A explosive mix of historical western, detective story, and vaudeville captivates the imagination with the boldness of its concept and refined style. The continuation of Steve Hockensmith's series maintains the high bar set by the first novel, combining an engaging plot, sparkling humor, and vivid characters. Two admirers of Sherlock Holmes's talent, brothers Gustav and Otto Amlingmeyer, known as Old Red and Big Red, decide to drastically change their lives. Former hired cowboys abandon their former dreary trade and take jobs as guards on the Southern Pacific Railroad. This is just the first step towards Gustav's dream of becoming a real detective, but the inseparable brothers quickly discover that they are racing toward disaster. Before the «Pacific Express» leaves the station, it is attacked by the notorious gang of the Fierce Ones, and the baggage clerk loses his head — literally. The detective brothers have a whole carriage full of suspects, but the main task is to make it alive to the final stop. The book will please both fans of canonical westerns and novels about Sherlock Holmes, as well as connoisseurs of cleverly twisted plots, while the warm retro-style tone will charm any age audience from teenagers to seniors. Steve Hockensmith's first novel in the series «Elementary, My Dear Cowboy!» was a finalist in the «Edgar», «Shamus», «Anthony», and «Dilys» awards. In addition, the author has also written detective stories connected by the theme of Tarot cards, «Five of Pentacles» and «Dime Store», and the novel «Pride, Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of Horrors», which became a bestseller according to «The New York Times».
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