This book should be old news, but it's not. The United States and Iraq skillfully manipulated and limited media coverage during the 1991 Persian Gulf war, and now years after the fact, we're left with a hazy view of what took place in the desert. What this book does very well -- what others have failed to do so far -- is give the reader an up-close view of five tank lieutenants' experiences during the war. These five officers offer a very honest account. Their prose predictably drifts into gung-ho military speak on occasion, and with five lieutenants writing about similar experiences, it's hard to figure out which officer is which. But those things aside, the book offers a great unfiltered -- and uncensored -- account of what it was like to be a young officer thousands of miles from home and facing combat for the first time. It's an interesting and haunting narrative.

I heard about this book a few years ago while attending OCS, but reading it took on a new sense of urgency with the possibility of fighting the Iraqi Army again.

What these 5 young leaders did, not only during Operation Desert Shield/Storm, but also in taking the time & energy to put it down on paper, is absolutely invaluable to company grade officers. As an Mech Infantry Company Commander with no combat experience, I feel that I am better prepared for what lies ahead now that I have been exposed to this book. The candor of the 5 authors is a welcome relief.

Thank you to the 5 authors for providing today's military leaders with a glipmse into the most difficult leadership situation known to mankind...leading soldiers into battle.

I served with Alex Vernon and the other authors in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Their book was a powerful trip down memory lane for me. The strength of Eyes of Orion is its honest look at the challenges of military service from the eyes of junior officers. It is indeed painfully honest. Though Alex and I were in the same company and talked often, even I didn't know how much he struggled with the experience. To me he was a calm and competent platoon leader. I think that says a lot about the masks we put on, especially when commanding soldiers. If you are interested in the psychology of leadership and people under stress then read this book.

As a connoisseur of pop culture and the adult film world, I eagerly anticipated the release of the autobiography from the man who made porn a household name (at least in my household). I ordered this book from Amazon shortly after it was released and tore into it immediately after receiving it upon my doorstep. While the book was interesting, I believe it to be far more fiction than fact. This is based upon other accounts I've read about this well-hung legend. As told on the recent John Holmes addition of the E! True Hollywood Story, Holmes was prone to exaggeration and fabrication. There was also very little about his life in the adult film world - only a mere skim over. While I wasn't disappointed with the book, I wasn't satisfied either. But, give it a shot and see what you think.

This book is fairly interesting, but the reader must keep in mind that since John Holmes wrote about himself, he casts himself in the role of victim instead of perpetrator. He absolves himself of all responsibility in the Laurel Canyon murders, placing himself in the role of unwilling participant and innocent bystander. He only slightly mentions his life in porn movies, and he does not accept responsibility nor does he seem to feel guilt for his humiliating mistreatment of his long-suffering first wife, his teenage mistress whom he pimped, beat, and started on drugs, or the fact that he neglected to mention his AIDS status to his female porn partners. Yet he does speak openly about his drug addiction, his impoverished childhood, his obsession with sex, and his mammoth "organ". All in all, this is an interesting yet not-so-honest book about a very complex man who could never deal with his inner demons and eventually succumed to them.

I thought this book was pretty good. Detailing where John came from, how he got into porn, and how he went from the King to a desent into drugs.

It is fast reading and does not hide much. His final days with AIDS is touching and sad.

I recomend it. After reading it, I see that the movie Boogie Nights was loosly based on the life of John Holmes.

Quinn Fawcett has begun a series of books relating to Mycroft Holmes, the older and more intelligent brother of the better known Sherlock. Mycroft has been a figure of fascination since he first appeared in 'The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter' in 1893, and has often been featured in stories as the man behind the Victorian British secret service.

Mr. Fawcett also takes this view. He also endeavours to retain Mycroft's depiction as an armchair theorist, although not to the extent that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did, the depiction is at least fairly consistent (unlike, for instance, the depiction in Glen Petrie's 'The Hampstead Poisonings').

