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Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Book Description When a cunning villain sets out to destroy the Great Northern railway, Holmes comes face-to-face will all manner of frontier characters, including two-fisted railroad men, rough-and-tumble lumberjacks, and a one-eyed teamster. He also becomes especially attentive to one beautiful woman's (and suspect's) charms. But charm gives way to terror when Holmes finds himself facing a vile arsonist known as the Red Demon on a lonely bridge in a circle of death. Never, says Watson, was Holmes more magnificent than at that moment. Reader Reviews 0 of 1 people found the following review helpful: I learned more about Minnesota than about Holmes..., June 15, 2003 Reviewer: A reader from United States 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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