The Crack in the Lens

By: Steve Hockensmith

Narrated by: William Dufris

In 1893, Otto "Big Red" Amlingmeyer and his brother, Gustav "Old Red," find themselves in a situation that they never expected: they have a bit of money and time to do something other than scramble. It's enough to confound even that most unconfoundable of men, their mutual inspiration, Sherlock Holmes.

So Old Red decides that it's time for the two of them to head off to the Texas hill country, to San Marcos, and deal with the greatest tragedy of Old Red's life. Five years ago, when Old Red was a cowpoke in San Marcos, he had a sweetheart---a fallen woman at the local house of ill repute. They had made plans, but before they made their big move, his fiancee was murdered and the case was swept under the rug by the local authorities. Now Old Red is determined to find out what really happened and to finally find a measure of justice for his beloved.

But Big Red and Old Red find themselves facing a wall of silence and in some of the worst situations of their lives: ensnared in a riot at the local cathouse, on the wrong end of a lynching party, and, perhaps worst of all, having to do the one thing you never want to do in the state of Texas: steal horses.

©2009 Steve Hockensmith (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The personal stake Old Red has in catching the murderer adds an emotional dimension to the puzzle, which Edgar-finalist Hockensmith nicely leavens with witty prose and cliffhanging chapter endings." ( Publishers Weekly)

A great series and a great narrator

Steve Hockensmith has three of these novels; they are delightful stories that are as humerous as they are intriguing. But the narration makes them all the more enjoyable. If you like some humor mixed in with your mystery and if you have a liking for the wild west, and if you think an illiterate cowboy with an affection for Sherlock Holmes is worth your time, you will love this book.

Keeps getting better

This is the fourth book in the series and each one gets better. When I listened to the first book int the series, I loved the story but only liked the narrator. Four books later, I love it all. A frequent complaint about the other books is the occasional curse word. Here, Hockensmith finds a hilarous way to let the curse words fly without uttering a single vulgarity. Funny, compelling and filled with interesting characters and a well developed setting. My only warning is that if you like your mysteries very polite and clean, this series isn't that. It's not at all super gory or grusome but there is a little coarsness. Just a little.

Series has run its course

Loved this series to date, but it's run out of gas. Felt very tired hard to finish