Hunters of the Dead by Steve Hockensmith

 

First Line: It was a dark and stormy morning.

 

The A.A. Western Detective Agency finds itself unwillingly on guard duty, protecting paleontologists excavating dinosaur bones in 1894 Wyoming. Old Red Amlingmeyer finds it all a bit dull until a human body is found in one of the scientists' trenches. Now he can put his "deductifying" skills to work like his idol, Sherlock Holmes. But he and his younger brother, Big Red, will have to work fast. A killer is stalking their client's dig site.

 

~

 

It's always a pleasure to immerse myself in Steve Hockensmith's Old West with the Amlingmeyer brothers. In Hunters of the Dead, there are characters going incognito, bad guys with guns, the lucrative nut butter business, an Apache named Eskaminzim who reminded me a bit of Inspector Clouseau's valet, Kato, and Old Red (Gustav) Amlingmeyer teaching himself to read. 

 

For me, the icing on the Hockensmith cake is the fact that there's always something to learn while I'm enjoying the story; in this case, the cutthroat early days of paleontology. And as for Eskaminzim, he has one of my favorite lines in the book: "You whites have so many words for stupid. I guess you need them." 

 

There seems to be a trip to Texas in the Amlingmeyer brothers' future, and I'm looking forward to that. Get your hands on this series if you're in the mood for some lighthearted (yet educational) fun set in the Old West. It's a treat.

Hunters of the Dead by Steve Hockensmith

eISBN: 9781685493448

Rough Edges Press © 2023

eBook, 274 pages

Historical Mystery, #7 Holmes on the Range mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

The Double-A Western Detective Agency by Steve Hockensmith

First Line: "You know when it ain't a good idea to play both sides off against the middle?" I asked my brother.

The dream is now a reality: the Amlingmeyer brothers are now professional detectives, and they are on their way to New Mexico on their first case. Sure there are a few flies in the ointment. Their partner, Colonel Crowe is about as charming as Old Red Amlingmeyer himself, and the colonel's daughter has insisted on tagging along with them, but the biggest fly is waiting for them at their destination.

Old Red, Big Red, and Diana Crowe have landed right in the middle of a range war, and the two cowboys-turned-detectives are expected to shoot it out with rustlers rather than solve a mystery. But the violence claims an unexpected victim, and this means the Amlingmeyers get to do some "deducifying" to find the killer.

It's been a long wait for this newest book in the Holmes on the Range series, and it couldn't come at a better time. I get more enjoyment from Old Red and Big Red Amlingmeyer than I do Conan Doyle's Holmes and Watson. (Hopefully, the Sherlockian purists won't invite me to a necktie party for saying that!)

This time around, Old Red is in a funk because Holmes has taken a header off Reichenbach Falls, so this case in New Mexico is just what he needs. When they arrive in DeBarge, they immediately know something's not right. The town is sharply divided along racial lines: all the white folk and their businesses are on one side of the main street, and everyone else is on the other. And it certainly doesn't set well when they learn that they've been hired to fight in a range war. As Sheriff Alf Hinkle tells them, "Where there's beeves, there's thieves." Old Red and Big Red still don't want any part of that, so it's a good thing that there is soon a mystery for them to solve. It's a good one, too-- one that I didn't figure out. I loved seeing how the Amlingmeyers managed to put things to rights.

Between the mystery that stumped me, the new characters, and the Amlingmeyers' new circumstances, there's a lot to enjoy in The Double-A Western Detective Agency-- and I haven't even mentioned Hockensmith's talent in giving a real feel for the Old West OR his wonderful sense of humor. These books are just plain fun, and I can't wait for the next one.

The Double-A Western Detective Agency by Steve Hockensmith

ASIN: B07L1YY3VP

Amazon Digital Services © 2018

eBook, 248 pages

Historical Mystery, #6 Holmes on the Range mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.


 

World's Greatest Sleuth! by Steve Hockensmith

First Line: My heart wasn't just pounding in my ears as we ran.

When the Amlingmeyer brothers receive an urgent summons from Otto's ("Big Red") publisher, the next thing they know they're on a train bound east to Chicago and the World's Columbian Exposition. Big Red and "Old Red" (Gustav) are set to compete with some of the most famous detectives in the world in the World's Greatest Sleuth contest which coincides with the last days of the first World's Fair and the publication of a story which will reveal the death of Sherlock Holmes. 

