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Sherlock Holmes & the Secret Alliance by Larry Millett |
| (Penguin, $6.99, V) ISBN 0-14-200155-4 |
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Three stars
In 1899, Minnesota is planning a visit from President McKinley. There is much corruption in the twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the city fathers hope all stays quiet before, during and even after the presidential visit. Just before McKinley is due to arrive, the naked body of a young union activist is found hanging in a tree in downtown Minneapolis. A sign on his body proclaims "The Secret Alliance Has Spoken," though no one can seem to agree on who the Secret Alliance is, in a city where there are many underground groups each trying to undermine either the government or each other.
St. Paul saloonkeeper Shadwell Rafferty wants to avoid further incidents and since he has done some successful sleuthing in the past, he decides to look into the death and try and uncover who might be at the root of it. Rafferty uses highly unorthodox methods and manages to create many enemies as well as quite a bit of danger for himself along the way. Luckily for him, his friends Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are in New York City, at the behest of John Jacob Astor. The pair agree to travel west to help Rafferty untangle the web of corrupt government and weak social structures before more violence and death occurs. Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance is a very detailed, well researched historical novel. So well researched that there are many pages of endnotes at the end of the novel. While it isn't necessary to read the endnotes to follow the storyline, they do add much to the plot and understanding of the time period, though it becomes tiresome reading back and forth. Also bothersome are the sporadic journal entries from Dr. Watson in a sort of shorthand (though the shorthand is parenthetically explained) telling of his and Holmes's time in Manhattan before they meet up with Rafferty. St. Paul and Minneapolis are like many turn of the twentieth century American cities, full of crooked politicians, unions springing up and all kinds of civil unrest. Rafferty, while possibly a typical Irish saloon keeper looking out firstfor himself and his business, seems to realize the importance of a peaceful city to ensure a safe and prosperous way of life. Though he and Holmes and Watson make an odd trio, they somehow complement each other well, playing off each others strengths and weaknesses. A very complex setting makes the plot hard to follow at times, though once all is said and done, Millett has neatly tied the loose ends together and everything seems to fall into place. While not for the casual historical mystery reader, Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance is a thoroughly researched novel that will fully involve the reader.
--Jennifer Monahan Winberry |
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