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Larry Millett is an experienced professional commentator on architectural developments in the Twin Cities. He has written several popular architectural history books including "Lost Twin Cities" and "Twin Cities Then and Now," all published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. His experience and skill are evident in this novel. He has written two previous novels featuring that estimable consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes. ("Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon" and "Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders.") His latest novel, "Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery," is another pastiche which will add to the Sherlockian legend and bring Millett more fans. Millett has adopted the Conan Doyle style and is clearly comfortable with it, except for the inclusion of a few questionable modern phrases. The Rune Stone mystery, like many of the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, originator of Sherlock Holmes, takes a while to get going. Readers who enjoy a rich and detailed setup, as well as a somewhat meandering style, will find this the most enjoyable of Millett's three mysteries. The rest of us, practicing patience, will enjoy the story for its depth, its observations on Minnesota life at the turn of the century, (the last one), and its well-found characters. The book opens at 221B Baker Street, in the second floor digs of Mr. Holmes, where we find him in restless pursuit of new knowledge. He is seeking a fresh intellectual activity to adequately challenge his powers. Holmes is rescued from the tedium of normal life by a provocative item in one of the many newspapers he regularly peruses, and by the fortuitous arrival of an emissary from Oskar II, the King of Sweden. Holmes had just that very morning been discussing the intricacies of the ancient language based on the rune. He reveals to Dr. Watson that he has made an intensive study of runes and runic writing, becoming, in the process, something of an amateur expert on the subject. This discussion between the two colleagues is provoked by a news item about the discovery of a stone in Minnesota. In runic writing, the stone tells the story of a party of Vikings and their journey, in the year 1362, to the center of the continent. In world politics, this would be an important find. If authentic, the stone provides proof that Scandinavian explorers were the first Europeans to discover and penetrate the North American continent. Although Watson expresses astonishment that Holmes had for some time been studying runic writing, to Holmes it was not unusual, runic writing being just another part of the mysterious universe in which he was endlessly interested. The emissary from King Oskar informs the detective that he wishes to engage the services of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes' task is to determine whether the rune stone itself, and the circumstances of its discovery. are indeed authentic. If Holmes can authenticate the stone, the King is prepared to offer a handsome sum of money for its acquisition. This task requires that Sherlock and Dr. Watson, traveling under the pseudonyms Mr. Baker and Mr. Smith, go to Minnesota to examine the witnesses and see the stone for themselves. They enlist the aid of their friend and patron, Saint Paul businessman, James J. Hill, who in turn puts them in touch with an Alexandria, Minnesota, businessman named George Kensington. Two particularly delightful characters appear in this novel, both of whom have competed with Mr. Holmes in previous stories; one is Mary Comstock, a most handsome and evil woman, and the right-thinking, if ethically uncertain, Saint Paul detective and bar-owner, Shadrach Rafferty. The Rune Stone Mystery marks the second time Mary Comstock has dueled with Sherlock Holmes, the first being the "Mystery of the Red Demon." Shadrach Rafferty was first introduced in the "Mystery of the Ice Palace Murders." Again, murder and greed are the motivating factors which drive a varied group of grifters, con men and other evil-doers. The novel, once it gets going, builds up a real head of steam. It moves restlessly from Saint Paul to Alexandria, Minnesota, to a dreary plain outside Moorhead, Minnesota, and back to Alexandria. This movement gives Millett many opportunities to utilize his good eye for detail and narrative sense. The picture he paints of small-town life in Minnesota at the turn of the century is as fascinating as are the murders and maneuverings of con-men, railroad barons, townspeople and academics. One of the cardinal rules of mystery writing requires that coincidence play little or no part in the progress or resolution of the story. Millett gives a whimsical nod to the conventions of the genre, admitting in a forthright manner, both in the introduction and on the first page, that coincidence plays a large part in this story. His whimsical attitude toward other literary endeavors is present in the acknowledgments, the footnotes liberally scattered throughout the book, and his detailed description of the way in which this "long-lost manuscript of Dr. Watson's happened to be located." Fans of Sherlock Holmes will find this novel a welcome addition to the canon. Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy this carefully researched, well constructed novel of suspense. -- Editor's Note: This is a review of the out-of-print hardcover edition. Carl Brookins is the author of INNER PASSAGES: A SUPERIOR MYSTERY
Reviewed by Carl Brookins, August 2002
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