I enjoyed this Sherlock Holmes pastiche. The story is told of course by Doctor Watson and was based on an "undiscovered manuscript" that was hidden away in a safe of the railroad magnate James J. Hill in Minnesota. It tells of how Hill summoned Holmes to Minnesota because his railroad is being threatened by an unknown whose short letters tell Hill that his railroad will be set afire and burned completely. The letters are signed by "The Red Demon." The money offered by Hill to Holmes brings Holmes and Watson to the great North Woods of Minnesota to seek out the Red Demon and try to stop his fiendish plot. Various clues lead Holmes to villainous ruffians including railroad men and loggers and also to a brothel where Watson has a close encounter of the sexual kind. The identity of the Red Demon remains a mystery up till near the end of the narrative but when he is discovered he turns out to be a very dastardly and evil person with his actions resulting in the deaths of over 400 people when the town of Hinckley is set ablaze along with the surrounding forest.
This entertaining novel was actually based on fact and included a lot of actual history as part of the story. There really was a fire that devastated the town of Hinckley that claimed more than 400 lives on September 1, 1894.
No one really knows how the fire was started but there was some speculation that thieves may have started it to cover up timber theft. Hill was actually in control of the Eastern Minnesota Railway and other characters were also real. Among these was the railroad engineer named Best who saved many of Hinckley's residents by evacuating them by rail. This is the first in a series of Holmes novels by Millett and I'll probably be reading more of them.
This entertaining novel was actually based on fact and included a lot of actual history as part of the story. There really was a fire that devastated the town of Hinckley that claimed more than 400 lives on September 1, 1894.
No one really knows how the fire was started but there was some speculation that thieves may have started it to cover up timber theft. Hill was actually in control of the Eastern Minnesota Railway and other characters were also real. Among these was the railroad engineer named Best who saved many of Hinckley's residents by evacuating them by rail. This is the first in a series of Holmes novels by Millett and I'll probably be reading more of them.
If you are alert, you will realize early on the reason for the 'evil' threatening the railroad. However, there are several red herrings tossed around that confuse who the bad guy is. But I had a couple of suspects in mind long before the end.
Still, there are surprises and it is a well told tale.
Still, there are surprises and it is a well told tale.
