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book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Digital audio narrated by William Dufris
3.5***
From the book jacket: It’s 1893, a tough year in Montana, and any job is a good job. When Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer sign on as ranch hands at the secretive Bar VR cattle spread, they’re not expecting much more than hard work, bad pay, and a comfortable campfire around which they can enjoy their favorite pastime: scouring Harper’s Weekly for stories about the famous Sherlock Holmes.
My reactions
Well, this was a hoot and a half! I loved the brothers Big Red (Otto) and Old Red (Gustav) and how they worked together. Big Red narrates, as he is the more educated of the two, being able to read and write. But Old Red is the real fan of Holmes and his methods of observation and deduction, and it is he who finally solves the murder.
Hockensmith liberally sprinkles the text with colloquialism and colorful cowboy metaphors, and includes a host of memorable supporting characters (loved the Swedish cook!). The mystery plot was sufficiently complicated to keep me guessing right up to the reveal.
I’ll keep reading this series.
William Dufris does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. He has a gift for voices / dialects and I particularly enjoyed his interpretation of the Swede,
3.5***
From the book jacket: It’s 1893, a tough year in Montana, and any job is a good job. When Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer sign on as ranch hands at the secretive Bar VR cattle spread, they’re not expecting much more than hard work, bad pay, and a comfortable campfire around which they can enjoy their favorite pastime: scouring Harper’s Weekly for stories about the famous Sherlock Holmes.
My reactions
Well, this was a hoot and a half! I loved the brothers Big Red (Otto) and Old Red (Gustav) and how they worked together. Big Red narrates, as he is the more educated of the two, being able to read and write. But Old Red is the real fan of Holmes and his methods of observation and deduction, and it is he who finally solves the murder.
Hockensmith liberally sprinkles the text with colloquialism and colorful cowboy metaphors, and includes a host of memorable supporting characters (loved the Swedish cook!). The mystery plot was sufficiently complicated to keep me guessing right up to the reveal.
I’ll keep reading this series.
William Dufris does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. He has a gift for voices / dialects and I particularly enjoyed his interpretation of the Swede,
holly_keimig's review against another edition
3.0
This audio book was weird. I liked aspects of it and the story details were very interesting in end. The coarse language and character's voices (on the audio book) grated on me a little and this is definitely not a book for young ears. Overall, it was an interesting homage to Sherlock Holmes with colorful characters and a fairly fast-paced mystery.
tshere's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable. Old Red and Big Red remind me of Dusty and Lefty.
rachelmcg2004's review against another edition
5.0
It was
Meets
Which means it was FANTASTIC!
Some of the quotes and comparisons I'm never going to forget! Big Red and Old Red, you've changed my life...and not entirely for the better. ;)
Review to come
An easy 5 stars
Meets
Which means it was FANTASTIC!
Some of the quotes and comparisons I'm never going to forget! Big Red and Old Red, you've changed my life...and not entirely for the better. ;)
Review to come
An easy 5 stars
matayl09's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
mmk4725's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing special about this story. A bit different, 1893 cowboys solving a mystery like Sherlock Holmes. I really want to find a good mystery book - is it out there?
ru_bunny's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
csdaley's review against another edition
3.0
It was ok as a first book by the author. I will give the next one a go and then see how I feel.
weaselweader's review against another edition
4.0
A Wild West Sherlock Holmes works for me!
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 red 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
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 red 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