the Minnesota saloonkeeper and detective Shadwell Rafferty; however, in this entry it is mostly Holmes with Rafferty making an entrance near the end.
“Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma” opens with a trip to the Mayo Clinic which has revealed that Holmes has emphysema. The 66-year-old Sherlock Holmes is preparing to return to England when he receives a shock: a note slipped under his hotel room door, from a vicious murderer he'd nearly captured in Munich in 1892. The murderer, known as the Monster of Munich. This leads Holmes to the small German communal village known as Eisendorf. It is here that the mystery draws Holmes in, almost to his death. I liked the story; it did start a bit slow but, overall, it kept me interested and guessing right until the ending. This was not as good as some of the earlier ones in the series, but it still was a good stary. I recommend this small series to you; you can read it in any order, but you will appreciate it more by reading them in order ~ the first being "Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon."
“Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma” opens with a trip to the Mayo Clinic which has revealed that Holmes has emphysema. The 66-year-old Sherlock Holmes is preparing to return to England when he receives a shock: a note slipped under his hotel room door, from a vicious murderer he'd nearly captured in Munich in 1892. The murderer, known as the Monster of Munich. This leads Holmes to the small German communal village known as Eisendorf. It is here that the mystery draws Holmes in, almost to his death. I liked the story; it did start a bit slow but, overall, it kept me interested and guessing right until the ending. This was not as good as some of the earlier ones in the series, but it still was a good stary. I recommend this small series to you; you can read it in any order, but you will appreciate it more by reading them in order ~ the first being "Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon."
August 17, 2017
The latest Larry Millett Holmes novel (University of Minnesota Press) is now officially available for purchase. For purists, seeing a fan of Holmes give 4 or 5 stars to this novel may seem odd. The story doesn't use Watson as Doyle had done. So that's different. Regardless, the lack of Watson is only a little over half of the book. Ok, that does sound like a lot when typing it out, but honestly, I didn't feel anything lacking from his absence and he did eventually come into the story towards the end. So it wasn't totally devoid of our favorite doctor.
The story covers a post-war, aging Holmes now in America. Suffering from dyspnea (among other symptoms), he seeks out medical advice at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, only to receive the diagnosis of emphysema along with the recommendation to quit smoking altogether. Amid this, Holmes finds a message specifically addressed to him in his room. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, except that Holmes came to Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic under a fake name in order to maintain his anonymity. Immediately he begins to link this with a murderer he'd nearly caught years ago. Has this same individual tracked him down? Will Holmes, despite his failing health, be able to solve the mystery? As he tries to follow doctor's orders, Holmes battles his addiction, one that the murderer is all too aware of as he so "kindly" leaves a pack of cigarettes for the detective.
I grew up with Holmes and Watson. Yes, it was odd being without the doctor, but I didn't miss him terribly at the beginning and he did eventually show up. This was a fun read for all Sherlock Holmes fans.
The story covers a post-war, aging Holmes now in America. Suffering from dyspnea (among other symptoms), he seeks out medical advice at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, only to receive the diagnosis of emphysema along with the recommendation to quit smoking altogether. Amid this, Holmes finds a message specifically addressed to him in his room. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, except that Holmes came to Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic under a fake name in order to maintain his anonymity. Immediately he begins to link this with a murderer he'd nearly caught years ago. Has this same individual tracked him down? Will Holmes, despite his failing health, be able to solve the mystery? As he tries to follow doctor's orders, Holmes battles his addiction, one that the murderer is all too aware of as he so "kindly" leaves a pack of cigarettes for the detective.
I grew up with Holmes and Watson. Yes, it was odd being without the doctor, but I didn't miss him terribly at the beginning and he did eventually show up. This was a fun read for all Sherlock Holmes fans.
February 27, 2017
Thanks to Netgalley for the preview.
In this new adventure Sherlock is involved in solving a case that has begun 30 years before in Monaco. In an American town founded by German immigrants, the Eisendorf monster starts to hit again. Sherlock, old and sick from emphysema, takes up the challenge and decides to solve the mystery. Because of his health he must do it without his pipe. It looks strange to see Sherlock not yielding to tobacco, but perhaps being 60 years old he would have done it without cocaine too.
Almost at the end of the adventure, Watson makes its appearance too, and as a faithful biographer he narrates this case.
The character that I liked the most is the young Willy, an Eisendorf inhabitant in America, who is a bit 'dazed.
In questa nuova avventura Sherlock si trova a dover risolvere un caso iniziato 30 anni prima a Monaco. In un paesino americano fondato da immigrati tedeschi, il mostro di Eisendorf ricomincia a colpire. Sherlock, anziano e malato di enfisema polmonare, raccoglie la sfida e decide di risolvere il mistero. A causa del suo stato di salute deve fare a meno della sua pipa. Sembra strano vedere Sherlock non cedere al tabacco, ma forse a 60 anni avrebbe fatto a meno anche della cocaina.
