The second tale of the Amlingmeyer brothers, Old Red and Big Red. This time, the cowboy detectives have taken their first step toward professional deducifyin'--they've landed jobs as railroad detectives, of a sort. Lately, the Southern Pacific Railroad has been plagued by the Give 'Em Hell Boys. But Gustav and Otto aren't supposed to track down the bandits; they're supposed to keep an eye out for an inside man whose in cahoots with the robbers. Before they have had time to do much more than meet their fellow passengers (and for Big Red to realize that his brother is beset by motion sickness), the brothers see something bouncing down the tracks behind the train, and that something should preferably be firmly affixed to a man's neck. When the train stops so they can investigate, they find the head and the body of the baggage car attendant, Pezzulo. Add to the mix two coffins, a toupee, a small china bowl, a "Chinaman" returning to San Francisco from the World's Fair in Chicago, a drunken Pinkerton, a saucy news boy, a snake in a crate, a crate full of bricks, and a quick-thinking woman who reads herself to sleep with a Southern Pacific Railroad manual.
This book has been rather difficult for me to read. I've tried to pick it up a couple of times, and it has been very difficult for me to get into. I thought the beginning was slow and hokey and I really didn't like the writing style. It picked up once the main characters got on the train and hit the mystery of the novel... but then it kind of stayed at the same level of fascination for me for the rest of the book.Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to a lot of people. If you're really into western mysteries, and you're strapped for things to read, sure, pick it up, it's not the most terrible, but it also isn't particularly good in my opinion.Also - I realize that this is set in the 1800s and like, racism existed at the time and that's just how it was, but I really wasn't into the instances of racism in the story. There is an Asian character constantly referred to as a slur (only in dialogue, not in the author's description), but it is still pretty annoying.
What do You think about On The Wrong Track (2007)?
On the Wrong Track is the second in the series following drovers Otto (Big Red) and Gustav (Old Red) Amlingmeyer, brothers and readers of Sherlock Holmes in the Old West.Despite the fact that they make him toss his cookies, Gustav convinces his younger brother Otto to sign on with the Southern Pacific Railroad as undercover detectives. What follows is the train ride from Hell, as it becomes evident that one of the riders is a ruthless killer!Like the first book in the series (Holmes on the Range), the story here moves at a quick yet entertaining pace as the brothers try to figure out the who, what and why using Holmesian methodology (and do so without becoming dead). Steve Hockensmith has a talent for seamlessly integrating a variety of scenes into his writing, from action (lots of it) to comedy (lots of it) to heartfelt moments that further define his lead characters (excellent).The next time you feel like reading something 'fun', pick up a selection from this series!
—M.
I enjoyed this audio book so much that I am searching my local libraries to find the rest of the series. If you enjoy westerns or mysteries you will enjoy this book. If you enjoy both categories you are in for a treat. Add humor to the storyline and it takes this 4 star rating to five stars which I do not give freely. I recommend this book to reader of all ages. There is some death and a few choice words that place it in the PG range, but it is a great story that all readers/listeners will enjoy.
—Chad
Old Red and Big Red ride the rails as security officers and discover mystery, murder and romance (sort of). Old Red is not quite up to his usual detectifying due to constant motion sickness and Big Red is distracted by a mysterious beauty, however, they answer all the questions in the end. This book gives us more insight into the relationship between the brothers without being gooey. As in the first book, it is Big Red's telling of the story, more than the mystery itself that makes this book so entertaining.
—Jan