It is therefore unsurprising to find that the book is largely narrated in the first person by Mycroft's secretary, Paterson Erskine Guthrie, who is also Mycroft's agent in the field. While Mycroft eventually follows Guthrie into the field later in the novel (and there is an excellent explanation of why no-one notices this), Guthrie is principally in the spotlight, and thus preserving the wonder of his employer's intelligence - much as Dr. Watson does in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Holmes and Guthrie are pitted against the Brotherhood, a secret society who have plans against the many governments of Europe, who are a very nasty bunch.

While spy thrillers are not normally a genre of choice for me, this book was quite an entertaining read. And if you enjoy this, there are another three books (at least!) in the series.

Fawcett has perfectly captured the Victorian zen with this addition to the Holmes tapestry. As most fans know, Mycroft, Sherlock's older and "smarter" brother is the brain of the British government's intelligence and counterintelligence services of the period, and Fawcett convincingly populates the time and place.

The prose is wonderful, particularly the dialogue, which perfectly captures the essence of the highly articulate and oh-so-English main characters. It's a pleasure to read an author that places such an emphasis on the quality of the dialogue.

The story itself moves forward with real momentum; I found it increasingly difficult to put the book down as I progressed through it.

Highly recommended to Holmes fans, or any reader with an interest in Victorian settings.

I was not expecting to enjoy this book very much, since it lacks the younger Holmes brother, Sherlock, but I found I loved it. Guthrie, and Mycroft through Guthrie's eyes, proved to be interesting characters, and the plot kept me entertained. The only fault I can find with this book is that Mycroft was not in it as much as I would have expected, this being his series and all. But that will not keep me from reading the next book in the series, which I am looking forward to doing!

Vincent Price stars in three shorts all based on Edgar Allen Poe stories. This was the first of the Roger Corman - Poe films I ever saw and it left an impact on me. Morella is the opening story and I feel it is the best and the one that is most like the rest of Corman's Poe films. Price is good at riding on the edge insanity while livng in a cob web covered house with his dead wife louning in a back room waiting to rise. Peter Lorre shows up in the Black Cat which is a combination of that story and the Cask of Amontillado. This entry is one of those horror - comedies that is very similiar to Corman's Raven. Price and Lorre both have some fine moments in this film including the dream sequence where Lorre's head is being tossed around like a ball. The Case of M.Valdemar comes last and this one has Basil Rathbone doing scientific experiments with Vincent Price with the expected ghastly results. Price has to were some gooey make-up in this one that was hot when they put it on. Price does great at playing a victim in these three different stories and there are some good people in the supporting cast. This one has the standards you expect in one of Corman's - Poe films, we have castles, corpses and killings.

Directed by the venerable king of quality low-budget filmmaking, Roger Corman, and scripted by the prolific and popular SF and horror writer Richard Matheson, TALES OF TERROR is comprised of three vignettes based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe. The incomparable Vincent Price stars in all three, with Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone each co-starring (separately, alas) in one of the others. Any knowledgeable horror fans should be nearly euphoric after reading the credentials behind this flick--and they won't be disappointed!

The first story is based on Poe's "Morella," but Corman and Matheson take great liberties to make the tale darker and scarier than the original. Unfortunately, the altered plot and its resolution (?) are a bit hard to follow, and it is therefore the weaker of the three plays.

The second--and best!--vignette, "The Black Cat" is actually a composite of Poe's story of the same name and his "The Cask of Amontillado." Peter Lorre hilariously hams it up as the cuckolded Montresor Herringbone, and Vincent Price is also a riot as Herringbone's nemesis, Fortunato. In spite of the humor, however, there are still plenty of chills when Lorre builds a wall around his "problems."

The final vignette, based on Poe's "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," features the wonderful Basil Rathbone as the hypnotist who uses his powers to put the titular character, Valdemar (portrayed by Price), in a sort of limbo between life and death. Again, Corman and Matheson have taken liberties with the original story (e.g., making the hypnotist malevolent and self-serving), but this time it's to great effect, as Rathbone makes a delightfully devilish villain. The make-up job on Price in the final scene is pretty creepy, too, in spite of the film's low-budget effects. Good old-fashioned frights in this one.

The DVD edition of TALES OF TERROR is short on extras (trailer only)--it would've been great to have a Corman commentary on this one, which many of the other MGM releases of Corman's films DO have--but seeing this film in widescreen makes it well worth the reasonable cost. A worthy addition to any fan of classic horror.

