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By Dj Bowen
They are back. And in this side splitting or maybe it’s rail splitting hilarious and sometimes suspenseful sequel
to Holmes On the Range Steve Hockensmith has managed twice in a row now to charm the romantic adventure loving imagination of this sometimes rather crusty old reviewer.
In “On the wrong Track”, Otto
and Gus Amlingmeyer prove themselves true to the spirit of that noble turn of
the century, nineteenth, not twentieth, serious crime solving methodology inspired
by the master of brain over brawn deducifying; Sherlock Holmes.
And all the while, a new scribbler is coming
of age. the debut of an author who may one day show himself able to do for Gus
what John Watson did for “The Man”. Or maybe unwittingly
emulate the writer who was to American folk-lore what Sherlock was to crime solving, say, Mark twain. Yes, Otto has been chronicling the adventures of himself and his brother Old Red and while Otto, unlike
Gus, has never specifically mentioned being just like a hero of the day , one can dang sure imagine Otto, intending to one
day send the manuscript to that publisher in New York who publishes the magazine they read the Sherlock Holmes adventures from on starry nights by the campfire light while
the doggies sleep in the canyons, dreaming of such things. Whew…
The Rest of the Review
With their jaws set in an attitude of intense determination and counting on
nothing less than total success and settling for little less, Otto and Gus find
themselves in that wild and dusty railroad town somewhere north of the Brazos and south of the Black Hills of The Sioux, looking for
jobs. Preferrably as detectives. So
intent are they on becoming crime solvers they would even stoop to working for the much maligned and widely disdained iron stage coach known locally as the railroad.
After getting to know a cowboy turned gunslinger turned lawman named somebody pretty dag goned famous and getting a carte blanc ok from the hero, Gus and Otto take their
oaths to protect and serve the blasted old railroad and it’s passengers from the likes of the notorious dirty no good
low down cattle rustling train robbers the likes of which haven’t been seen around these parts since back in 1893!
For those of you craving a little romance mixed in with your adventure, the
relationship between the brothers Red and one very notorious womans of a nature I’m having a little trouble finding
exactly the right words for. Women’s libber type, suffragette, ain’t
that what they called ‘em? Well, believe me when I tell you she razzles
and dazzles the boots off Otto and Gus so cunningly and craftily all the while with a such a sweet and demure way about her. Yes she certainly had a way about her. Otto
and Red are never quite sure exactly whom love is intended for.
All is going well for the new railroad detectives until, while they are standing
on the back end of the caboose of the speeding locomotive as it heads west for the California coast; where Old Red, suffering from a wee bit of rail sickness is taking refreshment, delight and comfort in the fresh
air, Otto and Gus are shocked by the sight of a a man’s head, without the rest of him attached, as it comes rolling
out from under them. As they reach inside the cabin to yank the brake cord, the
train screams to a halt and the adventures of Otto Big Red and Gus Old Red Amlingmeyer take off like shot from a buffalo rifle.
Get ready for the wildest, funniest, most suspenseful, ever so tenderly touching
thrill of a lifetime ride on the wrong track!!
Get On the Wrong Track!
BARD Library
On the Wrong Track: A Holmes On the Range Mystery
Hockensmith, Steve. Read by Robert Sams.
Reading time 9 hours 46 minutes. Westerns
1890s. Cowboy and aspiring detective Gustav
"Old Red" Amlingmeyer and his brother Big Red sign on to protect the Pacific
Express railroad from robbers. En route to California, the duo encounters strange cargo inthe the train's baggage car and a killer among the
passengers. Some strong language. 2007.
Download On the Wrong Track: A Holmes on the Range Mystery, DB66494
Amazon Books
Click here to jump over to amazon and purchase the print edition, paperback,
of “On the Wrong track” by steve Hockensmith
Click here to order the audio book on CD in mp3 format. Unabridged.
No time to sit and read? Get the audio book and listen while you do whatever it is you do that leaves you with
no time to sit and read!
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