This is #1 in the ‘Holmes on the Range’ historical mysteries series, set in 1890’s Montana. Features “Big Red” Otto Amlingmeyer and his brother “Old Red” Gustav, who are wandering cowboys who take temporary jobs offered by different ranches, and in this book they’re hired by Uly MacPherson, manager of the Castlemere Ranche, commonly known as the Bar VR. It’s not an assignment they’d normally take, as the MacPherson brothers and the Bar VR don’t exactly have a great reputation, but Old Red takes the job for two reasons. One, the Amlingmeyer brothers are about out of money, and two, Old Red fancies himself a bit of a detective and he smells a mystery afoot. Though Old Red doesn’t read, Big Red does, having been the one member of their family sent off to school and having done some clerking in his time. And what Big Red reads to Old Red around the campfire are Sherlock Holmes mystery stories! Old Red loves ‘em and often uses Holmes’ ‘deducifyin methods’ and keen observation to ferret out the answers to questions that most folks haven’t even thought to ask. And he’s right about a mystery afoot, for as quick as you can say beans and bacon, there’s two dead bodies and a host of foreigners moving in to Castlemere, and Old Red aims to figure out whodunit.I thoroughly enjoyed this book and for once I can easily understand why it was a finalist for so many different mystery awards the year it was published. (It’s not all THAT often that I agree with the people who make those decisions. LOL) The characterizations felt real to me and I got to know Big and Old Red quite well early on, and the secondary characters were also diverse and well-fleshed. I also liked that the ‘voices’ of these cowboys seemed to be very realistic and no effort was made to pretty them up—for example, one of the characters in the book is a black man, and there is rather liberal use of the “n” word, which although not pleasant, was common at the time as a part of normal speech. So I guess I should add the caveat that if such things would offend you, it's probably best to avoid this book. While I am not generally a fan of this time period nor a fan at all of so-called westerns (there I go again, jumping out of my niche! LOL) I loved this book and am glad that I’ve already got the second one in the series here on my shelf. A+
Otto and Gustav Amlingmeyer are cowboys in Montana in the 1890s. The rest of their family is dead, and the family savings are gone, so they find what work they can on different ranches. Otto is known as Big Red, Gustav as Old Red, because (though still in this twenties) he's very serious. Gustav is illiterate, and Otto reads to him from whatever magazines he can find. Harper's has serialized stories like The Speckled Band. Gustav makes Sherlock Holmes his hero and his role-model. So when Big Red and Old Red find themselves working at the VR Bar Ranch, where mysterious things are happening and a few murders occur, it's something Old Red can really get his teeth into in terms of deductive skills – despite scorn from the gentlefolk and ridicule from the other cowboys. And Big Red supports his brother because that's what he does – even to the point of chronicling his adventures. With considerable banter, and a good blend of brother'y love and disrespect. This is a novel with charm and style. It's based on a good idea, and written with great humour and convincing flair. The plot isn't much: I had guessed (or half-guessed) the killer long before Old Red did. The joy here is thejuxtaposition of ideas or cultures: Holmes as a rough, tough illiterate American in a Stetson rather than the London gentleman we are used to. From page 155: Gustav is contemplating the evidence, and Otto starts to whistle. Old Red blinked like a fellow coming out of a spell cast by a tent-show mesmerist. “Can't a man stand here and think for a moment?” “Can't a man stand here and whistle?” Old Red growled and stepped around me. “Mr. Holmes get Dr. Watson, and what do I get?” he mumbled as he stomped away. “A goddamn canary.” The only thing I didn't like was that, in the world of the novel, Sherlock Holmes is not ficitonal; he's a famous counsulting detective believed to have died at the Rickenbacker Falls. This spoiled my suspension of disbelief somewhat, taking Old Red and Big Red out of my world and into a sort of double-layered fiction. I'm not sure why that was a problem, but it was a disappointment.
What do You think about Holmes On The Range (2007)?
I purchased this book long ago, in the knockoff bin at Barnes & Noble, for three reasons: 1) the story appeared to be a Sherlock Holmes pastiche about a case in America's Wild West; 2) the book was a first-edition signed by the author; and 3) it was dirt-cheap. Well, as it turns out the book isn't about Holmes and Watson, themselves, but is instead about two cowboys, Old Red and Big Red Amlingmeyer, who use Holmes's published exploits as examples to assist the brothers in the "deducifyin'" of their very own mystery. Old Red, who can't read but has always been enamored with Sherlock Holmes' exploits, as read to him by his younger, more educated brother, Big Red, is determined against great odds to investigate and solve a series of grisly murders on the cattle ranch where they're employed. And, surprise, surprise, the premise works... wonderfully!What a fun, funny, and well-written story! I highly recommend Steve Hockensmith's Holmes on the Range!
—Dan Adams
Old Red Amlingmeyer and his younger brother, Big Red, have just been hired at the Bar VR Ranch. It's not a very pleasant place, but a job's a job. One day, though, the boys come across the aftermath of a cattle stampede---complete with the aftermath of a man. How did this fellow meet his demise? Old Red is itching to employ his detective skills, as adopted from the tales of Sherlock Holmes. With Big Red as his Watson, "Holmes" is on the range!Overall the book met my expectations. The narrator, Big Red, is an amusing enough type, and he definitely fits the Watson mould, while Old Red is the archetypal Holmes: laconic, pensive, but capable of quick action when necessary. The mystery and setting kept my interest, and it was very charming to see cowboys faithfully following the precepts of Watson and Holmes. However, the book is just over 300 pages and the pacing felt a bit slow. It may have worked better if it were slightly shorter (maybe 250 pages).This is the first in a series and I think I'd probably pick up another one if I saw it at the library.
—rabbitprincess
What can I say about this? It's a mystery. It's a western. *shrugs*Two brothers, only one of whom is literate, go to work on a ranch in Montana. The elder loves Sherlock Holmes and his brother reads and re-reads any of his tales as he can find to him. There are all kinds of secret shenanigans going on and when people start showing up dead, the elder goes into Holmes mode and begins deducifying. It's dangerous business. Not the greatest written book I've ever listened to but it was quite entertaining. The narrator was positively excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed his characterizations. The book itself was decent- I am not much of a western fan but it held my attention. Someone who likes Conan Doyle might enjoy this story. Definitely someone looking for an entertaining storyteller will enjoy it.
—Cynthia