Mention Roger Corman's 1962 "Tales of Terror" and you immediately think of Vincent Price teaming up with Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone. But for me this film owes as much to writer Richard Matheson, who adapted four Poe stories into three film vignettes. "Morella" is another one of those dark family secret stories. The title character (Leona Gage) had died in childbirth 26 years before, cursing her baby daughter. When Leonora (Maggie Pierce) comes home suffering from a fatal disease, she discovers her father Locke (Price) has been keeping mom's mummified corpse in his bedroom. "The Black Cat" also works in elements of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado." Montressor Herringbone (Lorre) finds out his wfie Annabel (Joyce Jameson) is having an affair with Fortunato Lucresi (Price), a rather foppish wine connoisseur. Unexpectedly funny because of the comic performances of the two stars, the story is this sequence inspired Corman to make "The Raven." Finally, "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," an elderly man (Vindent) whose dying days have been eased in part because of a hypnotist, Carmichael (Rathbone), whos wants to hypnotize Valdemar at the moment of death. The experiemnt succeeds, after a fashion, but Carmichael refuses to release Valdemar until his wife Helene (Debra Paget) agrees to marry him.

"Tales of Terror" is noteworthy for two particular impacts it had on horror films. The first was the emergence of anthology films that followed in its wake, such as "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" and "Black Sabbath." The second was the revival of interest in former movie stars at American International, which would soon add Boris Karloff to their roster. The stand out segment of this film is certainly "The Black Cat," with Lorre and Price showing marvelous comic timing. Lorre takes such perverse glee in walling up his wife and Price, plus there is nothing like the macabre politeness of movie villains . There is something transcendent about watching these old Hollywood pros have fun with taking these roles so seriously, so to speak.

Hannah Holmes has produced a gem of a science book which reads like a good novel. Her mastery of descriptive prose and imaginative narrations of the exploration and discovery of the microscopic universe we inhabit will draw the reader into the excitement of the scientists who study the very tiny stuff of which everything is made. This story is clearly very thoughtfully researched and woven together from a great range of scientific sources. As Holmes attempts to confront some still uncertain and controversial ideas about the role of dust in our individual health and the global health of our planet, she takes a reasonably balanced approach, leaving the reader with the sense of wonder and curiosity and thirst for greater understanding which must drive the scientists she writes about. I look forward to more such enlightening and entertaining books from this author.

I agree with some other reviewers who comment that some illustrations, especially those referenced in the website bibliography at the end of the book, would make the book even more enjoyable. But that does not detract from its five-star standing, in my view. Having the referenced web pages gathered on a central website to make them easier to explore might also be nice, although that, of course, goes beyond the scope of a "hard copy" paper publication.

This is the sort of story which could be well adapted to an online, hyperlinked multimedia presentation, using some of these remarkable resources to expand the story and spark further individual exploration, perhaps published on CD-ROM along with the book. Perhaps the publishers would consider such. I think such a product could expand the audience that would enjoy this story, to make it more accessible to the nintendo generation and others who have been brainwashed by the educational system into thinking natural science is boring and impossible to understand.

We need more creative and imaginative science writers like Hanna Holmes!

Dust. It's all around us in our daily lives. We brush it off the tabletop and sweep it with the broom. Holmes shows us that it's a lot more than that. It's the building blocks of the universe. It's a natural part of our lives - we each have our own individual dust clouds. Unlike Peanut's Pigpen, ours is usually not visible. Hannah Holmes has written a broad and surprisingly accessible book looking at the roles and dangers that dust plays in our lives. She is able to easily slide from the macro view of the universe to the micro view of dust mites without losing her audience. Dust rises from the most unexpected places - who would have though of the sea as a dust creator, yet spray allows the launching of salt particles into the air at a surprising rate. And penguins produce ammonia gas that condenses into small balls. Holmes writes, "By accidentally flying through penguin-poo dust in the making, Hubert and friends had caught the magical transition of gas to particle."

