- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Minotaur (12 May 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0312565577
- ISBN-13: 978-0312565572
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 13.9 x 2.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,261,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Gustav 'Old Red' Amlingmeyer and his brother, Otto (Big Red), cowpokes by training, discovered Sherlock Holmes through the stories and are now devotees of his method of 'detectifying'. The two brothers are in San Francisco in 1893 with an eye towards a real detective job. But that's not working so well and they are footloose, a little broke, and not-so-fancy-free. But serendipity is on their side. They run into an old acquaintance in Chinatown, who takes a shot at them. The girl Big Red has been searching for shows up bearing bad news. And a group of hatchet wielding Chinese tong members are out for their blood. Yep, their luck has changed - what was once merely bad is now truly catastrophic.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer return for their third adventure in this excellent mystery series by Steve Hockensmith. This time the story picks up where the previous novel left off, with our heroes attempting to make a living, "detectivin' and deducifyin'" in 1893 San Francisco and finding themselves embroiled in the middle of a mystery in Chinatown, caught between the Tongs, the local Civic Leaders, the Police and Big Red's inability to keep his headwear safe.
Hockensmith paints 19th Century San Francisco vividly, with Chinatown being a place far removed from todays tourist centre. A place both alien and exotic right in the middle of a bustling American city. It is one of the books many strengths, and the series as a whole, that the Amlingmeyer's adventures take place in a different environment with each novel, from the plains of, "Holmes On The Range," to the railroads of, "On The Wrong Track," to Chinatown here in, "The Black Dove." It serves to keep the stories fresh, providing new sights and experiences for our heroes, thereby developing their characters along the way, preventing them from becoming repetetive and giving Hockensmith the opportunity to explore new environments, historical events and ideas with each story.
As ever, Big Red's narration provides wonderful humour and insight as the brother's attempt to solve the murder of their friend, Doc Chan, and deduce the whereabouts (and the, "whatsabouts") of the titular Black Dove. The brothers relationship is developed even further, with past events once again coming to light, and it is Hockensmith's writing of this relationship that makes the book so good. They may fight, argue and constantly engage in oneupmanship with each other, resulting in some truly hilarious asides, but there is real brotherly love and admiration in there too and it really does make the Amlingmeyer's leap off the page.
Of course, it helps to have a cracking mystery to solve, with last second escapes and derring-do (done only the way the Amlingmeyer's can with plenty of comedy and self-deprecating humour) and a whole cast of intriguing, well drawn characters for them to play off (along with much welcomed returning characters, adding a great, "ensemble," feel to the books), which this book has in droves (or should that be, "drovers?".... Apologies, a bit of Old Red's narrative style rubbing off on me there.....) as well as battles with deadly Tongs using only bric-a-brac, an encounter with a very dead scorpion and plenty of jokes involving the passing of wind (these ARE cowboys, remember!). And, as is becoming readily apparent in these novels, an encounter in a toilet that is hilarious in the extreme. Whether it's murder in the out-house in the first novel, attempted murder by snake in the second or what happens here, WC's are obviously a dangerous place where Big Red and Old Red are concerned.
Once again, Steve Hockensmith has provided a funny, exciting and intriguing murder mystery, taking the best traditions of Holmes (or, "The Man," as Old Red would have us call him) and giving them a delightful and unique twist. The only problem is he sets things up so wonderfully for their next adventure it's such a pity we are going to have to wait a year to read it.
Hockensmith paints 19th Century San Francisco vividly, with Chinatown being a place far removed from todays tourist centre. A place both alien and exotic right in the middle of a bustling American city. It is one of the books many strengths, and the series as a whole, that the Amlingmeyer's adventures take place in a different environment with each novel, from the plains of, "Holmes On The Range," to the railroads of, "On The Wrong Track," to Chinatown here in, "The Black Dove." It serves to keep the stories fresh, providing new sights and experiences for our heroes, thereby developing their characters along the way, preventing them from becoming repetetive and giving Hockensmith the opportunity to explore new environments, historical events and ideas with each story.
