Book rec
As previously mentioned, I was reading this book: Holmes on the Range, by Steve Hockensmith. Having now finished it, I can give it a very enthusiastic thumb's up.
Now, there are a couple of caveats.
*If the idea is fixed in your mind that a Sherlock Holmes pastiche must feature the Detective and Dr. Watson, this may not be for you. However (big however) I would ordinarily place myself in that category, and yet there was never a moment of reading time when I found myself missing Holmes and Watson. This is very, very rare for me. About the only example that springs to mind where the story has been focused on someone else is maybe Enter the Lion, where Mycroft was front and center and a young Sherlock and his pre-Watson chum, Victor Trevor, were in the supporting cast.
*If the idea of the Old West, Montana circa 1893, replete with colorfully speaking cowboys is unappealing setting, then this book may not be for you.
If, however, you are in the mood for a highly entertaining read, you might check this out.
As the review up there says, it all comes about when Big Red, Otto Amlingmeyer, gets his hands on a copy of The Red Headed League and reads it to his brother, Old Red, aka Gustav. The proverbial light bulb of inspiration goes off for Old Red, and he suddenly realizes his true calling in life isn't to be a cow puncher all his days, but to get into the deducifyin' way of things, ala his new-found hero, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
There are a couple of drawbacks that make this a difficult vocation to follow, of course. One is, well, how's he going to get a chance to try out any of those detecting skills out there in the wilds on Montana? Even more important, how is he going to get anyone to take him serious when he's never had any book learning and can't even read? (That's an aspect that I particularly enjoy, and Old Red opening up about all that to his brother makes for a nicely poignant little scene.
As luck would have it, fate throws a bone his way, when the two brothers sign on to work at the Bar VR cattle spread, where it soon becomes obvious all sorts of secrets and hijinks are going on. Things really get rolling when the owners of the ranch show up for a visit -- among them the Duke of Balmoral, Richard Brackenstall de Vere St. Simon. Which name may or may not ring a bell; you might check out The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor for help placing it.
And that's something else I enjoyed, how Hockensmith not only plays The Game, going along with the idea that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are real, but reaching into the Canon to connect what's going on in his book to the original source material. That he manages to do that using one of the least impressive stories from the Canon is especially fun. The Duke's reaction to learning that Old Red has taken Holmes for a role model is, shall we say, less than enthusiastic, leading him to nastily throw a big old spoiler in Old Red's face at one point (about what happens at Reichenbach).
That was a particularly clever way, I think to get Holmes in the story, make him a real presence even though he is off stage. Plus, it's not often anyone tackles the matter of what may have come after Holmes solves the case, all the subsequent fall out and the resentment that some folks might carry around afterward.
As for the story, the mystery's pretty good, with enough twists and turns so that even though a couple of things start to come clear there are still a couple of other matters rattling around that aren't quite clear. The climax is straight out of the Old West, no civilized denouncement in the drawing room, everyone sitting around sipping sherry, but that's right for the story.
The characters are wonderful, especially the two brothers. Big Red, Otto, is our stand-in for Watson, and while his language is a good deal more colorful than the doctor's, and his fondness for his brother is tempered with some good-natured snark and pissiness, he makes for an excellent -- finding his own true calling just as his brother does.
There's one sequel out already, On the Wrong Track, that I am itching to get my hands on, and a third due out next year, and I think this first one may have even won a mystery fic award, so it's not just me saying it's worth a look. :)
Next up: Lost Horizon by James Hilton, which I'm sure I must have read once, but -- whatever -- I am thoroughly enjoying it now, whether it's the first time or second time around. There are some striking differences from the movie, but that's all to the good. I'm liking this not so heroic Conway a lot.
Now, there are a couple of caveats.
*If the idea is fixed in your mind that a Sherlock Holmes pastiche must feature the Detective and Dr. Watson, this may not be for you. However (big however) I would ordinarily place myself in that category, and yet there was never a moment of reading time when I found myself missing Holmes and Watson. This is very, very rare for me. About the only example that springs to mind where the story has been focused on someone else is maybe Enter the Lion, where Mycroft was front and center and a young Sherlock and his pre-Watson chum, Victor Trevor, were in the supporting cast.
*If the idea of the Old West, Montana circa 1893, replete with colorfully speaking cowboys is unappealing setting, then this book may not be for you.
If, however, you are in the mood for a highly entertaining read, you might check this out.
As the review up there says, it all comes about when Big Red, Otto Amlingmeyer, gets his hands on a copy of The Red Headed League and reads it to his brother, Old Red, aka Gustav. The proverbial light bulb of inspiration goes off for Old Red, and he suddenly realizes his true calling in life isn't to be a cow puncher all his days, but to get into the deducifyin' way of things, ala his new-found hero, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
There are a couple of drawbacks that make this a difficult vocation to follow, of course. One is, well, how's he going to get a chance to try out any of those detecting skills out there in the wilds on Montana? Even more important, how is he going to get anyone to take him serious when he's never had any book learning and can't even read? (That's an aspect that I particularly enjoy, and Old Red opening up about all that to his brother makes for a nicely poignant little scene.
As luck would have it, fate throws a bone his way, when the two brothers sign on to work at the Bar VR cattle spread, where it soon becomes obvious all sorts of secrets and hijinks are going on. Things really get rolling when the owners of the ranch show up for a visit -- among them the Duke of Balmoral, Richard Brackenstall de Vere St. Simon. Which name may or may not ring a bell; you might check out The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor for help placing it.
And that's something else I enjoyed, how Hockensmith not only plays The Game, going along with the idea that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are real, but reaching into the Canon to connect what's going on in his book to the original source material. That he manages to do that using one of the least impressive stories from the Canon is especially fun. The Duke's reaction to learning that Old Red has taken Holmes for a role model is, shall we say, less than enthusiastic, leading him to nastily throw a big old spoiler in Old Red's face at one point (about what happens at Reichenbach).
That was a particularly clever way, I think to get Holmes in the story, make him a real presence even though he is off stage. Plus, it's not often anyone tackles the matter of what may have come after Holmes solves the case, all the subsequent fall out and the resentment that some folks might carry around afterward.
As for the story, the mystery's pretty good, with enough twists and turns so that even though a couple of things start to come clear there are still a couple of other matters rattling around that aren't quite clear. The climax is straight out of the Old West, no civilized denouncement in the drawing room, everyone sitting around sipping sherry, but that's right for the story.
The characters are wonderful, especially the two brothers. Big Red, Otto, is our stand-in for Watson, and while his language is a good deal more colorful than the doctor's, and his fondness for his brother is tempered with some good-natured snark and pissiness, he makes for an excellent -- finding his own true calling just as his brother does.
There's one sequel out already, On the Wrong Track, that I am itching to get my hands on, and a third due out next year, and I think this first one may have even won a mystery fic award, so it's not just me saying it's worth a look. :)
Next up: Lost Horizon by James Hilton, which I'm sure I must have read once, but -- whatever -- I am thoroughly enjoying it now, whether it's the first time or second time around. There are some striking differences from the movie, but that's all to the good. I'm liking this not so heroic Conway a lot.