You will walk away from this book hopefully not fearing, but respecting dust for its role in our, and the planet's life. Holmes shows us that even the little mundane subjects of day to day life, can have profound effects upon us all.

Science writer Holmes will have readers looking at dust in a new light as they vacuum their rugs. Born in a supernova, a huge cloud of space dust was the origin of the solar system and of us. More than 100 tons of space dust rains down on Earth daily, but it is planet-formed dust that is the theme of this well-written book. Holmes writes of the great desert dust storms (the Sahara yearly puts 600 million tons into the atmosphere) that disperse around the globe. Humans breathe in more than a billion and a half dust particles daily from "clean air." Holmes describes the health effects of all this dust, but that of household dust is the most striking. Poorly vacuumed rugs may contain up to three and a half cups of dust per square meter, containing, among other things, 18,000 dust mites per teaspoon of dust and creating an asthma epidemic in the US where the number of sufferers have increased 150 percent since 1970. Holmes cites the "hygiene hypothesis" as a partial explanation--the obsession to keep houses and children spotless may have lowered resistance to allergens found in household dust. An entertaining and informative book; chapter list of Web sites; extensive bibliography

The Whitechapel Horrors is one of the numerous pastiches involving Sherlock Holmes solving the Jack The Ripper murders. You'd think that it would be a great idea, mixing fact and fiction and winding up with a swell book. The thing is: it's been done too many times already! Never mind the films that have tread this ground (with another script by Brian Helgeland called "Elementary" waiting at Warner Bros.), this is at least the fourth novel covering that idea. Baring-Gould covered it, Ellery Queen covered it, Michael Didbin, in my absolute LEAST favorite Holmes book, covered it...
Don't get me wrong, Mister Hanna is a great writer who provides lots of detail and insight, but the idea has been done to death- so to speak.
Another problem I had with the book: The voice of the writer. This is not written as a first hand narrative of John Watson, and the book suffers because of it. Hanna explains that the book is taken from Watson's notes (essentially making it HIS story) but it's not enough. Many of the Holmes pastiches don't get Watson's "voice" right, but Mister Hanna didn't try.
Great writer, but the book has problems.

As both a Holmes and Ripper enthusiast, I felt this book was an almost perfect marriage of fact and fiction, and undeniably the best battle between the Master Sleuth and the Master Psychopath in print. I said "almost perfect," and I must stress the word "almost." Like some other reviewers, I did feel somewhat let down by the ending and lack of resolution. However, by studying the case, I now know that this frustration is nothing compared to the emotions the REAL investigators surely felt when the Whitechapel Horrors simply stopped and nothing was ever heard from Jack the Ripper again. If Mr. Hanna intended to evoke this feeling with his readers, he has succeeded admirably! The suspense is well-maintained, the characters (especially Watson and perhaps the most amiable, verbose Holmes in print), reflective of their times, and the author's research commendable.I love the author's proposed solution as to how the Ripper eluded capture, but I question its practicality.All in all, "The Whitechapel Horrors" is a worthy continuation of Holmes' legacy, and deserves to be read by all interested in Holmes and the Ripper.

Needless to say, I read "A Study in Terror" by Ellery Queen and this book at the same time, and it was quite obvious which was better. The Whitechapel Horror is infinitely better.

Though a bit confusing because it is in third person, the story itself is remarkable, and the theory is not completely out of the world (Rasputin was the culprit in another book)... what is more, it is historically accurate, and Hanna didn't change everything to make his villain conceivable.

And finally, what I liked most about this story, was the Ripper was never discovered. The author doesn't insist that so-and-so is the Ripper, he just leaves it up to your own imagination. You must respect that. He does hint that Holmes knows, but other than that, when you close the book you just sit back and think for a moment.

A highly advisable book for any Sherlock Holmes lover, and anyone even remotely interested in Jack the Ripper. Even if you have no interest in one or the other, I can guarentee that you will enjoy this book!

This book has left me with more questions of which I find few answers. First of all, I will and always will admire anyone brave and courageous enough to follow their hearts and write about it. The courage to write and confront what you have actually done is often times more difficult than the act itself. I believe with all my heart that Ms. Holmes-Binney deserves commendation for putting into words the fears and anxieties of her soul.