Quasi a conclusione dell'avventura fa la sua comparsa anche Watson, che da fedele biografo racconta anche questo caso.
Il personaggio che ho apprezzato di più è la giovane Willy, abitante di Eisendorf in America, e un po' stralunata.
In this new adventure Sherlock is involved in solving a case that has begun 30 years before in Monaco. In an American town founded by German immigrants, the Eisendorf monster starts to hit again. Sherlock, old and sick from emphysema, takes up the challenge and decides to solve the mystery. Because of his health he must do it without his pipe. It looks strange to see Sherlock not yielding to tobacco, but perhaps being 60 years old he would have done it without cocaine too.
Almost at the end of the adventure, Watson makes its appearance too, and as a faithful biographer he narrates this case.
The character that I liked the most is the young Willy, an Eisendorf inhabitant in America, who is a bit 'dazed.
In questa nuova avventura Sherlock si trova a dover risolvere un caso iniziato 30 anni prima a Monaco. In un paesino americano fondato da immigrati tedeschi, il mostro di Eisendorf ricomincia a colpire. Sherlock, anziano e malato di enfisema polmonare, raccoglie la sfida e decide di risolvere il mistero. A causa del suo stato di salute deve fare a meno della sua pipa. Sembra strano vedere Sherlock non cedere al tabacco, ma forse a 60 anni avrebbe fatto a meno anche della cocaina.
Quasi a conclusione dell'avventura fa la sua comparsa anche Watson, che da fedele biografo racconta anche questo caso.
Il personaggio che ho apprezzato di più è la giovane Willy, abitante di Eisendorf in America, e un po' stralunata.
May 15, 2017
An aging Sherlock Holmes is in Minnesota to visit the Mayo Clinic to deal with his Emphysema, the result of years of heavy smoking. Just as he’s about to leave, he receives a taunting note under his hotel room door purporting to be from a ruthless killer who had escaped him in Munich. The missive claims that the Munich Monster is now in Eisendorf, a small town near Rochester and offers him another chance to capture him – a challenge Holmes cannot pass up despite his health and self-doubts. When Holmes arrives in Eisendorf, he discovers a once thriving community of German immigrants, full of secrets the townsfolk won’t give up easily, several suspicious deaths as well as a recent murder and more than a few possible candidates for his quarry. Soon he finds himself matching wits with a vicious killer who seems able to guess Holmes’ every move.
I always enjoy a good Sherlock Holmes tale and Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma by author Larry Millett is certainly good. This is a somewhat different Holmes, older, less confident, and more seemingly open to human contact but still as capable if a little slower than the original. The story was occasionally draggy in parts but, overall, it kept me interested and guessing right until the explosive ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and University of Minnesota Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
I always enjoy a good Sherlock Holmes tale and Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma by author Larry Millett is certainly good. This is a somewhat different Holmes, older, less confident, and more seemingly open to human contact but still as capable if a little slower than the original. The story was occasionally draggy in parts but, overall, it kept me interested and guessing right until the explosive ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and University of Minnesota Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
June 19, 2017
I was given a free copy of this audiobook by the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
I am conflicted about giving this book three stars. If I were just rating the audiobook performance, I would probably give it 4.5 stars. The narrator had a nice voice, excellent pacing, distinctive voices for each character, and good accents. The only problem was that there were some points where the words seemed muffled.
The story itself left me less enchanted. I really wanted to like this story. I love Sherlock Holmes, and I am born and raised in Minnesota, so I thought that it would be good. I am somewhat of a Sherlock Holmes purist, however, and the Sherlock in this story did not ring true. He is not his same energetic self -- he is aging, hampered by the onset of emphysema. Sherlock also forms interpersonal relationships right and left in this story in a manner that he does not do in Doyle's stories (he becomes enchanted with a child with special needs and forms a semi-romantic attachment with a widow). Also, Watson does not show up in a significant way until more than half way through the story. If this were just a mystery set in 1920's Minnesota, I would be more forgiving. But since it is trying to fit into the Holmes canon, I was really disappointed. Also, since I have not read any of Millett's past Holmes works, I felt a little lost by the references to Holmes' past cases in Minnesota.
I am conflicted about giving this book three stars. If I were just rating the audiobook performance, I would probably give it 4.5 stars. The narrator had a nice voice, excellent pacing, distinctive voices for each character, and good accents. The only problem was that there were some points where the words seemed muffled.