The competition has barely begun when the organizer of the contest is found murdered-- face down in the Mammoth Cheese from Canada. From there on out, it's hard to keep Old Red in the contest when there's real detective work to do.

I've been holding on to the World's Greatest Sleuth like it's gold. This is a volume from one of my "Reliables"-- a mystery series so good that I keep myself from reading through it as fast as I can go. I didn't want to read it and be forced to admit that the series was at an end. But I recently learned from the author that there will be new Holmes on the Range mysteries coming in the future, and this allowed me to enjoy watching the Amlingmeyer brothers in action once more. 

Hockensmith gives us a good look at the World's Columbian Exposition through the eyes of Big Red and his curmudgeon of a brother. Through them, we see the "White City" in all its majesty and absurdity-- and usually at a gallop (or at least a fast run). There are lots of laughs at the Amlingmeyers' expense, but they're used to it, and when readers pause to inhale so they can laugh again, they just might notice that Hockensmith has written a first-rate mystery, too. 

That World's Greatest Sleuth competition is an interesting one with the death of its biggest detractor (a bred-to-the-bone Sherlockian purist) at its heart. Something tells me that the author has probably had more than one encounter with those pesky Sherlockian purists since he began writing this series.

If you're not too much of a purist and can accept the presence of an illiterate cowboy as an Old West Sherlock Holmes, you are going to love this book (and the series). Hockensmith has a smooth writing style that knows how to tell a strong tale, make readers laugh, and give them a true feel for the wild, wild West-- all at the same time. I can't wait for the next installment!  

World's Greatest Sleuth! by Steve Hockensmith

ISBN: 9780312379438

Minotaur Books © 2010

Paperback, 336 pages

Historical Mystery, #5 Holmes on the Range mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet 


 

The Crack in the Lens by Steve Hockensmith

First Line: "Stop right there or I'll blow you outta your damn saddles," the fellow with the shotgun croaked, and he and two pals rode slowly out of the nighttime shadows shrouding the woods by the side of the road.

Will wonders never cease? For the first time since we've known them, the Amlingmeyer brothers have a bit of spending money and the time to do something with it. Without further ado, Old Red tells his younger brother that they're going to San Marcos, Texas, to find out who murdered his sweetheart five years ago. Old Red's looking for justice, and he's not going to let the silence of the townspeople stop him-- even if he has to make adjustments to his "deducifying" methods.

Steve Hockensmith's Holmes on the Range series is one of my favorites. So much so that I make myself parcel each book out very slowly. There haven't been any new ones since 2011, and I only have one left to read now. (Horrors!)

Hockensmith really gives us the flavor of the Old West in these books, and The Crack in the Lens is no exception. The trademark laugh-out-loud humor is also there. But there's a departure or two in these pages. For one thing the brothers actually have some money this time around, and hopefully the reason why will tickle you as much as it did me. Another departure is that, in this fourth book in the series, Old Red is the loose cannon and Big Red is the calm one. Odd how love can throw both Gustav Amlingmeyer and his idol Sherlock Holmes for a loop.

The mystery is a good one, and the killer is hiding in my favorite spot: right out in plain sight. If you like Sherlock Holmes, the Old West, humor, and a good whodunnit, take my advice. Introduce yourself to the Amlingmeyers!
  

The Crack in the Lens by Steve Hockensmith

ISBN: 9780312672171

Minotaur Books © 2011

Paperback, 320 pages

Historical/Humorous Mystery, #4 Holmes on the Range mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet.

 

Dear Mr. Holmes: Seven Holmes on the Range Mysteries by Steve Hockensmith

First Line (from Introduction): It all began with a short story.

Sometimes I just want to have fun while I'm reading, and when that mood swept over me this month, I found myself turning to Steve Hockensmith's collection of seven short stories about the Amlingmeyer brothers-- the cowboy detectives of the Old West. It did not disappoint.

When reading the author's collection of Christmas short stories, I learned to read everything included so I wouldn't miss a single laugh, and the same thing holds true for Dear Mr. Holmes. Since most of these stories were originally published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, there are several copyright notices. Read 'em. All of 'em. And the introduction contains not only a few chuckles, but the tale of just how Old Red And Big Red Amlingmeyer came into existence, which is very interesting indeed.

