The Yukon In Peril

This is a straight-forward adventure novel posing as a Sherlockian mystery. Sherlock and Dr. Watson are commissioned by the Prime Minister to prevent an upset of US - UK relations over a border dispute between Alaska and Canada. An active Irish terrorist has taken an interest in the growing problems caused by the Gold Rush in the Yukon Territory and Her Majesty’s Government fear this may trigger a disagreement between the British Government edging into war with South Africa and the expansionist United States Government and their just-completed war with Spain. Actually, the situation is well-chosen and the strife and conflict are matters of Historical fact. The true problem involved is to identify the terrorist and to prevent whatever scheme he is pursuing from disrupting relations between the two countries. Canada is feeling its own identity as a Commonwealth nation and the Gold Rush population of Alaska is overwhelming the public services of the neighboring Yukon Territory. Tempers are high, patriotism is being invoked on all sides and many persons have an interest in fostering unrest for money, for political power and out of general nastiness.Holmes and Watson journey to the Yukon under pseudonyms and try their hands at forestalling International Intrigue. The trip is well-described and many interesting characters are encountered along the way. The entire premise sounds fantastic, but it is actually typical of the type of backdoor diplomacy that was used in late Victorian and Edwardian times. One gets the feeling of senior politicians hanging onto a careening train for dear life while events flash by on either side. The final efforts fizzled out in the summer of 1914 as Europe marched firmly into a war that no one wanted.The author seems to have found an excellent editor and the very few errors I found were more disagreements than actual errors. The characters presented were well-drawn and plausible, with lots of research being evident in their creation and/or depiction. The book reads like an adventure novel, but it is well-constructed and historically hard to argue with. It describes a little-known time of conflict between the US and its northern neighbor very well.Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones, March, 2012