The Black Dove

I did mention that I would be telling you about the Book, The Black Dove: A Holmes on the Range Mystery , so here it is.

I first discovered Steve Hockensmith, the author, at the library. Yes, don't mention to him that I didn't purchase the first book of his that I read. I am sure he prefers that everyone who reads his book buys at least three copies of each book.

In any case, I was walking through the fiction section of the library randomly perusing the titles. I really rarely read fictional titles. But, sometimes, I just feel like reading some fun book. I happened across the title On the Wrong Track. This was the second of Hockensmith's "Holmes on the Range" mystery titles.

When I was in High School, I got a copy of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and read them all several times. I loved his almost mystical method of deduction and his interaction with Watson and witnesses and suspects. I liked them so much, I even bought myself a pipe.

I have also long been a fan of the western novel. My Dad had the entire Louis L'Amour collection and it is so much fun to read about someone knocking someone else down or tracking through the wilderness after a dangerous killer.

So, when I saw the Holmes on the Range idea, I snatched it up. I didn't really know what to expect. Would it be some cerebral Sherlockian thriller spiced with a few choice gunfights? Would it be a tale of human struggle against some evil rancher ala L'Amour? Would it be some ridiculous bore?

Much to my surprise, I found it to be the most fun I have had reading fiction in years.

The story is about two brother's in the 1890's. One of them is a devoted fan of Sherlock Holmes and hopes to emulate his methodology and successes by being a detective. The other is his brother, who assumes the Watsonian role of documenting the escapades and acting as the muscle when the two run across various trials and tribulations associated with two down on their luck cowpokes working on "detectifyin". I am afraid, my review doesn't quite give the whole thing justice. The other ones I read all include words like "rollicking", "Flummoxed" and the like. While I don't have any words like this to throw out, I found it to be great fun.

So, I immediately went out and grabbed the first book in the series, simply entitled, Holmes on the Range. This book was great fun too, so I emailed Steve Hockensmith himself, who actually emailed back. Wow! I have no idea what he said. I think it was something like, "Thanks.". Who would of thought.

Anyways, the latest installment, The Black Dove, came out last month. It is set in San Francisco and the bros are at it again, this time in China Town. When I was last in San Francisco, there was a flying carpet on Pier 39 and you could buy a video tape of your ride through the Golden Gate City. I also went to Alcatraz and toured a submarine from WWII. While the heroes of the story don't make it to any of these attractions, they have some bizarre and funny adventures in Chinatown of the 1890's.

As I mentioned, I don't have a startling enough vocabulary to do a book review justice, but the best part of the story(ies) is the interaction between the two brothers. Their dialogue and the author's ability to convey the interaction of the two is good fun. On a cautionary note, you'll notice I didn't say good CLEAN fun. Some of the characters do find it necessary to filth up their language from time to time, much like some of the people I work with or like the guys that rolled up beside our car the other night. Well, that is another story. And they end up falling into an opium den and getting in a fight with a bunch of tong killers in a house of ill repute. Things of that nature. In fact, the title.....well, never mind, that might give something away.

So, I loved the book. I won't let my kids read it. If you can stand a few bad words, or want me to sharpie them out in your copy before you read it, give it a try. Seriously, it was the most fun read I have read in a while. I bought a copy for me and one for my mother.