The seven stories contained in this collection are "Dear Mr. Holmes," "Gustav Amlingmeyer, Holmes of the Range," "Wolves in Winter," "Dear Mr. Watson," "The Water Indian," "The Devil's Acre," and "Greetings from Purgatory!"  Every one is a gem.

Each one is written in the form of a letter to various magazines of the day, or to someone like Dr. Watson himself, and Big Red invariably mentions a manuscript or story that he'd mailed earlier. He usually takes a while to shoot the breeze with the letter's recipient before he actually begins telling his tale, and as I read I couldn't help but think that I wouldn't mind receiving a few of these letters from that tall, red-headed cowpoke. The stories move from being hilarious to downright creepy, and the Old West feels so real that I swear I could hear the jingle of spurs as I turned the pages.

If you've been intrigued by Steve Hockensmith's series of mysteries featuring two cowboy sleuths in the American West of the 1890s, but you haven't really wanted to invest the time it would take to read one of the books, this collection of short stories is an excellent place to start. Once you've sampled how Old Red and Big Red Amlingmeyer solve a case, I wouldn't be at all surprised if you headed straight out to the corral to rope a few of those books. It's real easy to take a shine to these two brothers.

Dear Mr. Holmes: Seven Holmes on the Range Mysteries by Steve Hockensmith

© Steve Hockensmith, 2011

eBook, 210 pages

Short Stories

Rating: A

Source: Purchased as an eBook from Amazon. 

The Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith

First Line: I don't know who first said, "Good things come to those who wait." I just hope it's not in the Bible, as blasphemy's hardly the best way to begin a new book.

When you're down to your last thin dime, all that talk about patience doesn't set well, and in the summer of 1893 the Amlingmeyer brothers are in San Francisco, and they're in dire need of work.

They try to become professional detectives, but the pros look down on two raggedy-looking cowboys. When a friend of theirs, Dr. Chan, turns up dead, the police call it suicide. Old Red calls that a lie and sets out to prove it. This time following in the footsteps of Old Red's hero Sherlock Holmes is going to put these two brothers right in the middle of crooked cops, Barbary Coast thugs, and deadly Chinatown tongs. Maybe Big Red better put off buying a new hat....

Steve Hockensmith seems to be visiting the various sub-genres of mysteries in this Holmes on the Range series, and even with two poorly educated cowhands as Holmes and Watson, it works beautifully. The first book in the series (Holmes on the Range) is a classic mystery with a long list of suspects. The second (On the Wrong Track) is a thriller complete with train robbers and runaway locomotives. The Black Dove is all about the tough private detective trying to unravel a mystery in Chinatown.

These stories are told from the younger Amlingmeyer brother's point of view, and he speaks pitch perfect cowboy. Whenever Big Red slips and uses vernacular that might be a bit ambiguous, he remembers that he's writing these stories for posterity and explains his meaning. Big Red is unvarnished and honest, and has quite the eye for the ladies; his narration has an immediacy and an endearing quality that just draw you right into the story. There are clues to make sense of, dangers to outrun, and-- as always-- plenty of laughter throughout.

If you like mysteries set in the Old West, you can't do any better than Steve Hockensmith's Holmes on the Range. Old Red Amlingmeyer is determined to prove that sometimes a cowboy isn't just a cowboy. Sometimes he's every bit as good as the famous Sherlock Holmes, and this adventure in San Francisco's Chinatown goes a long way to prove it.

The Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith

ISBN: 9780312565572

Minotaur Books © 2009

Paperback, 304 pages

Historical Mystery, Humorous Mystery, #3 Holmes on the Range mystery

Rating: A

Source: purchased from Bookoutlet. 

On the Wrong Track by Steve Hockensmith

Title: On the Wrong Track
Author: Steve Hockensmith
ISBN: 9780312372880
Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2008
Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery, Humorous Mystery, #2 Holmes on the Range
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.

First Line: Few things dampen a man's appreciation for natural splendor more quickly than the sound of another man's retching.