As ever, Big Red's narration provides wonderful humour and insight as the brother's attempt to solve the murder of their friend, Doc Chan, and deduce the whereabouts (and the, "whatsabouts") of the titular Black Dove. The brothers relationship is developed even further, with past events once again coming to light, and it is Hockensmith's writing of this relationship that makes the book so good. They may fight, argue and constantly engage in oneupmanship with each other, resulting in some truly hilarious asides, but there is real brotherly love and admiration in there too and it really does make the Amlingmeyer's leap off the page.
Of course, it helps to have a cracking mystery to solve, with last second escapes and derring-do (done only the way the Amlingmeyer's can with plenty of comedy and self-deprecating humour) and a whole cast of intriguing, well drawn characters for them to play off (along with much welcomed returning characters, adding a great, "ensemble," feel to the books), which this book has in droves (or should that be, "drovers?".... Apologies, a bit of Old Red's narrative style rubbing off on me there.....) as well as battles with deadly Tongs using only bric-a-brac, an encounter with a very dead scorpion and plenty of jokes involving the passing of wind (these ARE cowboys, remember!). And, as is becoming readily apparent in these novels, an encounter in a toilet that is hilarious in the extreme. Whether it's murder in the out-house in the first novel, attempted murder by snake in the second or what happens here, WC's are obviously a dangerous place where Big Red and Old Red are concerned.
Once again, Steve Hockensmith has provided a funny, exciting and intriguing murder mystery, taking the best traditions of Holmes (or, "The Man," as Old Red would have us call him) and giving them a delightful and unique twist. The only problem is he sets things up so wonderfully for their next adventure it's such a pity we are going to have to wait a year to read it.
Format:Hardcover
Brothers Gustav and Otto Amlingmeyer (Old Red and Big Red respectively) are spending the summer in San Francisco. An accidental encounter with Dr. Chan, a friend from their adventure on the South Pacific railroad, revels he is quite nervous about something. In fact, he shoots at Big Red before realizing who he is. So when Chan turns up dead the next morning, Old Red doesn't buy the suicide pronouncement.
Since Dr. Chan lived in the heart of Chinatown, finding out what really happened to him won't be easy. The residences don't trust white men. Their only clue is "The Black Dove." Will that and Old Red's devotion to Sherlock Holmes be enough to find out what happened to Dr. Chan?
This is the third book in the series, and these characters now feel like old friends (even if I don't appreciate their foul mouths.) Their constant bickering is fun and funny. Although the funniest scene...well, I'll leave that for you to discover. But while the book is funny, it does grow quite serious at times. This isn't light hearted fair but a serious book with some wildly funny parts. And the book wonderfully brings the world of 1893 to life.
The mystery itself is good. It did seem to drag a few times, but once the climax came it was well worth reading.
The only thing I was left wondering is where will the brothers go from here. I can hardly wait to find out.
Since Dr. Chan lived in the heart of Chinatown, finding out what really happened to him won't be easy. The residences don't trust white men. Their only clue is "The Black Dove." Will that and Old Red's devotion to Sherlock Holmes be enough to find out what happened to Dr. Chan?
This is the third book in the series, and these characters now feel like old friends (even if I don't appreciate their foul mouths.) Their constant bickering is fun and funny. Although the funniest scene...well, I'll leave that for you to discover. But while the book is funny, it does grow quite serious at times. This isn't light hearted fair but a serious book with some wildly funny parts. And the book wonderfully brings the world of 1893 to life.
The mystery itself is good. It did seem to drag a few times, but once the climax came it was well worth reading.
The only thing I was left wondering is where will the brothers go from here. I can hardly wait to find out.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
21 reviews
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Not what I expected... but good!
20 Feb 2008
Format:Hardcover
That Hockensmith feller looks like one of them galoots who ain't satisfied less'n he's doing something different with every book. And, dagnabit, that's a good thing--long as you're not one of those folks who just wants a heap of more of the same every time out.
See, _Holmes on the Range_ was a flat-out classical mystery with a house full o' suspects. And _On the Wrong Track_ was a rollicking adventure/mystery with train robbers and runaway locomotives. Well, _The Black Dove_ is a tough-guy private eye mystery with a bit of moral ambiguity in it.