The story itself left me less enchanted. I really wanted to like this story. I love Sherlock Holmes, and I am born and raised in Minnesota, so I thought that it would be good. I am somewhat of a Sherlock Holmes purist, however, and the Sherlock in this story did not ring true. He is not his same energetic self -- he is aging, hampered by the onset of emphysema. Sherlock also forms interpersonal relationships right and left in this story in a manner that he does not do in Doyle's stories (he becomes enchanted with a child with special needs and forms a semi-romantic attachment with a widow). Also, Watson does not show up in a significant way until more than half way through the story. If this were just a mystery set in 1920's Minnesota, I would be more forgiving. But since it is trying to fit into the Holmes canon, I was really disappointed. Also, since I have not read any of Millett's past Holmes works, I felt a little lost by the references to Holmes' past cases in Minnesota.
March 25, 2017
Larry Millett's Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma (University of Minnesota Press 2017) is one of the many spin-offs of the original Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In this one, Holmes is older and calmer, maybe retired. He suffers from typical old age maladies and goes to the Mayo Clinic to find out if what is wrong is more than just getting old. While there, an old nemesis tracks him down and subtlely persuades him to re-engage. The clues lead Holmes to a tiny Minnesota German community with few people and little to recommend it except for the quiet. Since this man--called the Monster--is a rare Holmes failure, Holmes can't stop himself from following the trail that might finally put this man in jail.
The story is good enough especially if you're a Holmes fan though this older Holmes lacks the craziness that often made his younger self so enigmatic and addicting.
The story is good enough especially if you're a Holmes fan though this older Holmes lacks the craziness that often made his younger self so enigmatic and addicting.
February 2, 2021
*Advanced Reader Copy. This book was provided to me for free.*
An enjoyable addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon. Pretty faithful to the classic style without the archaic language of the originals.
There's just a few frustrating bits, but they may not have made it to the 1st ed. A few paragraphs mention different characters by their last name when they share last names. One section supposedly written by Holmes is in a voice very unlike what you'd expect from the purely logical, unemotional detective. Even though it's not a very long story there were times when the narrative was a little plodding.
Overall I had a lot of fun reading this, it kept me guessing the entire time and everything tied together nicely at the end. I would recommend it to anyone that likes the classic stories.
An enjoyable addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon. Pretty faithful to the classic style without the archaic language of the originals.
There's just a few frustrating bits, but they may not have made it to the 1st ed. A few paragraphs mention different characters by their last name when they share last names. One section supposedly written by Holmes is in a voice very unlike what you'd expect from the purely logical, unemotional detective. Even though it's not a very long story there were times when the narrative was a little plodding.
Overall I had a lot of fun reading this, it kept me guessing the entire time and everything tied together nicely at the end. I would recommend it to anyone that likes the classic stories.
February 8, 2020
This is the only Millett Holmes novel I've read, and it's unlikely that I'll try another one. The story was well-plotted, and I liked the Minnesota locations. But. Holmes seemed way too tame and in some ways Americanized--even using words in the American sense, like "mad" for "angry." Conan Doyle's Holmes is edgy, nervous, egotistical, rude. We love him for it. This Holmes is polite, a team player. Also, the switch to Watson as first-person narrator (after pages of third-person limited) in the second part is clunky. Better proofing needed: the typos increase in the latter part.
June 2, 2017
A quick read that kept me going non-stop to the end. The culprit possibilities were numerous, the corpses adding up, the threat to Holmes increasing and the townspeople very strange. Throughout the book we find the delightful innocent, Willy who charmed whenever she appeared, adding a light note to an increasingly menacing story line.
I will be buying others in this series, as I enjoyed this one and look forward to seeing the cases with Shadwell.
I will be buying others in this series, as I enjoyed this one and look forward to seeing the cases with Shadwell.
August 12, 2017
An excellent read. A "retired" Sherlock Holmes goes to an isolated town in Minnesota, populated by reclusive German immigrants to finish a case that he started nearly twenty years ago in Munich during his hiatus. The ending does seem a bit too quick though. Sadly this could be the last of the Sherlock Holmes - Shadwell Rafferty mysteries.
May 2, 2021
I enjoyed this, but I have a unique interest in it since many of my relatives live in the Rochester area, and my dad's parents lived in Stewartville, which was referenced several times in the story. I visited Stewartville several times a year growing up, and I also had more uncles and aunts living around there, so it helped to fill in the imagery when reading everything.
January 21, 2023
Another entertaining read in Millett's Sherlock Holmes and Shadwell Rafferty series and a decent whodunnit. I almost felt kind of bad about Sherlock growing older and a little infirm - a reminder about my own aging that I really didn't need.
May 9, 2019
A Sherlock Holmes adventure that takes place in Minnesota.
I won a copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am paying it forward by donating it to my local library.
I won a copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am paying it forward by donating it to my local library.
June 16, 2017
I love all your books but I am not a good reviewer
May 23, 2017
This book was fun and had a lot of charm. Would recommend if you love a good mystery. I received an ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 3, 2018
An excellent Holmes pastiche.
June 25, 2020
An older Sherlock Holmes a bit more frail.
