Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon is a decent attempt to replicate the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The plot runs true to the exploits of Holmes and Watson. However, the author fails to truly replicate "Watson's" style of narrative. In particular, the use of edited profanity does not hold with the original writings. Also, there are a couple of repetitive phrases that Doyle would have avoided. Finally, there are too many references to Holmes' other cases. These issues detract from what would be an otherwise very faithful to tribute to the world's greatest detective. ( )

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 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. ( )

Delightful. ( )

Took me a while to really warm up to this book. Way too much background on the area, the landscape, the trees, the career of Holmes to start the book. Once I really got into the story I enjoyed it, and having it set in nearby Minnesota made it that much more interesting

Holmes is hired by a railroad exec (a real person btw) to find out who is threatening him and his railroad with fire - the kind of fire that will kill hundreds because it is the middle of summer and very hot. In 1894 Minnesota was mostly covered with pine trees, and fire is a very real fear because it could run for hundreds of miles before burning itself out. Actually, that part is true too, a fire did burn out much of the "pineries" in Minnesota, including the small town where this story is set.

It is always fun to spend some time with Holmes and Watson, so I'll try the next in this series. ( )

This is my favorite Holmes book. The details are great. It's a bit of a puzzle so be alert to the details... the one I dismissed was the clue to the mystery. ( )