Now maybe you're figuring that there's something a little cockeyed about a humorous Dashiell Hammett film noir Sherlock Holmes Wild West Chinatown gumshoe tall tale. Well, pardner, all I can say is: it works.
Just don't expect no reruns of the other two books, plotwise. _The Black Dove_ sticks with the conventions of the shamus subgenre. The Amlingmeyer boys don't spend so much time eyeballing crime scenes or jawboning with witnesses or busting alibis or constructing timetables. Instead, the questions are: Who's got the power? Who's corrupt and who (if anyone) is straight? How can individuals stand up to powerful and ruthless groups? And that eternal classic, who wants them dead? Heck, there's even some genuine pathos in this one. (Anyone who reads my reviews regular-like--all both of you--will understand when I say that this here is a ball-of-twine plot, not a jigsaw-puzzle plot.)
Which ain't to say that all the virtues of the prior tales are gone. Big Red and Old Red are still as fine and sassy a pair of saddle pals as a feller could ask for. Me being a sucker for clever deducifyin', I'm happy to report that there's some dandy logic-chopping as well--the delightful Miz Corvus gets in a particularly fine lick or two. There's enough Holmes references to keep the conceit lively. And, of course, the setting is a good one, well rendered.
So what are you waiting for, ya darn greenhorn? Get a wiggle on, saddle up, and wrangle yourself a copy. And when you're done, you can join me in wondering: what in tarnation is Kid Hockensmith going to get up to next?
See, _Holmes on the Range_ was a flat-out classical mystery with a house full o' suspects. And _On the Wrong Track_ was a rollicking adventure/mystery with train robbers and runaway locomotives. Well, _The Black Dove_ is a tough-guy private eye mystery with a bit of moral ambiguity in it.
Now maybe you're figuring that there's something a little cockeyed about a humorous Dashiell Hammett film noir Sherlock Holmes Wild West Chinatown gumshoe tall tale. Well, pardner, all I can say is: it works.
Just don't expect no reruns of the other two books, plotwise. _The Black Dove_ sticks with the conventions of the shamus subgenre. The Amlingmeyer boys don't spend so much time eyeballing crime scenes or jawboning with witnesses or busting alibis or constructing timetables. Instead, the questions are: Who's got the power? Who's corrupt and who (if anyone) is straight? How can individuals stand up to powerful and ruthless groups? And that eternal classic, who wants them dead? Heck, there's even some genuine pathos in this one. (Anyone who reads my reviews regular-like--all both of you--will understand when I say that this here is a ball-of-twine plot, not a jigsaw-puzzle plot.)
Which ain't to say that all the virtues of the prior tales are gone. Big Red and Old Red are still as fine and sassy a pair of saddle pals as a feller could ask for. Me being a sucker for clever deducifyin', I'm happy to report that there's some dandy logic-chopping as well--the delightful Miz Corvus gets in a particularly fine lick or two. There's enough Holmes references to keep the conceit lively. And, of course, the setting is a good one, well rendered.
So what are you waiting for, ya darn greenhorn? Get a wiggle on, saddle up, and wrangle yourself a copy. And when you're done, you can join me in wondering: what in tarnation is Kid Hockensmith going to get up to next?
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Old Red in Chinatown
26 April 2008
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Brothers Gustav and Otto Amlingmeyer (Old Red and Big Red respectively) are spending the summer in San Francisco. An accidental encounter with Dr. Chan, a friend from their adventure on the South Pacific railroad, revels he is quite nervous about something. In fact, he shoots at Big Red before realizing who he is. So when Chan turns up dead the next morning, Old Red doesn't buy the suicide pronouncement.
Since Dr. Chan lived in the heart of Chinatown, finding out what really happened to him won't be easy. The residences don't trust white men. Their only clue is "The Black Dove." Will that and Old Red's devotion to Sherlock Holmes be enough to find out what happened to Dr. Chan?
This is the third book in the series, and these characters now feel like old friends (even if I don't appreciate their foul mouths.) Their constant bickering is fun and funny. Although the funniest scene...well, I'll leave that for you to discover. But while the book is funny, it does grow quite serious at times. This isn't light hearted fair but a serious book with some wildly funny parts. And the book wonderfully brings the world of 1893 to life.
