I just finished Steven Hockensmith's debut novel Holmes on the Range. Westerns are not something I usually pick up. Nor are Sherlock Holmes related stories. But I have to say, this book is fantastic. So much fun! I laughed a lot. And each evening I couldn't wait until it was time to pick up where I left off.
I'm not going to give you a summary. I suck at summaries, besides I'm constantly afraid of giving away too much. But picture this: It's the 1890s and two brothers (Old Red and Big Red) move from ranch to ranch looking for work. Old Red just happens to be a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, and when a crime is committed he just can't help trying a little detectifying himself.
Usually I'm emmersed in fast paced thrillers and super serious crime stories, so this was a great change of pace. But don't get me wrong, it's not just a "palette cleanser." It's good. Really good. Steven Hockensmith really knows what he's doing. I can't wait for Old Red and Big Red's next adventure.
You'd do yourself a big favor by picking this one up.
4 comments:
Yeah, looks like Blogger is finally back up and running. I wanted to ask about your other favorite authors. i know you've mentioned Barry Eisler. Who else do you read regularly?
Blogger was definitley getting on my nerves this morning. I'd found a typo in my Holmes post and also wanted to get the link to Murderati up, yet it wouldn't let me post!
As for favorite authors, interesting question. I'm a little all over the place, but here are a few: Graham Greene (The Heart of the Matter is one of my all time favorites, as is The Quiet American), John Burdett (Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tatoo...fanscinating reads), Haruki Murakami (South of the Border, West of the Sun and Norwegian Wood), Stephen King (not the horror stuff so much...more The Stand and The Dark Tower series...oh, and the Green Mile)...and probably a dozen others.
I find myself now reading someone new all the time, especially since I've entered the blogging world and have both met and been exposed to authors I never knew about before. (JA Konrath, Robert Ferrigno, Steven Hockensmith...) So I'm not reading any specific person regularly at the moment. There's just so much out there. What I really need to do is win the lottery so I can spend a lot more time reading (and writing, of course.)
J.T. brings up a good question. Are there authors you read regularly you'd like others to know about? Hey, I'm always looking for something new.
Here's a couple that have blown me away lately -- Allison Brennan, James Sallis, Jim Born, Mario Acevedo (a fun vampire debut), MJ Rose, and old school Daphne du Maurier. I've found so many new authors the same way you have Brett, and I've been meeting more and more. I've got Duane Scwierczynski, Victor Gishler, Sean Doolittle and Sara Gran on order now.
I've got an order in for Gramah Greene too, on your recommendation. I'll let you know what I think.
Thanks for the tips. I'll try them out. I've already got one of Jim Born's novels and Mario Acevedo's debut in my TBR pile. I'm reading The Delilah Complex by MJ Rose right now.
Funny you should mention Sean Doolittle. We have similar histories, both of us coming from Ugly Town. Though his first two books (Dirt and Burn) actually got published by them. Now we're both at Bantam and have the same editor (Naomi Hirahara's editor, too.) Sean and I have a bit of a bond because of all that. I just finished his latest "Rain Dogs" about a month ago. Really enjoyed it.
Hope you enjoy the Graham Greene. I'm a little nervous. Never had anyone other than family or close friends buy a book on my recommendation before.
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