From Publishers Weekly
Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's younger brother, seems remarkably free of sibling rivalry as he embarks on his third adventure in Fawcett's admirable series. But then why should he suffer from envy? The younger Holmes is clever and successful, has his own eccentric household and even his own Dr. Watson in the earnest and likable person of Paterson Guthrie, his secretary and the novels' narrator. In the treacherous era before the First World War, Sweden's Prince Oscar, ostensibly in London to attend a wedding, has secretly signed a treaty with England. There have been threats against Oscar's life, and when his footman is assassinated near St. Paul's Cathedral, it's clear that the prince is in danger. Mycroft is called upon to protect him. He decides that the safest means to get his charge out of harm's way is via the country's fastest train, the Flying Scotsman. As long as Mycroft can keep his mission a secret, he can get the prince to Edinburgh, where the royal can board a ship to leave the country. With the prince happily disguised as a private citizen, Holmes and Guthrie board the grand train with trepidation. While they wine and dine, they come across old villains and rivals, including the drunken Lord Cameron and the attractive Miss Penelope Gatspy, who brings a light to Guthrie's eyes. Are they innocent passengers or do they have more sinister reasons for being on the train? Fawcett's characters are somewhat less complex than his setting, but they're no less charming. The appealingly grave and perceptive Holmes and the eager Guthrie, mixed into an ingenuous plot that's boosted by Fawcett's effortless descriptions of the era, keep the novel right on track.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous sleuthing pair continues to inspire other mystery writers, as witnessed by these three titles. In Millett's novel, Sherlock Holmes, languishing between cases in London, seizes the opportunity to authenticateAfor the Swedish kingAa rune stone found in Minnesota. He and Watson (the narrator, of course) encounter a wide variety of locals, from a wealthy empire builder and a lusty saloon-keeper to a beautiful ex-brothel owner. Before they can examine the stone, however, someone steals it and kills its owner. Secretive, surprising, inventive, and ill-acquainted with modesty, Sherlock and his latest American adventure (e.g., Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders) merit wide readership. Mycroft Holmes (Sherlock's older brother) and confidential secretary Peter Guthrie take the place of Holmes and Watson in Fawcett's series (Against the Brotherhood) "authorized" by Dame Jean Conan Doyle. Oddly enough, this pair's mission also involves the Swedish king, whom they must smuggle out of the country aboard a fast train to Scotland. Assassination attempts, murder, conspiracy, and secrecy all lend to the intrigue and tension. Literate prose and an overabundance of detail may dry this out for some, but purchase for fans. More Holmes for the Holidays, a follow-up to the 1996 Holmes for the Holidays, features 11 new tributes to Conan Doyle. Authors include not only well-known mystery writers such as Anne Perry, Jon Breen, and Peter Lovesey but also "cross-over" Western and sf writers, such as Bill Crider, Loren Estleman, and Tanith Lee. In Perry's story, which leads off, Holmes and Watson determine how a priceless Stradivarius was stolen from a locked room during a ten-minute time frame. In Lee's story, the pair confront an apparent puzzle dealing with a beautiful woman and a family curse. All in all, a likely purchase for most short story collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
