Detective Shadwell Rafferty is murdered while investigating the murder of a blackmailer in 1928 St. Paul. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson come from a lecture tour in Chicago to solve Rafferty’s murder. I am from Minnesota and enjoyed the local setting and historical references to St. Paul. There were several possible suspects for both murders and the novel alternates between Rafferty’s and Holmes’ investigations. The novel is well-written with some surprising twists. Readers who enjoy Sherlock Holmes and historical mysteries will like this work.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is the first Rafferty book that I read. It started out very well. There were 5 suspicious people in the case Rafferty is solving. Then he is murdered!! His friends Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson step in to try to find the culprit.

I really wanted to love this book. I enjoy pastiches and Larry Millett has the right tone for depicting Holmes and Watson. Unfortunately, the pacing just dragged for me.

What a lovely conclusion to this series! I’ve enjoyed Holmes and Watson’s American adventures with Shadwell Rafferty since the very beginning, and have made sure to read every offering in this series. Each was well crafted with a mystery that drew me in, eagerly reading to the end. Rafferty’s Last Case is no different. This book presents a solid mystery, and I honestly had no idea who the murderer was until the end. Holmes and Watson are well done, as are Rafferty and Thomas. The remaining cast of characters were interesting, especially the suspects, each crafted with an intriguing backstory and motive. This book was perhaps more procedural than action-forward, but that is not a criticism, as I was thoroughly engaged throughout. Overall, this is an enjoyable end to the series, and I remain hopeful for another Holmes offering from this author!

If you love Sherlock Holmes-like I do, you don't want him to die. And Larry Millet has done a great job of prolonging Holmes's life and career merging Holmes's talents with those of Shadwell Rafferty.
Readers get to meet a legendary detective on his trip to America. Moreover, readers get to experience Sherlock Holmes solving a very difficult case to restore his friends' name and honor. We get to see a hidden side of Sherlock Holmes, his human side. And it is exciting and interesting.
Shadwell Rafferty's last case was the murder of a young ruthless blackmailer that police and town officials want to cover up as a suicide. Rafferty has almost solved the murder when he is murdered himself. Here steps in Holmes and Watson to solve both murders and untangle a tightly-woven web of deceit, corruption, and secrets.
The novel is very slow-paced, detailed, and intricate. It is made for the lovers of Holmes, Rafferty, and early 20th-century history and mystery.
I enjoyed this book.

An excellent holmesian pastiche: well written and well plotted, the characters are according to the Canon, the mystery kept me hooked and guessing.
I just discovered this excellent series and found this is the last book. Hope there will be more, I've got plenty of other to read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I read a lot of Holmes-based fiction. For me, Rafferty's Last Case fell somewhere in the middle of that body of work: good, but not a standout. The narrative voice did not feel like Watson/Conan Doyle, and I didn't see any real change when the booked moved between the omniscient narrator's voice and what was purportedly Watson's voice.

There have been many great pastiches based on Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories over the years. I can honestly say few have been as wonderful as those from Larry Millett. I was very happy to learn he had written a new installment in his marvelous Minnesota Mystery series. And, while I'm sad it is the last installment, it was an extremely satisfying conclusion. Rafferty's Last Case is, as the title states, the last case of Shadwell Rafferty. His death sets the stage for the return of Holmes and Watson to St. Paul, Minnesota. Millett deftly alternates between Rafferty's last investigation and the one conducted by Holmes. It is the type of thrilling tale we've come to expect from Millett. It is a masterful mystery. But, that's not a surprise when you have characters as legendary as Holmes, Watson, and Rafferty. Thank you to the University of Minnesota Press for the advanced reading copy! #RaffertysLastCase #NetGalley

Rafferty’s Last Case by Larry Millett

Rating: 5 stars

Summary: Rafferty is in the final stages of life. While almost completing his final case he is viscously stabbed in the back in his apartment. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson come to town and along with Rafferty’s best friend Thomas and they dig through the investigation of a very corrupt City of St. Paul police and government of three homicides.

Comments: Another wonderful Minnesota crime novelist. I will be back reading Millett for sure.

Enjoyed this book very much, it really drew me into the story - it was interesting to read about an older Sherlock and Watson, and the characters really came to life.
It is set in America, and follows the murder of Rafferty and weaves it way thought four suspects and old wrongs to find the answer of the mystery. Very sad in some way -Glad things have changed for the better these days.

Intricate, detailed, well drawn, easy to follow despite the tangle of lies and sins. The language used was sufiiciently formal to relate back to Arthur Conan Doyle’s style yet it was modern enough not to feel stilted. Sherlock Holmes lives on.