My concerns with her actions are relatively basic. First of all, she seems to come from a family experienced with the outdoors. While they pride themselves with "not cheating" when camping, I can not understand how in the world she planned this 40 day episode into the cold desert with such ill preparation. Did she deliberately choose NOT to take adequate clothing, specifically, jacket and footwear? ( I have been on a fair amount of camping trips, and I know those two items would be highly important on my list of items to have.) Instead of taking appropriate weather gear, she decides a "leather jacket" and some thrifty store salvation army type cowboy boots should see her through the endeavor. I couldn't believe how naive she seemed, or was it self-destructive? You decide.

Of course, with in the first few days, the inadequacy of all her chosen items seem to rear their ugly heads and it is literally her life that is at risk. An untimely snowstorm moves in on her very first few days. She is barely set up in her camp, her flimsy tent is flying apart and everything is soaking wet from the rainstorm that preceeded the freezing weather. Her sleeping bags are soaking wet, and she has fallen apart mentally and physically. Her only salvation is that she hopes the ranger and his wife will not leave her out there to die.

It astounds me that she risked all this and spent so little time PLANNING for this adventure. She never explains her motives for ill planning, either. It seems to be just an oversight, but any educated person familiar with the wilderness knows you must plan and prepare for any time in the wild. I just can not understand why she did this as she is not an ignorant person.

She plans to find her spiritual self in 40 days and nights in the desert. She elects to conduct this spiritual journey solo, but thankfully a few people come to her aid and literally save her life by giving her a stove, wood, and not to mention, the actual down jacket off the ranger's wife's back. I am just not so sure what she really found out there, as I have to wonder what she brought there in the first place.

THis book shows a lot of spirit by Debi, camping out in the Great SAlt Lake Desert with only a tent! Some humorous parts about mice and her pet fly! Kept my interest, was hoping for a more 'spiritual' ending, but glad I read it!

Debi Holmes-Binney did something many of us will only dream about doing. She risked her life to find something beyond the routine day. Determined to escape society for 40 days and nights, she was trucked into the remote Great Salt Lake Desert in the heart of winter without gun or phone and was 25 miles from the nearnest house or store. When she almost died her second night there in a freak snow storm, she had a second chance at life. What followed was a remarkable inner journey of universal appeal. Her honesty is almost as frightening as it is beautiful. Her writing is strong, poetic--to the point. I couldn't put the book down after the first page. Highly recommended for any woman intrigued with her own being and not afraid to step from the herd. I left the book feeling closer to myself, Nature and those I love.

First, the review from "henry@coombs.anu.edu.au" contains several mistakes. Lestrade does not appear in "The Valley Of Fear", and that story is a prequel to "The Adventure Of The Final Problem". Second, it is probable that Watson altered events in FP in order that it would appear as though it was his first look at Moriarty, since it was the reader's as well. By "Valley Of Fear", readers know who it is, so it is unnecessary to do the same thing. Watson has plainly stated that he altered facts to make stories suitable for the reading public. Third, there is no "official" Holmes continuity. You accept what you, the reader, wish to accept. Nothing more. I disagree with his thoughts on the later Doyle stories, but that is a matter of opinion.

That said, this is a great book which does what Doyle never bothered to do; make the narrative an intense character study where we find out some of the deepest corners of Holmes' mind. This is Sherlock Holmes at it's best, filled with splendid characterization and a cunning mystery. The drama is this story is incredible; Holmes' confrontation with Sigmund Freud is heartstopping, and his moments of weakness are heartbreaking. There are also many nice touches that warm a reader's heart, like examining Watson and his wife, Mary Morstan, and her references to "brandy and soda" and calling him "Jack".

The mystery is also quite good, and appears halfway through the book (but does not forget to deal with Holmes' addiction). There are moments of high drama and action which are integrated nicely and paced swiftly. Holmes' deductions are excellent and well thought out.

If you have ever felt that Doyle's stories lacked emotional investment for the reader, then this is the book to read.

Doyle was an excellent writer, but he did not truly understand what a wonderful character he had created in Sherlock Holmes. He saw him as merely a calculating machine, perhaps never noticing the hidden passion that he placed within the character; the kindness and heart within Holmes.

But Nicholas Meyer did.

And he displayed it in a novel that was a bestseller, that led to a feature film, and revitalized Holmes in the late twentieth century. With creators like these, with people that care so deeply about him, Sherlock Holmes will survive for another hundred years.

Final notes. Meyer is the director of several movies, including the movie adaptation of this novel, and a few Star Trek movies.

This book does have it's mistakes, and one is that if Moriarty is what he is in this novel, then "Final Problem", "Empty House" and "Valley Of Fear" are lies that slander an innocent, if annoying man.

THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION is a story unparalleled in the annals of criminal detection. Discovered in Hampshire, England, where it had lain neglected since 1939, then painstakingly researched and annotated for two years by editor Nicholas Meyer, THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION marks the first publication of a heretofore unknown and astounding episode in the career of Sherlock Holmes as recorded by his closest friend and chronicler, Dr. John H. Watson.

Even more remarkable than the historic discovery of Watson's transcript are the revelations it contains concerning the real identity of the heinous Professor Moriarity, the dark secret shared by Sherlock and brother Mycroft Holmes, and the detective's true whereabouts and activities during the Great Hiatus when the world believed him dead.

Most astounding of all, THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION details the events that led to the meeting in Vienna of the world's two most brilliant investigators and their collaboration on a sensational case of diabolic conspiracy.

John Hamish Watson was born in England in 1847. After a childhood spent abroad, he returned in 1872 and enrolled in the University of London Medical School, where he took his degree six years later. After finishing the course at Netley prescribed for Army surgeons, he was attached to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers and sent to India. Severly wounded by a Jezail bullet at the Battle of Maiwand during the Second Afghan War, in 1880, he returned to England, his health ruined, with no specific plans other than to live as best he could on his Army pension. In January of the following year, quite by accident, he met Sherlock Holmes, who was then looking for someone to share his lodgings. The ensuing friendship, which lasted until Holmes' death found Watson his niche as the great detective's biographer through more than sixty cases. In his spare time he resumed the practice of medicine. In 1889 he married Mary Morstan. He died in Britain in 1940.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was very impressed with it. I checked it out from the library to read it but I'm definitely buying a copy for myself. First of all, it was just a well written and entertaining book. Some scenes were hilarious while others were postively heartbreaking. Secondly, I found it to be very true to the spirit of Doyle's stories and to his Holmes and Watson. I felt that Meyer did an excellent job with Holmes' character. Holmes was slightly different from what he was in the canon but I felt that this could have been how Doyle would have written Holmes had he ever chosen to write a story such as this. Meyer also had Holmes and Watson's relationship down to perfection. I loved how he seemed to realize how important Watson was to Holmes. The deductions in the book were also very good. Most of them were worthy of Sir Arthur himself. I also liked Meyer's footnotes. I thought they were cool. What I loved most about the book though was that I got the strong impression that it was written out of a love for the canon and not out of a love for the money. The book appeared to have been written by someone who had read and re-read the canon and not by someone who was getting all their information from the Basil Rathbone movies.

I should add that the book does deviate from the canon so I have to advise caution if you're a purist. The book gives a different explanation for the Great Hiatus and Moriarty isn't portrayed as Doyle wrote him. I can understand how some people could have a problem with this. I admit that I did too at first. But I don't anymore. Although I love Doyle's Holmes stories, I realize that they are not perfect. They are not without their faults and contradictions and I feel that those who love the canon the most are the ones who will try to correct the faults and explain away the contradictions. And I felt that that was the reason for the book's deviation from the canon. So I would highly recommend it unless you just can't tolerate a deviation from Doyle's work.

Larry Millett's "Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon" takes the Great Detective from his usual London haunts into the pinelands of northern Minnesota. The results are variable.

The book is overshadowed by Holmes' failure to stop a massive fire that kills hundred of people. While this may seem to give away part of the story, it is plainly revealed in the blurb, broadly hinted at in the introduction, and the extent of the fire is shown on a map before the novel begins!

