Sherlock Holmes: The Montana Chronicles

... Holmes commented, "There's no pretense about these Montana folk, Watson, such a refreshing change from the English aristocracy." Anyone who has ever known and loved "Montana folk" will also love these short stories by Montana (Anaconda / Helena) native John Fitzpatrick. Through the eyes of someone who knows both history and scenery of the mining ghost towns - and the pen of someone well-acquainted with Sherlock Holmes mysteries - Fitzpatrick tells four tales of intrigue that are a great read. No pretense here: the mysteries are tons of fun. And if you're wondering about Fitzpatrick's choice of villains in these Montana mysteries, let's just say that Holmes discovers what we all know: Montana's women are pretty damn smart! It's $12.95 well-spent, believe me!

I was born in Butte, Montana, and have often visited the Anaconda/Butte area, walking close by the ruins of the Anaconda smelters and hiking to old mine shafts in the area's hills. John Fitzpatrick captures these places and their historical flavors wonderfully in his book Sherlock Holmes: The Montana Chronicles. People, places and events are brought to life and ring true for this reader. The few historical photos included are a perfect accompaniment to the stories. There are not too many so that they disrupt the flow of reading, but there are enough so they add authenticity to the stories. As a longtime fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, I was curious as to whether Fitzpatrick's stories would effectively follow Doyle's style. I was pleased to find that they mostly do. Characters are well developed and the story lines were varied. Fitzpatrick did a fine job of keeping the solutions to the "problems" a mystery until the end. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy light mysteries or historical fiction. It's a fun summer or sitting-by-the-fire read!

I enjoyed this book immensley. I have been a resident of Montana nearly 90 years ( and yes I needed some help to get this review on the computer). The author, does a wonderful job of weaving in characters of historical significance to Montana. I remember my parents talking of these people and I remember some of the buildings and places in the story. It is very good and held my attention for the two days it took me to read it. I enjoyed the book enough that I bought several additional copies for my sister and brother. A Senior Citizen Helena Montana

Sherlock Holmes: The Montana Chronicles is an imaginative work that's a welcome addition to the panoply of works which has extended the life and breadth of experience of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective. Larry Millett, through his series of five Holmes novels set in Minnesota, showed that Holmes' incredible detective skills could be successfully employed in the pursuit of evildoers in America. The Montana Chronicles likewise returns Holmes and Watson to the good old USA but has expanded upon the approach taken by Millett in several favorable ways. First, the venue has been changed to Montana, a place with its own mystique and a most interesting frontier history. Second, the author has successfully integrated figures from Montana's past into the story narratives. And, third, the book includes a number of historical photographs from near the turn of the century which help draw the reader into the stories. I liked all four of the short novels presented in the book but preferred The Tammany Affair above the others, simply for the adroit way in which it used that portion of Montana history popularly known as the "War of the Copper Kings" as the setting for a mystery set around a racehorse. I also give the author great credit for crafting stories with intricate, but not obtuse, plots that develop in a well-paced, but measured, way. It was a comfortable writing style, and I would not hesitate to purchase another book by the same author. Hopefully, he'll have something additional on the market in the not-to-distant future.

I really enjoyed Sherlock Holmes: The Montana Chronicles. It was a fun read. The book contains four novellas featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson fighting crime in western Montana in the 1890s. The plots are engaging, imaginative, and well crafted. The conversational style makes you feel like you are right alongside the famous duo. The author has done a masterful job of integrating real life characters and Montana history into the plots, and it's hard to tell fact from fiction. There are numerous historic photos in the book, which adds to the ambiance of the stories