From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Sherlockians, western fans and mystery lovers who enjoy their whodunits leavened with humor should all be delighted by Hockensmith's captivating debut, which features Montana cowboys and brothers Gustav and Otto Amlingmeyer (better known as Old Red and Big Red, respectively). One night in 1892, Old Red becomes smitten with Sherlock Holmes on hearing his brother read "The Red-Headed League" around the campfire during a cattle drive. Determined to follow in his hero's footsteps, Old Red gets the chance to apply the master's methods after some unsavory characters hire the pair to work at a ranch, whose general manager is soon found dead after a stampede. Another man turns up dead, apparently a suicide, just before the British aristocrats who own the ranch arrive to inspect their property. The melding of genres will remind some of the late Bill DeAndrea's western Nero Wolfe pastiches, while the skillful plotting and characterization augur well for the sequel. Hockensmith writes a monthly column for Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* The Amlingmeyer brothers--Big Red, our narrator, and Old Red--grabbed a job at the mysterious Bar-VR Ranch to avoid a winter without food or money. One of the hands at the ranch is found with a bullet in his brain and another ends up seemingly trampled, but no one can recall a stampede. The shadowy miscreants had best watch their backs, however, as the Amlingmeyers are not your ordinary cowpokes. Old Red can't read but has been entertained trailside by Big Red's reading Sherlock Holmes stories from Harper's Weekly. Old Red thus considers himself a budding master of what he calls "deducifyin'." With Old Red as a six-gun Holmes and Big Red as a skeptical, nervous Watson, the pair ferrets out the killers and motives from a colorful cast of characters with names such as Puddin-Foot, Tall John, and Swivel-Eye. The Amlingmeyers have graced the pages of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and their initial book-length case is every bit as memorable. At times, they may remind readers of Joe Lansdale's Hap Collins and Leonard Pine with their smart mouths, penchant for trouble, and unflagging loyalty to each other. This is a great reworking of the Holmes conceit, and one suspects Hockensmith will have a steady readership as long as the Amlingmeyers are on the case. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"If you've ever wondered just what Sherlock Holmes got up to during the Great Hiatus after his tumble off the Reichenbach Falls, wonder no more: His animating spirit took up residence in the brain of an illiterate cowpoke in the American West. Sounds unlikely? Sure, but whether because of the innate dignity of the characters or the admirable cleverness of their speech, Holmes on the Range works beautifully." --Laurie R. King, author of the New York Times bestselling Mary Russell/ Shelock Homes novels
"Holmes on the Range is a wonderful debut novel! Detecting cowboys Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer are delightful, and in this humorous, action-packed tale they encounter enough baffling clues to stump Sherlock Holmes himself."
--Marcia Muller, national bestselling author of The Dangerous Hour
"What a cool and entertaining idea, not to mention well-written and fast-paced. I'm ready for more." --Joe R. Lansdale, author of Sunset and Sawdust
"Steve Hockensmith has ingeniously worked a new riff on Sherlock Holmes, one as unlikely as it proves inspired. His ranchery and his talk are persuasive; his cowpoke Holmes a distinct and charming addition to the genre." --Nicholas Meyer, author of the New York Times bestseller The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
"A whole lot of sly and clever fun, mixing the genres of the mystery and the Western so skillfully that fans of both forms will like it. I liked it so much I can't wait for the next one!"--Ed Gorman, author of the Sam McCain mysteries
"Holmes on the Range is a wonderful debut novel! Detecting cowboys Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer are delightful, and in this humorous, action-packed tale they encounter enough baffling clues to stump Sherlock Holmes himself."
--Marcia Muller, national bestselling author of The Dangerous Hour
"What a cool and entertaining idea, not to mention well-written and fast-paced. I'm ready for more." --Joe R. Lansdale, author of Sunset and Sawdust
"Steve Hockensmith has ingeniously worked a new riff on Sherlock Holmes, one as unlikely as it proves inspired. His ranchery and his talk are persuasive; his cowpoke Holmes a distinct and charming addition to the genre." --Nicholas Meyer, author of the New York Times bestseller The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
"A whole lot of sly and clever fun, mixing the genres of the mystery and the Western so skillfully that fans of both forms will like it. I liked it so much I can't wait for the next one!"--Ed Gorman, author of the Sam McCain mysteries
Book Description
Because 1893 is a tough year in Montana, any job is a good job. When Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer sign on as ranch hands at the secretive Bar VR cattle spread, they're not expecting much more than hard work, bad pay, and a comfortable campfire around which they can enjoy their favorite pastime: scouring Harper's Weekly for stories about the famous Sherlock Holmes.
When the boys come across a dead body that looks a whole lot like the leftovers of an unfortunate encounter with a cattle stampede, Old Red sees the perfect opportunity to employ his Holmes-inspired deducifyin' skills. Putting his ranch work squarely on the back burner, he sets out to solve the case. Big Red, like it or not (and mostly he does not), is along for the wild ride in this clever, compelling, and completely one-of-a-kind mystery.
When the boys come across a dead body that looks a whole lot like the leftovers of an unfortunate encounter with a cattle stampede, Old Red sees the perfect opportunity to employ his Holmes-inspired deducifyin' skills. Putting his ranch work squarely on the back burner, he sets out to solve the case. Big Red, like it or not (and mostly he does not), is along for the wild ride in this clever, compelling, and completely one-of-a-kind mystery.
About the Author
Steve Hockensmith writes a monthly column for Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and stories featuring Big Red and Old Red appear regularly in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. He has been a finalist for the Shamus Award for his short-story writing. Holmes on the Range is his first novel.
From AudioFile
The great detective Sherlock Holmes finds a lost American cousin in this rollicking entertainment. Narrator William Dufris shuffles accents and characters like a deck of cards. His portrayal of the Amlingmeyer brothers, Gustave, a "Holmes wannabe," and his younger sibling, Otto, a "Doctor Watson stand-in," is emotional and affecting. Few narrators could genuinely pull off a Swedish cook, a pompous English duke and his prissy daughter, and a cowboy with a Cockney accent, sometimes in the same scene. No listener's imagination could come up with a better experience than hearing this title. Let's hope there are more adventures with the Amlingmeyer brothers, inspired by Holmes and Watson. R.O. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
