Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders

Subtitled as "The American Chronicles of John H. Watson, M.D.," Larry Millett reinvents the mythic sleuth Sherlock Holmes and brings him to North America and the icy waters of the Mississippi in this deceptive case. Bringing all the suave confidence to Holmes is acclaimed British actor Simon Prebble. He has an added challenge of switching--sometimes hastily, as the text demands--between British and American dialects, but he seems to do this without much difficulty and with barely perceptible flaws. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE ICE PALACE MURDERS is certainly an audiobook to add to a Holmes fan's collection. R.A.P. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

November 2, 1998
It's January 1896 when railroad magnate James J. Hill summons Holmes and Watson to St. Paul, Minn. (as he did in Millett's Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon, 1996). Wealthy Jonathan Upton and Laura Forbes are soon to be married in the rotunda of a large and elaborate ice palace, a traditional part of the city's annual Winter Carnival. But Upton is missing, and Miss Forbes seems strangely unconcerned about his whereabouts. The fathers of the pair, both prominent businessmen, are the primary financiers of the palace, and Jonathan's disappearance has become the hot news story of the day. Soon after his arrival, Holmes encounters a friendly rival, Shadwell Rafferty, whose card reads, "bartending and discreet investigations," and who is working for the senior Upton. The stakes are raised when Holmes and Rafferty discover the severed head of young Upton encased in a block of ice inside the palace, and they are upped further when the senior Upton is killed and Miss Forbes's brother is attacked. Millett's Holmes is a fair replica of Conan Doyle's original, but the real triumph here is Rafferty, who lights up each scene in which he appears, adding a distinctively American bounce to a solid, complex mystery distinguished by its vibrant portrayal of 19th-century St. Paul. Holmes fans may feel free to tip their deerstalkers. Author tour.

Larry Millett's compelling sequel to SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE RED DEMON once again brings Sherlock Holmes and John Watson to St. Paul, Minnesota. Narrator Steve Hendrickson deftly shifts from American to English and Irish accents as he portrays the characters, including a Holmes who is warmer than the original and a Watson who is wittier and more confident. Hendrickson vividly delivers the book's descriptions of a Minnesota winter as the pair is called upon to investigate the murder of Jonathan Upton days before his wedding. Hendrickson's best creation is crafty Irish barkeep Shadwell Rafferty, who helps Holmes and Watson understand the alien land they find themselves in. An unanticipated and deeply moving conclusion will move listeners to tears. S.G.B. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine