Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon by Larry Millett

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Hard Cover

Publisher: VIKING

Reviewer: The Jag

JAGS: 7

Holmes comes to America in this revamp classic of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved literary detective duo in; Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon by Larry Millett. An American, working for a Minnesota Railroad tycoon, arrives at 221 B Baker St, pleading for the infamous detective to follow him to the colonies and solve a case that could save thousands of lives.

Holmes is reluctant at first, citing numerous on going experiments, but quickly changes his mind as the American explains the puzzling case of a mad arsonist on the loose in the pine forests of Minnesota. Not only is the local commerce of the town of Hinckley at risk, but also all the unsuspecting citizens who inhabit the logging town. Little do they suspect, they are caught in the middle of a twisted plot of revenge that even the likes of Sherlock Holmes will have difficulty solving.

Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon is a fun read for all Holmes fans. Larry Millett is spot on in his Sherlockology as Dr. Watson, as he takes the detectives into the American wilderness of the Mid-West. Puzzling at times, no pun intended, the camaraderie between Holmes and Watson is lacking, and the subtle clinical approach of Dr. Watson that Conan Doyle used is absence. All in all, a great Sherlock Holmes read.

The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr

Genre: Fiction

 

Pages: Paper

 

Publisher: Carroll & Graf

 

JAGS: 7

 

The services of Sherlock Holmes and his trusted friend Dr. John Watson are needed once again by the British Realm to solve a perplexing case of supernatural proportions. Enlisted by Holmes’s brother Mycroft under the Queens direct order, the detectives travel to Scotland after receiving a cryptic message from the elder Holmes. Almost immediately, the pair is thrust into what appears to be the brewing of international espionage as the train ride from London is attacked by spies.

Reaching the royal residence of Holyroodhouse, or as it is more simply known by British subjects as Palace of Holyrood, Holmes and Watson stumble on what could quiet possibly be the strangest case yet. The ghost of Rizzo is said to be haunting the West Tower and all of the Queens staff knows all too well the comings and goings of the specter of Holyrood.

Caleb Carr wows readers once again with his poetic styling of 18^th century England as he resurrects the famous Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson in The Italian Secretary. Caleb Carr does not have the clinical syntax of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Dr. Watson, but executes beautifully the subtle nuisances of the relationship between the detectives. Carr’s interpretation honors the Holmes legacy and would make any Sherlock fan proud to read. A definite must read if you are a Holmes fanatic.