| There's no doubt about it—something mighty peculiar is going on at the Bar VR cattle spread, something that would take a Sherlock Holmes to figure out.
Only Sherlock is busy elsewhere, so readers of Holmes on the Range are going to have to settle for Old Red, all of 27 and a devotee of the great detective's stories, and his younger brother, Big Red, a Watson-in-training. It's a pretty good compromise. Times are tough in 1893 Montana when the Amlingmeyer brothers, all that's left of a family decimated by disease and flood, sign on at the secretive ranch, run by the nasty McPherson boys for the absentee British owners. The brothers and a handful of other drovers recruited from the Hornet's Nest saloon aren't at the Bar VR before a body, trampled to pulp, is found out on the range, following a big storm. Old Red is suspicious. But before he can start to do much in the way of detecting, the owners of the Bar VR just happen to show up: the pompous Duke, his daughter Lady Clara, her would-be suitor Young Blackwell, the mysterious, tight-lipped Mr. Edwards, and their retinue. Throw in a handful of other colorful characters—Boudreaux, an albino Negro cowpuncher, and Hungry Bob, a reputed cannibal at large--and the stage is set for a story that twists and turns its way like a rain-carved gully through dusty sage plains. This may also be the first locked room mystery where the room is an outhouse. But what makes this story special is the dialog, the rhythms of cow talk and Big Red's sassy, cynical take on a life that is hard under the best of circumstances. The mystery is indeed a good, complex one, but of the “all is revealed in the last two chapters” sort. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - very humorous How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70% Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Motive of antagonist - revenge How sensitive is this character? Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - West Farm/Ranch? Yes Farm/Ranch: - ranch Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Unusual forms of death - crushed Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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