Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823
EAN num: 9780142003404
ISBN number: 0142003409
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 448
Printing Date: September 30, 2003
Publishing house: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Release Date: September 30, 2003
Sale Popularity Level: 684879
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
An evil adversary has risen from the dead. A letter, written in a secret cipher, tells famed sleuth Sherlock Holmes that Abe Slaney, the vicious murderer he once captured after a duel of wits, has performed another dastardly deed-kidnapping the beautiful widow of a man he killed years earlier. Soon Holmes discovers that someone is attempting to frame him for the crime. The great detective sets off from London to Chicago where only with the assistance of the large-hearted and amply proportioned Irish saloonkeeper Shadwell Rafferty can Holmes hope to settle the score once and for all. Nonstop suspense, vivid historical atmosphere, and seamless storytelling make this a thrilling addition to Larry Millett's popular series.
Amazon.com Review:
Although Sherlock Holmes, in Arthur Conan Doyle's original tales, only occasionally traveled much beyond London, he and his faithful chronicler, Dr. John Watson, have become regular globetrotters in Larry Millett's recent Holmes pastiches. The very first four of these novels found the pair hieing off to Minnesota (not coincidentally, the author's home state), while The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes sends them to New York and Chicago in 1900, one frustrating step behind conspirators bent on framing them for kidnapping and murder.
Two years have passed since Holmes (in Doyle's 'The Adventure of the Dancing Men') captured Abe Slaney, a Chicago gangster who murdered the husband of Elsie Cubitt, his childhood love. Now, Elsie has gone missing, and clues suggest that Slaney--though reportedly dead--is behind the snatch. Goaded by a bogus ransom demand and an enigmatic spiritualist, and perhaps also by the great detective's uncharacteristic affection for the Widow Cubitt, Holmes and Watson commence a lively chase that will lead them from a slain Liverpool strumpet to a foggy standoff at a Manhattan church, a death-defying train ride across Pennsylvania, and a climactic shootout at a Windy City fraternal hall. Millett's veteran readers will identify the malign genius behind this conspiracy well before the last page, and they may be disappointed with the minor role played here by Minneapolis saloonkeeper and series regular Shadwell Rafferty. Yet the author adroitly captures the spirit of the Holmes canon, while adding to it a modern urgency of plot and an infectious curiosity about the historical sites around which this tale's action occurs. If this novel doesn't surpass Millett's Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders for eccentric intrigue, it certainly bristles with shocks and twists enough to curl Queen Victoria's hair. --J. Kingston Pierce
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Rated by buyers 
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Authoring any Sherlock Holmes pastiche is a thankless job. Any originality would be critically assessed (more often than not plainly criticized) while truthful renderings in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would be sneered upon as another 'fake'. There have been some efforts that have assumed stellar positions in not only Sherlockian literature, but also in other areas, e.g. Nicholas Meyer's "Seven Percent Solution" and Michel Dibdin's "The Last Sherlock Holmes Story". Larry Millett, in his Minnesota-n Holmesiana, had begun auspiciously, with the adventure concerning the Red Demon that was immensely readable despite some obvious displacements felt by all. But the quality of his works worsened rapidly, finally culminating in "The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes".
This novel would stagger any follower of the canon not only in terms of its subject (pastiches thrive upon controversy), but also its style. Pedantically speaking, the following 'short-comings' may be noted:
1. Watson's narrative has been interrupted on too many occasions; in the process the charm of Victorian english has been severely compromised.
2. Over-enthusiasm for adventures was never the forte of Sherlock Holmes who detested jumping to any conclusion/situation without viewing and reviewing the facts time and again (all those noxious tobacco smoke!), but Millett's Holmes literally monkeys around everywhere.
3. Essential component of any Victorian literature has to be prudence and conservative attitude towards sex (no matter how hypocritic we may find it today), but this novel becomes pretty ribald at every opportunity. In the process Holmes falls in love headlong and indulges in unbelievable stupidity (how else can these incidents be explained)!
4. Mary Robinson, who had been portrayed as 'Irene Adler with a twist' in the 'Red Demon' story, has become rather Moriartisque in this novel, probably under the influence of the TV Series Law & Order: Criminal Intent where the super-villain Nicole Wallace is the nemesis of Robert Goren (modelled after Holmes). This makes the novel even more convoluted and far-fetched.
Overall, "abandon all hope, ye who enter here". Don't complain later.
Rated by buyers 
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I enjoyed the earlier books in this series and this one was especially good. Same day I received it, I read far into the night and finished it the following morning. I like these books because I'm a lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan and this one featured Holmes from the beginning in an absorbing story in which he was impersonated, traveled from England, to NYC and and then to Chicago and even was involved in a bit of a romance. Rafferty and other characters from previous books made appearances in an auxillary capacity, which suits me fine.
Mr. Millett's ability to capture the voice of Watson (as created by Doyle) is the most appealing aspect of this tale.
Rated by buyers 
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My reaction to this book was interesting. I have a tendancy to drop a book after the very first couple of chapters if I don't find myself drawn in. If I am drawn in, I'll finish the book in a couple days. I read The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes over several weeks. I didn't feel the urge to read it all at once, but I didn't feel like tossing it all together. Millett's description are near perfection in my opinion, although as another reviewer commented, the footnotes were bothersome. His character development showed me another, believable side of Sherlock Holmes. I kept reading, and enjoyed the end in Chicago the most.
Rated by buyers 
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"Disappearance" is a big improvement over "Secret Alliance". Despite the title, Holmes is present for much of the book. Even better, Rafferty appears very little, and Minnesota is barely mentioned. Unfortunately, Holmes and Watson are apart for much of the story. The villain's conspiracy against Holmes is far-fetched at times, but overall the book is a pretty good story, which could have been better had the author cut down on excessive details and footnotes that do nothing to move the story along.
Rated by buyers -
Probably the best of Larry Millet's stories (and the others have been good!) I really loved it when Mary finally got hers! That female Moriarty really deserved what she got! However, I suspect that Millet will resurect her in his subsequent novel. Ah, well, she'll join a long list of villans that have returned from the dead including Moriarty himself, Fu Manchu, The Joker, etc. Four resounding Sherlock stars! Larry Millet, you go, bro! Quoth the Raven...
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