The man who's retching? Gustav "Old Red" Amlingmeyer. The man who has to listen to him? His brother, Otto "Big Red" Amlingmeyer. Something more is disagreeing with Old Red than the fact that he's traveling on a train. In fact, he has his brother completely mystified. You see, Old Red has the deep distrust of railroads that just about everyone does who's been raised on a farm in the late 1800s, and Big Red would love to know why his older brother insisted that they become railroad detectives on the Pacific Express.

The answer is rather simple: Old Red is tired of being a cowboy. He wants to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Sherlock Holmes, and give "detectifying" a try. Little do the two brothers know that they're in for a wild ride. They're being shadowed by a gang of outlaws who've already shown that they can rob the Pacific Express. There's a baggage car stuffed to the rafters with all sorts of deadly secrets, and amongst the colorful passel of passengers lurks a vicious killer. Getting trapped on this train as it barrels through the snowy High Sierras means that the Amlingmeyers need to be as good at deductifying as Mr. Holmes... or they're going to be fertilizer for the daisies that will bloom come spring.

My first piece of advice to you (besides "Get your hands on this book!") is to buckle up. It's been a few days since I've read On the Wrong Track, and I still feel as though I just fell off a rollercoaster after one helluva ride. Putting the Amlingmeyers on a train is a piece of genius. Those old steam locomotives scream Wild West, and what better setting for two cowboy detectives and a memorable cast of passengers?

There are passengers who aren't whom they appear to be, although they behave normally. There are passengers who act in a suspicious manner... but are they really up to something? Fellow railroad employees are by turns friendly, helpful, grouchy, mean, secretive, bossy.... A reader's head can spin without adding a gang of outlaws to the mix!

Once that train pulls out of the station, the pace turns into a runaway. One calamity after another strikes until it's almost impossible for those two detectifying brothers-- or the reader-- to catch their breath. To say I loved this book would be an understatement. I didn't so much read it as experience it. Steve Hockensmith gave me a ticket to ride, and I think I whooped and hollered all the way down the tracks. However, I'd like to caution you about one thing: If you have a fear or loathing of our legless reptilian brethren, I'd advise you to skip chapter twenty-three. I'm still keeping my Louisville Slugger at hand... and sitting with my feet off the floor.

If you have yet to read a book in this series, get your hands on one and read it! Odds are you'll then be following Old Red and Big Red wherever they may wander. When I turned the last page of On the Wrong Track, all I could do was remove my Stetson, beat off some of the dust, and grin.

On the Wrong Track at Amazon.

On the Wrong Track at The Book Depository.

On the Wrong Track at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

Holmes On the Range by Steve Hockensmith

Title: Holmes On the Range
Author: Steve Hockensmith
ISBN: 9780312358044
Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2007
Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Humorous Mysteries, Historical Mysteries, #1 Holmes On the Range mystery
Rating: A
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: There are two things you can't escape out here in the West: dust and death.

When brothers Old Red (Gustav) and Big Red (Otto) Amlingmeyer sign on as ranch hands at a spread known for being secretive, the only things they're expecting are lots of hard work, plenty of bad pay, and a bit of free time to enjoy reading their favorite stories about Sherlock Holmes. When a couple of men turn up dead, Old Red sees it as the perfect opportunity to employ his "deductifyin'" skills, and he sets out to solve the case.  Although he doesn't like the looks of it one little bit, Big Red is along for the ride.

If you read a lot of crime fiction, you know that there are some prime directives. One of them has to do with the disposition of the corpse. This book is so good that I forgot all about that basic rule.

Author Hockensmith has come completely out of left field and scored a home run with this tale of two brothers in the Old West. Old Red was the oldest brother who worked hard to keep food on the table for his mother and younger siblings. As a younger brother, Big Red stayed home and had schooling. He knows how to read and write-- something his older brother never had the chance to learn. The stories of Sherlock Holmes fires the imagination of Old Red, and he believes that this is something he can do even if he doesn't have an education. If he can observe and deduce, he can be every bit as brilliant as the grand detective. Big Red has a rather jaundiced view of the whole thing:

"Damn it, Brother," I said. "You're a cowboy, not a detective."


Old Red didn't answer with words. He just turned and showed me that little wisp of a grin he slips under his mustache when he thinks he's being clever.


Oh? his smile said. A feller can't be both?

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. Hockensmith has a unique voice and vision, and I can't wait to read the further deductifyin' adventures of Old Red and Big Red.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.