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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN num: 9780312358044
ISBN number: 0312358040
Label: St. Martin's Minotaur
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: February 06, 2007
Publishing house: St. Martin's Minotaur
Release Date: February 06, 2007
Sale Popularity Level: 200221
Studio: St. Martin's Minotaur
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Product Description:
“Dazzling. Sherlock Holmes in a Stetson turns out to be a dandy idea.”
—Boston Globe 1893 is a tough year in Montana, and any job is a good job. When brothers Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer sign on as ranch hands at a secretive ranch, they’re not expecting much more than hard work, bad pay, and a few free moments to enjoy their favorite pastime: reading stories about Sherlock Holmes.
When another hand turns up dead, Old Red sees the perfect opportunity to employ his Holmes-inspired “deducifyin’” skills and 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.
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Rated by buyers 
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This book is a wonderful affirmation of the power of brotherly love, optimism, and perseverance. Two brothers, Gustav and Otto Amlingmeyer--affectionately known as Old Red and Big Red--have experienced a lifetime's worth of heartache, loss, and all around bad luck in their young lives, and find themselves looking for work as cow hands at the wrong time of year in a depressed Montana town. After losing their farm, their family, and their money, the only thing these brothers have left is each other, Otto's book learning, and the exploits of Sherlock Holmes (who for the purposes of this book is treated as a real person rather than a literary character).
Otto has no greater ambition in life than your average cowboy. Gustav has however set his sights higher and means to prove to himself and everyone else that destiny does not exist, that each person makes their own way in life, and as uneducated as he is he can employ his powers of observation and "deducifying" to solve mysteries.
I really enjoyed this book and am glad I've come to the series late because now I can read the subsequent book tomorrow rather than having to wait two years for a sequel :-) While Holmes's style can be seen in the detective work, this is not a copycat series. Much of the book is spent on the more practical aspects of surviving life as a peon on a ranch after being divested of your gun. Rather than having clients begging him for help, Gustav must trick his employers into believing there is a case. He must also slip into and out of characters without the aid of props, costumes, or accents. Not since Sigmund Brouwer's Ghost Rider series have I seen such a well crafted western mystery and I look forward to reading more of Hockensmith's work.
Rated by buyers 
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Unlike so many others of this very specialized but rather crowded niche genre - the parody of Sherlock Holmes - Hockensmith's unique entry, "Holmes on the Range" amuses, entertains and succeeds wonderfully.
Dateline 1893, Big Sky country in frontier Montana. Two out of work cowpokes, Otto and Gustav Amlingmeyer (known to their friends as Big Red and Old Red) amuse themselves by reading and re-reading Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries in much thumbed copies of the then popular Strand Magazine. Gustav takes it into his head that he's capable of emulating the master's observation skills so when a series of mysterious murders occur on the ranch that recently hired them, Old Red takes advantage of the opportunity to put his "deducifyin' " skills to work.
What a fabulous concept! "Holmes on the Range" provides everything a cozy mystery lover and a Sherlock Holmes fan could ask for. An enormous cast of possible suspects - dusty Wild West cowhands, an albino negro, a stuffed shirt English Duke and his beautiful daughter, a financially embarrassed young British dandy and a Swedish cook - will keep you guessing until the final pages. Wonderfully realistic dialogue complete with a cowboy twang will have you believing you're right there with Old Red and Big Red on the Wild West frontier at the turn of the century. Lots of clues and blue herrings will keep even the sharpest reader guessing until the climax arrives with the mandatory drawing room confrontation between Old Red, the cunning detective, and all the suspects. Readers will also be treated to a bonus - a surprisingly realistic depiction of the down to earth daily work of a frontier ranch hand.
Fans of the world's most popular detective will not be disappointed with "Holmes on the Range". Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
Rated by buyers -
Excellent book. A very interesting slant for the Sherlock Holmes genre. Highly recommend this book for anyone who has interest in the Sherlock style.
Rated by buyers -
This was a refreshing take on mysteries. I really enjoyed every minute of this book. I normally read technical books, but have begun reading for fun. I am discovering Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, etc. And I'm always looking for something unique. And this was definately it! It was actually more than good ... it was just plain fun to read and kept me on the edge of my seat.
Rated by buyers -
The title is what drew me in. I mean who could resist Holmes on the Range? Visions of Sherlock Holmes bring in the cattle...alas Sherlock Holmes doesn't make a personal appearance. However, there is Gustav Amlingmeyer, a cow puncher with no schooling but a fine brain, sharp eye, and a natural talent for putting facts together. Gustav's brother Otto has been schooled and even worked as a clerk until the family was pared down to the two of them by disease and flood. Together they discovered the tales of Sherlock Holmes and Gustav found in Holmes a man who observes and thinks -- a hero, someone to emulate. When Gustav steps forward to sign on to work at the BarVR, a ranch with an ugly reputation, Otto has no choice but to follow in his footsteps while wondering what has put the gleam in his brother's eye -- but he knows the game is a foot.
Indeed the game is afoot. From the very first Gustav knows something is not right when the foreman, Uly McPherson, passes over a highly thought of cowpuncher when choosing the seven men he'll hire. Once at the ranch, they are all relieved of their guns and set to cleaning up the huge castle of a house rather than working the herds. Later during a storm, the ranch manager is killed, but Gustav thinks something is not right about the body, or what was left of it, after the cattle ran over it in a stampede. Then the ranch owners show up from England in a not-so-surprise inspection since he and his crew-mates have just spent the past week cleaning the house.
That rather sets you up for the mystery. There's tension, suspense, surprising twists, believable characters, and enough texture to the background to almost feel that you are there in 1893 on a cattle ranch. Hockensmith's writing is a breath of fresh air. He has truly developed some sayings and phrases that seem so apt to the era and the characters. The writing is smooth and very reminiscent of what you'd think of for a penny dreadful novel. There were parts where I laughed out loud, some where I groaned and some that I just had to read out loud to my spouse -- since I thought the turn of phrase was so different and yet so apt.
Whether you like westerns or not, if you enjoy Holmes, you'll probably enjoy this wonderful nod to the detective. But don't be surprised if after this taste, you feel the need to find out what else Gustav and Otto Amlingmeyer have been up to. Hopefully, Hockensmith won't make us wonder too long.
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