Rating: 
Summary: Millett needs to stick to Shadwell, not Sherlock
Review: The story comes off well, and I have read it at least three times. But it's not a great Sherlock Holmes story, it's a fine Shadwell Rafferty mystery. Sadly, Holmes gets left out in the Minnesota cold. Maybe Millett should develop Rafferty...? I second the motion of waiting until the other book comes out in paperback. There's too little Sherlock in the Ice Palace Murders to justify paying for a hardback book
Rating: 
Summary: Very good read
Review: There seems to be endless thirst for Holmes, and while perhaps Nick Mayer's books were a tad more real (it's just hard to imagine Holmes making so many trips to Minnesota), Millett weaves history with fiction quite well, and he writes fine dialogue. It's easy to see Millett is an architecture writer as he does focus on buildings, although largely in his footnotes, but he's done his homework in other areas and his Holmes, Watson creation work just fine -- although I'm not a member of the society of folks who consider anything not written by Doyle to be blasphemy, nor do I nitpick as to the motivations of Holmes or Watson in works done by other authors. Hell, Doyle clearly had a problem getting all the nails driven into the boards properly himself. I've thoroughly enjoyed both of Millett's Holmes' works and look forward to his next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than the Red Demon!
Review: This book is the follow up to Millett's first Holmes book, Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon. I liked that book, but I like this one even better. There are more characters, including Shadwell Rafferty, who is such an interesting character that a spin off series involving just him would be great. There are two crimes committed in this book, and like I said before, with all of the very interesting characters, this book is quite the page turner. Holmes and Rafferty solve the case in expert fashion, although it a tough one. You'll probably give yourself a head-ache trying to figure it out yourself! It's just over 400 pages, so it's longer than the Red Demon, but just like the Red Demon, Millett writes intelligently and is easy to read. I'm looking forward to reading the Rune Stone book, the third Holmes book by Millett.
Rating: 
Summary: This book just doesn't have the spark.
Review: This book may be of historical/geographical interest to residents of Minnesota, but as a Holmes and Watson pastiche it falls far short of the mark. For the Sherlockians out there, the best illustration I can give is this: Holmes and Watson embark on a trans-Atlantic cruise in the opening pages of the book. How does Holmes spend the time? Observing the passengers and practicing the art of deduction? Arranging and updating the entries in his commonplace books? Absorbing himself in the study of crime-related arcana? None of the above. Millett has Holmes spend the entire trip building a ship in a bottle. Why? Because "It is a thing which looks impossible, Watson, and that is why I am interested in it."Anyone who can imagine the great detective spending his time in such a pointless endeavor has an understanding of Holmes' personality entirely different from mine. This novel contains none of the subtlety which made the original stories so richly satisfying. True Sherlockians should, I regretfully recommend, avoid it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great history, bad dialogue
Review: This installment kept my interest with all of the historical details that Millet threw in. As a St Paul history lesson, the book could be no better. The mystery was also very tightly woven, and it had me guessing as to the killers identity (almost) to the very end. What the book lacks is the kind of interesting dialogue that is needed to keep the drama alive. Most of the dialogue is pure exposition, and drags on for page after rambling page. Nobody talks this way! Also, many of the characters hardly develop beyond stereotypical figures of the time (the wealthy tycoon, the busy newspaper man, the spoiled society brat). While these are all important flaws, the overall story is good and will keep you interested, just like Millets previous (and better) Holmes book, The Red Demon. I am sure I will eventually pick up the next installment, but I am in no real hurry after being slightly dissapointed by this one.
Rating:
Summary: Good voice, bad case
Review: Unlike some of the other reviewers here, I found the 'voice' of Holmes and Watson to be accurate and quite true to the original characters. Perhaps not enough is done with them-brilliant deductions, a mainstay of Holmes' character, seem few and far between. This books fault lies in the mystery itself. A convoluted mystery requires sharp characters to help the reader keep track of what's going on. Apart from the authors "pet" character, Rafferty, few of the book's characters are particularly distinguishable in any way and I confess that upon reaching the end and discovering the culprit's identity I had to stop and think to remember the character and what part they had played in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Another Writer uses Holmes to introduce his own character
Review: While I found the writing style and story engaging, I am frankly sick of writers using Sherlock Holmes to introduce their own character. This is OK to do if Sherlock Holmes is really a central focus in the story. This author has the potential to do so, but obviously doesn't want to. I liked this book and the author's first book, but I will never re-read either of them and will certainly wait till other ones come out in paperback or can be found used. I view it as an in-between Holmes book, meaning for me that I'm waiting for Laurie King to write a new one. This author is really very good at drawing characters and has an obvious liking for Sherlock Holmes, but Holmes is not his main interest. The only writer so far to introduce a new character into a Holmesian setting successfully is Laurie R. King, her character being Mary Russell, who of course becomes Mary Russell Holmes. Therefore her character has a vested interest in Holmes the man.
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