Sherlock Holmes: The Montana Chronicles

For the first time, here are the long-lost records of four intriguing mysteries solved by the famous English detective Sherlock Holmes when he traveled to Montana in the late 1800s. Using his inimitable eye for clues, his astounding deductive reasoning, and – when necessary – clever subterfuge, Holmes solves a very public murder at the famous Opera House, a supernatural theft of gold at a mine near Georgetown Lake, the disturbing threats to Copper King Marcus Daly’s most famous racehorse, and the sudden odd behavior of a miner’s wife.

As usual, these cases were recorded by Dr. John H. Watson, Holmes’ affable companion and chronicler, but Watson’s accounts were lost for more than a century. They were recently discovered in an old safe in Anaconda’s Hearst Free Library by researcher John. S. Fitzpatrick, who edited the manuscripts for publication. Not only are the actual crimes unique and challenging, but the stories are filled with fascinating details of life in early-day Montana—details that amply illustrate Holmes’ superb powers of observation.

This immensely entertaining book is certain to delight all fans of detective stories, mysteries, and Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes: the Montana Chronicles is a 239 page trade paperback with a not too far-fetched premise for the tardy publication of its century-old manuscripts. Editor Fitzpatrick is contacted by the elderly librarian of his childhood, who has found an old safe in the Hearst Free Library in his hometown of Anaconda, MT, filled with manuscripts sent by Dr. John H Watson in 1899 to the then-librarian. Current librarian Marian Geil has chosen to contact our Mr Fitzpatrick, not only because of their long acquaintance, but also because of his love of mysteries and the legend that his granddad had worked as the local sheriff with none other than Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. I decided to read the last of the book's four tales first because the title "The Mysterious Woman" caught my attention. It reminded me of a 1940s Bette Davis film involving mistaken identity between sisters. The mystery turned out to be easily solved, but there was a twist at the end and the tale is well-told. The third tale, "The Ghosts of Red Lion", taught me more about mining than I'll ever need to know at a cocktail party. Two disturbers were Watson's claim that Holmes would probably ingest cocaine in order to stay awake during a nighttime stakeout (this is repeated in "The Tammany Affair") and...a first for me...much ado about Watson's use of the privy! But it is a good yarn with a motive of revenge behind the mystery. "The Opera House Murder", the lead story, was very good indeed! It had enough foreshadowing to have the solution make sense and enough red herrings to keep me from deducing too early "whodunit"! My last read, though the 2nd in the book, "The Tammany Affair", involves the racehorse of Marcus Daly, a real-life fixture in Montana mining in the late 19th century who was known as the "copper king". Holmes gives Watson a really good compliment when -- trying to convince Watson to leave London on behalf of a racehorse in Montana--he says, "You've forgotten more about horseflesh than I'll ever know. I expect you will be critical to the investigation." This is also a setup for another of those cases where Holmes is working outside our view, providing for a surprise ending that has a particularly harsh impact on Watson. Overall I give this effort an A- with demerits for misuse of cocaine and potty talk! --Terri Haugen, The Sound of the Baskervilles