Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders
The year is 1896, and St. Paul’s Winter Carnival is under way when Holmes and Watson are summoned after the grisly murder of wealthy young man. Soon Holmes, Watson, and investigator Shadwell Rafferty are embroiled in a perilous adventure spanning the city and out onto the treacherous ice of the Mississippi River as they trail a cruel and ruthless killer.
The real triumph here is Rafferty, who lights up each scene in which he appears, adding a distinctly American bounce to a solid, complex mystery distinguished by its vibrant portrayal of nineteenth-century St. Paul. Holmes fans may feel free to tip their deerstalkers.
Publishers Weekly
The year is 1896, and St. Paul’s magnificent Winter Carnival is under way when Holmes and Watson are summoned by the city’s most powerful man, railroad magnate James J. Hill. A wealthy young man disappears on the eve of his wedding—and his fiancée suspiciously discards her wedding dress. After a grisly discovery in the carnival’s Ice Palace leads to a flurry of clues, Holmes is on the case.
His pursuit of the murderer takes him through the highest echelons of St. Paul society and into cahoots with Shadwell Rafferty, a gregarious saloonkeeper and part-time private investigator. Soon Holmes, Watson, and Rafferty are embroiled in a perilous adventure that takes them from one frozen corner of the city to another and out onto the treacherous ice of the Mississippi River as they trail a cruel and ruthless killer.
The real triumph here is Rafferty, who lights up each scene in which he appears, adding a distinctly American bounce to a solid, complex mystery distinguished by its vibrant portrayal of nineteenth-century St. Paul. Holmes fans may feel free to tip their deerstalkers.
Publishers Weekly
Larry Millett comes close to perfection in re-creating two of literature’s most enduring characters. Read the adventure in a nostalgic glow.
Chicago Tribune
