“All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind… Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his”.

A Scandal In Bohemia, Arthur Conan Doyle

Five years ago, Gustav “Old Red” Amlingmeyer was in love. And it was the death of Adeline, the woman he loved – a prostitute who was on the verge of leaving that life for him – that caused him to return to his brother Otto. But now, in 1893, he and Otto have returned to San Marcos, Texas, to uncover the truth about her death. Because Adeline didn’t just die – she was brutally murdered.

Old Red feels that the time is right to see if the “deducifying” skills that he has learned from the Sherlock Holmes stories can reveal the truth about Adeline’s death. But there is little welcome for the brothers in town. As they struggle to gain the trust of anyone, it becomes clear that Adeline was but one of a number of deaths. And the killer is more than willing to kill a couple of cowboys to keep their secrets…

May’s going to be an interesting month for me as I have no reviews of new material pending. Oh, I’ll probably do one or two from June a bit early and I do have the first in a series to read, as I’ll be reading the second next month, but this seemed an ideal time to jump back onto my slow re-read of the “Holmes On The Range” series.

As I’ve made clear a number of times before, I love this series. Even the weakest title (the preceding The Black Dove) is an enjoyable read, but this is one of my favourites. We finally get a little insight into Gus’ back story. We are constantly inside Otto’s head and heart (as he narrates the stories) but Gus has always been something of a closed book. And to an extent, we find out a little something about why here.

Gus has returned to San Marcos because he feels that he can apply his new skills, but you can feel his frustration as they appear not to work in the case of a madman. It falls to Otto to try and keep his brother calm and on the right track, but we see Gus questioning his methods for the first time. It adds a fragility to the character that makes him far more vulnerable than before. Pairing him, who patterns themselves after someone from London, with a villain who does the same is a clever idea as well.

It’s also a great adventure, a good mystery (hints rather than out and out clues abound – but I would commend the hats clue) and, for a book about somebody apparently inspired by a certain Victorian killer of the age killing a number of prostitutes, it’s very funny in places. But rest assured, Hockensmith knows when to tell a joke and when to take things with the seriousness they deserve. It’s an impressive balancing act and he performs it marvellously.

If you’re interested, I’d still recommend reading Holmes On The Range first, but this is just as strong as that opening title. Looking forward to re-reading Book Five, World’s Greatest Sleuth, already.