December 23, 2020
I love all of Larry Millet's books. This is a continuation of Sherlock Holmes' imagined adventures in Minnesota.
June 26, 2022
Very good. Loved his early ones more.
December 17, 2023
First, I must mention that I listened to an audiobook, which was not a format option in the review section.
This was another of the Sherlock Holmes series I love because they take place in Minnesota. There wasn't enough of Shad and Wash in this one, but still an excellent story.
The little dying German community was obviously patterned on the very real but flourishing New Ulm, Minnesota, where I lived for a few years. The fictional town of Eisendorf is a small town outside of Rochester, where Holmes had visited the Mayo Clinic. Other actual small towns in the area were mentioned by name.
Like New Ulm, Eisendorf was settled by a group of like-minded Germans who designed a town without churches, and a glockenspiel (a clock tower that plays music on the hour)...though Eisendorf's was no longer working. There was a historian who kept track of the history of the town, though he seemed to leave out some important information, whereas the New Ulm Brown County Historical Society is thorough and I believe, factual as well as extensive.
The mystery was a good one that had links to the past and many questions were answered. The afterward brought the reader up to date and included some sad news that I think will be described in the next and possibly the last book of this series. I've really enjoyed this series.
This was another of the Sherlock Holmes series I love because they take place in Minnesota. There wasn't enough of Shad and Wash in this one, but still an excellent story.
The little dying German community was obviously patterned on the very real but flourishing New Ulm, Minnesota, where I lived for a few years. The fictional town of Eisendorf is a small town outside of Rochester, where Holmes had visited the Mayo Clinic. Other actual small towns in the area were mentioned by name.
Like New Ulm, Eisendorf was settled by a group of like-minded Germans who designed a town without churches, and a glockenspiel (a clock tower that plays music on the hour)...though Eisendorf's was no longer working. There was a historian who kept track of the history of the town, though he seemed to leave out some important information, whereas the New Ulm Brown County Historical Society is thorough and I believe, factual as well as extensive.
The mystery was a good one that had links to the past and many questions were answered. The afterward brought the reader up to date and included some sad news that I think will be described in the next and possibly the last book of this series. I've really enjoyed this series.
May 22, 2017
I'd probably say 3.5 stars if I could. It was a fun, quick read. Being from Rochester and working at the Clinic, the local references made it especially appealing. It wasn't groundbreaking, but it was interesting and a good rainy-weekend read.
As a side note, they really needed fresh eyes to do a read-through prior to publication. Several glaring typos and errors should have been caught ahead of time.
As a side note, they really needed fresh eyes to do a read-through prior to publication. Several glaring typos and errors should have been caught ahead of time.
November 23, 2020
Not bad. I was able to follow despite the various references to previous Millett stories about Holmes. I’ll admit that it started to drag by about 3/4 of the way through.
I might look up some of the previous stories if I get a hankering for different Holmes stories. But whoever was the copy editor missed a ton of typos, dropped words from sentences, etc. that was probably the most frustrating part of the experience.
I might look up some of the previous stories if I get a hankering for different Holmes stories. But whoever was the copy editor missed a ton of typos, dropped words from sentences, etc. that was probably the most frustrating part of the experience.
September 21, 2022
While in Rochester, Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion about what is emphysema, things related to the old Eisendorf case arise, leaving Sherlock to sort out the truth of the case and come to terms with his health (or lack there of).
Perhaps in part from my own mood, Holmes' near maudlin introspection was more than I wanted. And while his isolation makes sense in a thematic sense, the lack of either Watson or Rafferty until nearly the end made the story less enjoyable for me.
Perhaps in part from my own mood, Holmes' near maudlin introspection was more than I wanted. And while his isolation makes sense in a thematic sense, the lack of either Watson or Rafferty until nearly the end made the story less enjoyable for me.
December 28, 2017
Listed as series reading because I try to catch as many of the new Holmes books as possible. Some are very good while most or so so. But almost all tend to be novels. Few if any authors try the short story format of Conan Doyle.
This book was very boring. It took several tries to get into and was not much fun to plod through.
This book was very boring. It took several tries to get into and was not much fun to plod through.
March 8, 2024
A retired Sherlock Holmes is seeking medical attention in Minnesota when he receives a note from a murder he pursued in Munich several years before. This draws his attention to a small planned community, now rapidly fading, and more suspicious deaths.
Who doesn't like a good Holmes adventure? This one is certainly serviceable. It held my interest, anyway.
Who doesn't like a good Holmes adventure? This one is certainly serviceable. It held my interest, anyway.
March 13, 2023
3-1/2⭐️⭐️⭐️🔅 interesting and narration is well done. Sorry they destroyed Rafferty’s rep. — unnecessary to me. Growing to like the SH newer novels less and, graciously, once in a while more. Waiting for “more…” ©️2017 A.D.
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