In 1920 Holmes is visiting the Mayo Clinic in the States for confirmation of his illness. While staying at a local hotel under an assumed name he receives a note,which brings back memories of his failure to capture 28 years earlier The Monster of Munich. The note leads him to the nearby town of Eisendorf. Can Holmes finally catch The Monster.
The story kept my interest with all these strange people living in the small town. Though Watson doesn't make an appearance until near the end. He was missed.
A NetGalley Book ( )

The latest Larry Millett Holmes novel (University of Minnesota Press) is now officially available for purchase. For purists, seeing a fan of Holmes give 4 or 5 stars to this novel may seem odd. The story doesn't use Watson as Doyle had done. So that's different. Regardless, the lack of Watson is only a little over half of the book. Ok, that does sound like a lot when typing it out, but honestly, I didn't feel anything lacking from his absence and he did eventually come into the story towards the end. So it wasn't totally devoid of our favorite doctor.

The story covers a post-war, aging Holmes now in America. Suffering from dyspnea (among other symptoms), he seeks out medical advice at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, only to receive the diagnosis of emphysema along with the recommendation to quit smoking altogether. Amid this, Holmes finds a message specifically addressed to him in his room. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, except that Holmes came to Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic under a fake name in order to maintain his anonymity. Immediately he begins to link this with a murderer he'd nearly caught years ago. Has this same individual tracked him down? Will Holmes, despite his failing health, be able to solve the mystery? As he tries to follow doctor's orders, Holmes battles his addiction, one that the murderer is all too aware of as he so "kindly" leaves a pack of cigarettes for the detective.

I grew up with Holmes and Watson. Yes, it was odd being without the doctor, but I didn't miss him terribly at the beginning and he did eventually show up. This was a fun read for all Sherlock Holmes fans. ( )

Meet a more mature Sherlock Holmes.
I can't claim to be an expert in Sherlock Holmes, so I can't judge Larry Millett's version as in-keeping, or otherwise, with the genre of Holmes also-rans, but it kept my attention and benefited from the narration by Steve Hendrickson.

The Sherlock Holmes of this novel is a much older, less fit version of the man in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books. He is visiting the Mayo clinic in Minnesota, US, to find answers to his health problems and comes away with a diagnosis of emphysema, from years of smoking.
As he prepares to return to England, he receives a note under his hotel door, from a past adversary, The Monster of Munch. The Monster had evaded capture nearly thirty years earlier and is now living in near-by Eisendorf. He issues a challenge that Holmes's pride cannot allow him to ignore.

So Holmes visits the ailing town of Eisendorf, with only forty residents remaining. They are a fascinating characters bunch of though, all of German descent, who relocated to this part of America in three waves and very few of whom remain.

There is secrecy and violence, a fascinating series of tunnels and a somewhat simple girl who wears angel wings and a tiara. An interesting mix, and plenty of puzzles for Holmes to solve.

I listened to this rather than reading it and enjoyed Steve Hendrickson's voice, which was perfect for Sherlock Holmes. His characters were easily distinguishable, just his German voices didn't quite ring true.

With thanks to Audiobook Boom for the audio version in exchange for an unbiased review. ( )

An aging Sherlock Holmes is in Minnesota to visit the Mayo Clinic to deal with his Emphysema, the result of years of heavy smoking. Just as he’s about to leave, he receives a taunting note under his hotel room door purporting to be from a ruthless killer who had escaped him in Munich. The missive claims that the Munich Monster is now in Eisendorf, a small town near Rochester and offers him another chance to capture him – a challenge Holmes cannot pass up despite his health and self-doubts. When Holmes arrives in Eisendorf, he discovers a once thriving community of German immigrants, full of secrets the townsfolk won’t give up easily, several suspicious deaths as well as a recent murder and more than a few possible candidates for his quarry. Soon he finds himself matching wits with a vicious killer who seems able to guess Holmes’ every move.

I always enjoy a good Sherlock Holmes tale and Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma by author Larry Millett is certainly good. This is a somewhat different Holmes, older, less confident, and more seemingly open to human contact but still as capable if a little slower than the original. The story was occasionally draggy in parts but, overall, it kept me interested and guessing right until the explosive ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and University of Minnesota Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )