Larry Millett

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson visit Minnesota at the request of J. J. Hill to investigate threats against his railroads and find themselves in the middle of the great Hinckley fire of 1894 as they try to track down a villain with a grudge against Hill.

I enjoyed the Minnesota history and the vivid descriptions of Hinckley and the logging camps around it. I also liked the quick visit to Duluth which was part of the case. I enjoyed the footnotes which provided additional historical detail show more about Minnesota in 1894.

The writing felt very much like Conan Doyle's original works about Sherlock Holmes. It was detailed and had a Victorian feel. I enjoyed following the clues along with Watson as he tried to figure out what Holmes was thinking. I found that there was quite a bit of tension as the hunt for the villain intensified along with the flames.

This is the first of a number of Sherlock Holmes adventures written by Larry Millett who has also written a number of nonfiction titles about Minnesota's past. show less

Set at the turn of the twentieth century, Strongwood unravels the strange case of Miss Addie Strongwood, a working-class woman accused of murdering her wealthy lover, Michael Masterson. Consisting almost entirely of court transcripts, journal excerpts, newspaper articles and letters, the book attempts to determine whether Addie is a cold-blooded murderer or a woman wronged, a victim of circumstance merely guilty of self-defense. If not for the appearance of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan show more Doyle’s famous fictional detective who appears to weigh in on the Strongwood mystery, one could almost mistake the novel as historical non-fiction. Minneapolis, the city where this trial occurs, is described in careful detail through the use of footnotes, allowing the reader to envision the city as it was in the 1900s.

I appreciated the use of nontraditional narrative methods in this novel. I felt that it really ramped up the suspense and mystery in a story that might otherwise fall flat in a more traditional telling. The juxtaposition of witnesses’ testimony allowed the inconsistencies of their accounts to carry more weight, encouraging the reader to choose sides and align themselves with either the prosecution or the defense. I was slightly disappointed with the somewhat minor role that Holmes had in solving the case; his contribution to the case was all but inconsequential and his involvement was so minimal that it has me questioning his inclusion in the story at all. His presence didn’t really add anything of value to the narrative, and the clues that he discovered could have easily been found by other characters associated with the case. As such, Holmes felt like too much of a gimmick designed to lure more traditional mystery fans into this novel. Bait-and-switch aside, I enjoyed it despite the glaring lack of Holmes. Addie Strongwood made for a fascinating, unique character - a strong, passionate, intelligent woman who straddles the line of Victorian decency and good taste.

Mystery readers can expect this one to be released in just a few weeks - on March 15th. A special thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book prior to release! show less

historic-buildings, historical-figures, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, newspapers, private-investigators, mysteries, mystery-fiction*****

St. Paul, Minnesota, State Capital and County Seat of Ramsey County, established 1849, home to
Shadwell Rafferty, saloon owner (Shad's Place) and part-time private eye. Rafferty did meet Holmes and Watson in 1896 and they remained friends for decades.
This is the latest in the Rafferty show more books and contains three new short stories filled with plot twists, red herrings, and not a few snickers. The only problem is that I now have to hunt down a few of the older books because I liked this one so well.
I requested and received a free temporary (not TTS) EARC from University of Minnesota Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
#ShadwellRafferty #SherlockHolmes #StPaulMn #Mysteries show less

This was a really fun read. Sherlock is now elderly and seeking medical treatment at the Mayo Clinic!-Hilarious. While in MN Sherlock gets onto a case in a small isolated town of German decent..(seeming a lot like New ULm) The mystery and characters were very solid and I loved having the silly local connection.