The mystery itself is good. It did seem to drag a few times, but once the climax came it was well worth reading.
The only thing I was left wondering is where will the brothers go from here. I can hardly wait to find out.
Since Dr. Chan lived in the heart of Chinatown, finding out what really happened to him won't be easy. The residences don't trust white men. Their only clue is "The Black Dove." Will that and Old Red's devotion to Sherlock Holmes be enough to find out what happened to Dr. Chan?
This is the third book in the series, and these characters now feel like old friends (even if I don't appreciate their foul mouths.) Their constant bickering is fun and funny. Although the funniest scene...well, I'll leave that for you to discover. But while the book is funny, it does grow quite serious at times. This isn't light hearted fair but a serious book with some wildly funny parts. And the book wonderfully brings the world of 1893 to life.
The mystery itself is good. It did seem to drag a few times, but once the climax came it was well worth reading.
The only thing I was left wondering is where will the brothers go from here. I can hardly wait to find out.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Entertaining, if a bit light
20 Feb 2008
Format:Hardcover
I've always been a big fan of Sherlock Holmes. When I was a young man, I was also a big fan of Louis L'Amour. I've read both detective novels, and to a lesser extent Westerns, ever since. This current book is an attempt to combine the two genres, a weird concoction of both genres, with nods to Conan Doyle and various Western antecedents. The result is a bit uneven, and rather strange, but fun also.
It's 1893, and the Amlingmeyer brothers, Gustav (nicknamed "Old Red" for his red hair) and Otto ("Big Red", he's half a foot taller than his older brother) have decided that they should be detectives, mostly because Otto's read Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories to his brother, and the brother has decided he can "deducify" as well as the famous detective. Apparently neither of the brothers has figured out that Sherlock was fictional, and that some of his detection techniques aren't quite as workable as Conan Doyle makes them look in the books.
As this third installment in the series starts, they've washed up in San Francisco, having been fired from their first jobs as detectives on the Southern Pacific Railroad. They meet a friend from their previous adventures, a Chinese herbalist. He reacts poorly to their meeting (taking a shot at Big Red before he realizes he's with friends) then soon after winds up dead. The two brothers, joined by a female colleague from their previous adventures, decide they need to know why their friend died, and take off trying to solve the crime, certain that it was a murder.
The whole book takes place, essentially, over a day, from morning til late in the evening. The style is half-way tongue-in-cheek, speedy and somewhat wry in the humor department. Otto, the younger, literate brother, serves as the narrator of the story, while his older cohort and their female companion are the detectives. It's a bit short on premise, at times, but you wind up not caring, because the story, atmosphere, and characters are rather fun. I enjoyed it a great deal, and think it worth the trouble.
It's 1893, and the Amlingmeyer brothers, Gustav (nicknamed "Old Red" for his red hair) and Otto ("Big Red", he's half a foot taller than his older brother) have decided that they should be detectives, mostly because Otto's read Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories to his brother, and the brother has decided he can "deducify" as well as the famous detective. Apparently neither of the brothers has figured out that Sherlock was fictional, and that some of his detection techniques aren't quite as workable as Conan Doyle makes them look in the books.
As this third installment in the series starts, they've washed up in San Francisco, having been fired from their first jobs as detectives on the Southern Pacific Railroad. They meet a friend from their previous adventures, a Chinese herbalist. He reacts poorly to their meeting (taking a shot at Big Red before he realizes he's with friends) then soon after winds up dead. The two brothers, joined by a female colleague from their previous adventures, decide they need to know why their friend died, and take off trying to solve the crime, certain that it was a murder.
The whole book takes place, essentially, over a day, from morning til late in the evening. The style is half-way tongue-in-cheek, speedy and somewhat wry in the humor department. Otto, the younger, literate brother, serves as the narrator of the story, while his older cohort and their female companion are the detectives. It's a bit short on premise, at times, but you wind up not caring, because the story, atmosphere, and characters are rather fun. I enjoyed it a great deal, and think it worth the trouble.
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