Instead, the reader gets to watch Holmes seeking to discover who is behind the impending disaster. So, while Millett's depiction of Holmes' deductive activity is fine. Most of the clues Holmes relies upon are in plain sight of the reader, which is not always the case in a Holmes' story, so perhaps some readers can enjoy matching withs with the Great Detective.

I found Millett's portrayl of Holmes a little off-key, and this is highlighted by Watson maiking references to Holmes' unusual behaviour. Not being from Minnesota (or even America!) I cannot comment of the depiction of the area and its people, but for a foreigner they seemed quite natural.

Millett has written two further Holmes novels - "Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murder (hinted at in the closing pages of this book) and "Sherlock Holmes and the Runestone Mystery" - both of which I believe are also set in Minnesota. Based on this book, I believe they are likely to be worth a read.

Larry Millett's "The Red Demon" was a decent attempt at a Holmes pastiche. However, there were many flaws that, unfortunately, detracted greatly from my enjoyment of the book. Having myself read the entire canon and multiple pastiches, I found that Millett seemed extrodinarily intent on proving to the reader that he had done his research. Throughout the book, Millett's Watson refers CONSTANTLY to previous Holmes' cases, many of which Doyle never ever wrote! (These were explained as one of the many "unwritten Watson accounts" in the footnotes.)

And speaking of footnotes, they over-ran the entire novel. They ranged from clarifying innumerable details about the Minnesota railway, to basic facts any Holmesian would know. I found both Watson's uncharacteristic voice and the many times needless footnotes distracting.

Millet's Watson proves slower than usual. And as for Holmes, while the entire mystery was interesting, I believe Doyle's Holmes would have discovered the "missing motive" long before the final 30 pages of the novel. It made for a great climax to the novel -- but I felt as though I had to read 250 pages of un-Holmes' like investigation before the traditional Holmes' narrative finally shone through.

The novel overall was entertaining, and the Millett paints a beautiful picture of Minnesota at the turn of the century. However, as I enjoy Holmes more than I do Minnesota history, I won't be reading any of his subsequent novels.

The first of Millett's Sherlock Holmes in Minnesota series, I read this after "Ice Palace Murders," but the order of reading isn't crucial. If you like one, you'll like the other. This one has more adventure and is probably a little truer to the Doyle stories, though I must admit I was constantly picturing Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as I was reading the book, and, since I love those movies, that is meant to be a compliment. As with the Ice Palace book, I found the footnotes to be bothersome, and again, the villian's identity is kept from us long after even Watson knows. The villian himself is a fairly minor character, so the ultimate unmasking, especially since it comes after a thrilling battle on a burning bridge, is anti-climactic. Still, quite enjoyable. I'll be looking forward to the next one in paperback.

A mysterious hound is haunting a family estate, and the new heir has employed Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to investigate the hound, find out the death of his relative, and save the heir's life. Throughout the book, the neighbors, the townspeople, an escaped convict and are all suspects.

While not a large book, the Hound of the Baskervilles does trudge along at some points. The someone antiquated language aside, it does delve into more detail and much more build up than a typical Holmes' short story does. So while in a short story, the mystery would be solved in minutes, in this book, the mystery takes a while to come forth. For example, in the beginning there is a mysterious person in a stagecoach following the heir. The mystery is only solved at the end, but with all the other events that took place, the reader has already lost interest in that particular person. I personally forgot about it, thus it did not intrigue me at all.

Also, in much of this book, Holmes is not even present. The wit and mystery are substituted with settings and descriptions instead, not Doyle's strongest points.

While a classic mystery which is still good, it can come out as somewhat unsatisfying.

This is a rare novel of Holmes, and it keeps the reader intense from the start. It truly is a masterpiece, and the whole plot and mystery solving on the part of Holmes is spectacular. Great book.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is an intriguing book, filled with mystery and adventure around every turn. The author uses more descriptive words rather than cheap thrills to scar the reader. When reading the book, I saw that it was rather interesting, I thought that I had the mystery figured out, but I was far from discovering the truth.

Read the book......if you want to be scared and learn a thing or two about mystery solving you have picked the right book to read.