Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780142001554
ISBN number: 0142001554
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 336
Printing Date: September 24, 2002
Publishing house: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Sale Popularity Level: 980354
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Product Description:
On the eve of President William McKinley's visit to Minneapolis in 1899, the body of a union activist is found strung from a tree outside a ruined mansion, with a placard around his neck bearing the ominous words the secret alliance has spoken. Shadwell Rafferty, a local saloonkeeper with a passion for 'the detectin' game,' embarks on his very first case and uncovers more questions than answers. As the puzzle deepens, Rafferty is joined, just in time, by his old friends Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Filled with history, suspense, and vivid characters, this is a magnificent addition to Larry Millett's entertaining series of Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
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Rated by buyers 
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I've now read all five of Larry Millett's Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I've enjoyed all of them. I rate "and the Secret Alliance" as number two right behind "Ice Palace Murders" which is my favorite of Millett's Sherlock Holmes series. Millett introduced Shadwell Rafferty in another book and he has become the main character in this one. He's almost as good as Sherlock. This is a great read for any Sherlock fan.
Rated by buyers 
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Yes, some critics here are right in claiming that Sherlock and the good doctor do not really play a decisive role in this very entertaining historical yarn! Still the local characters and their detection skills are a nice added feature! We have some troublesome anarchists, saloon proprietors, mill magnates, a gay attorney with sympathies for the little guy, a colorful mayor who can outmaneuver about anyone, and rough and tumble Pinkertons woven in and out with Watson's notes on the situation. A gruesome naked body is hanging from the tree of an aging flour mill owner's rundown property. The sleuths and their companions must determine not only whodunnit, but also who exactly was the dead man, and who was he loyal to. More than enough action and humour here, not to mention interesting historical footnotes on the the origins and history of the Twin City area..The game may take a while to get afoot, but this tale is easily worth a few yours of your valuable time!
Rated by buyers -
Bring us more Shadwell Rafferty and George Washington Thomas. This dynamic duo has captured my imagination. I found myself torn between reading the footnotes and reading the story. I finally gave up and read all the footnotes through from beginning to end, even when I didn't know what they related to in the story. The history in this book is fascinating and I admire Millett's ability to turn his in-depth factual knowledge of the Twin Cities into a highly entertaining and deftly plotted mystery. There are surprising twists that I never saw coming, thorough characterizations, and--pleasingly--the emotional quality of the characters shines through without the restraints of Holmes' and Watson's prescripted personalities. Their minor involvement felt just right--enough to thread this book in with the series, but also enough to bring in the worldly knowledge that Rafferty wouldn't have. Highly entertaining. Millett has found the perfect heroes for the Gilded Age. Please give us more!
Rated by buyers 
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This can not be a true review as I have not yet been able to finish the book. I loved the 1st 3 books of this series and highly recommend them. In those books, Mr. Millett captured the "real" voice of Dr. Watson (as created by Doyle.) This book is all over the place with different points of view -- a street person who catches rats, Shadwell Rafferty, an axiliary character, the author and when we hear about Holmes it's in the awful form of journal entries with initials and ampersands that slow the reading. I intent to try again to finish the book, but think I'll find the subsequent one at the library rather than buying it as I did the very first 4, just in case Millett has truly abandoned Holmes in favor of Raffety and is tired of writing in that beloved voice that he was clever enough to re-create when he chose to.
Rated by buyers 
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The true secret alliance is between the publisher and the author, as they endeavor to con and bamboozle the innocent public into thinking that this is a "Sherlock Holmes" story. It is not. Not even close. Oh, sure, we're given some badly written "diary entries" by Watson, but those are filled with Holmes and Watson pining for Minnesota. Funny how Conan Doyle missed Holmes' deep love for the Midwest.
The bulk of the novel is taken up with Millet's own creation, Shadwell Rafferty. Tragically, if this were a "Shadwell Rafferty" book, it wouldn't be all that bad. Rafferty is an interesting enough fellow, and the narrative voice used for him is light, but gets the job done. But, then, "Shadwell Rafferty and the Secret Alliance" wouldn't sell books, would it?
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