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Sherlock Holmes: In Search of the Source
written by: SAH
Sherlock Holmes: In Search of the Source is the latest book from Minnesota author Jeff Falkingham. A work of historical fiction, this Holmes mystery is a follow up to Falkingham's 2001 book, Sherlock Holmes and the County Courthouse Caper.
Set in 1896 St. Paul, Minnesota, the mystery in Source surrounds the December 19, 1896 fire which destroyed the Schutte Building and the lifework of Jacob V. Brower, a man who, among other things, helped settle debate over the source of the Mississippi and champion the preservation of lands surrounding Lake Itasca.
In Source, which once again targets teen audiences with a mystery that is both entertaining and immensely informative, Holmes has returned to see his friend Peter (the narrator of both Caper and Source) get married.
As is often the case with Mr. Holmes, he is unable to simply pay a visit to an old friend. Instead, he and Peter are quickly swept up in a mystery surrounding an apparent murder (fictional) that accompanied the Schutte Building fire (real).
As the story unfolds, Falkingham manages to entwine an amazing amount of real local history with a compelling, and eerily plausible, fictional murder mystery.
Peter, the story's main character, who serves as the book's narrator and a would-be Watson to Holmes' keen eyes and unparalleled detective skills, is both believable and likable. And Holmes is, well, likeable, but like all super-smart detective types, a little eccentric. Their pairing works perfectly.
The story moves at a brisk pace. It is an ideal read for middle school-aged children and could do wonders if assigned as required reading to history students of that age. This is not to say that I, as a man quite a few years beyond middle-school, didn't enjoy it. In fact, I found it even more enjoyable than Falkingham's first book — perhaps influenced a bit by the fact that I live within spitting distance of modern day St. Paul.
The book is short — 124 pages of ample font — and can be read, by the author's own estimation, "in about three hours." For the less ambitious reader, the book is also divided into short chapters, each of which can be read in 10 minutes or so, making it a slender traveling companion for people with a few minutes here and there to fill with a good tale. Its length and divisions also, once again, take it a great teaching tool. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a way to make local history more entertaining to a young reader.
Easily a must-read for anyone living in Minnesota, Sherlock Holmes: In Search of the Source is a great sequel to Sherlock Holmes and the County Courthouse Caper, both genuinely entertaining and terrifically informative (the late 1800s in Minnesota were packed with persons and events important to the state's, and the nation's, history). There is plenty for readers beyond Minnesota as well. It's a solid Sherlock Holmes mystery and many of the historic events ripple to other parts of the nation and still resonate today.
Sherlock Holmes: In Search of the Source by Jeff Falkingham is available for purchase on Amazon.
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