Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance
by Larry Millett
American Chronicles of John H. Watson, M.D. (4)
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Description
As the city of Minneapolis prepares for a visit from President William McKinley, someone else prepares for murder. On the day before the visit, a union activist is found hanged, naked, outside a ruined mansion. A placard around his neck reads "THE SECRET ALLIANCE HAS SPOKEN." Who is the alliance? What does it want? How was the victim involved with the city's corrupt mayor? And why did he possess a photograph of a prominent citizen in a compromising position? Shadwell Rafferty searches for show more answers, encountering bribery, corruption, union organizers, anarchists, and conspiracy, putting himself i. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I wasn't able to finish this book. Oddly, for me, I wasn't able to get very far into it. I made several attempts, but it didn't work. It may just be the wrong book for me now.
Things that threw me out of the book:
The prologue consisted of infodump, on the architectural history of Minneapolis. I'm a history buff, and it was dull. All of it was stuff the author needed to know, but I wasn't convinced that I, the reader, needed it. (Infodump has to be earned. If it has to happen, it comes later, when the reader can't follow the plot without it.)
Footnotes. I love footnotes. This book had too many, and they weren't helpful. References to previous volumes in the series, in correct bibliographic form, credited to JH Watson, ed. L Millett, show more stopped me cold.
The diary of Dr. Watson. A nice conceit, but the author doesn't have Watson's voice down, and it rang false. It felt precious and forced.
I was already on the verge of quitting when I got introduced to the protagonist. He's an Irishman, in St. Paul, in the late 19th century, and he both watches his weight and has an African American business partner. That pushed me over the edge, and I quit. show less
Things that threw me out of the book:
The prologue consisted of infodump, on the architectural history of Minneapolis. I'm a history buff, and it was dull. All of it was stuff the author needed to know, but I wasn't convinced that I, the reader, needed it. (Infodump has to be earned. If it has to happen, it comes later, when the reader can't follow the plot without it.)
Footnotes. I love footnotes. This book had too many, and they weren't helpful. References to previous volumes in the series, in correct bibliographic form, credited to JH Watson, ed. L Millett, show more stopped me cold.
The diary of Dr. Watson. A nice conceit, but the author doesn't have Watson's voice down, and it rang false. It felt precious and forced.
I was already on the verge of quitting when I got introduced to the protagonist. He's an Irishman, in St. Paul, in the late 19th century, and he both watches his weight and has an African American business partner. That pushed me over the edge, and I quit. show less
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Author Information
28+ Works 1,882 Members
Larry Millett is a columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Series
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Sherlock Holmes; Shadwell Rafferty; John H. Watson (M.D.)
- Important places
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota, USA
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 180
- Popularity
- 181,345
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.50)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 4
