not as fresh as the first-perhaps, but still an enjoyable addition to the series, especially for the glimpses it gives of the Famous "white city"
( )

Interesting story but the wild accents of the narrator distracted me many times. I think I would have enjoyed reading this more than listening to it.

A group of amateur magazine detectives are invited to the World's Fair in Chicago to engage in a contest to determine the "World's Greatest Sleuth". Sherlock Holmes is thought my many to be dead as Dr. Watson is about to publish a story where Holmes apparently falls to his death at Reichenbach Falls.

However, the puzzlemaster of the contest is found dead on the second day of the contest. Does the contest continue or do the sleuths band together to solve a real mystery? ( )

I've been holding on to the World's Greatest Sleuth like it's gold. This is a volume from one of my "Reliables"-- a mystery series so good that I keep myself from reading through it as fast as I can go. I didn't want to read it and be forced to admit that the series was at an end. But I recently learned from the author that there will be new Holmes on the Range mysteries coming in the future, and this allowed me to enjoy watching the Amlingmeyer brothers in action once more.

Hockensmith gives us a good look at the World's Columbian Exposition through the eyes of Big Red and his curmudgeon of a brother. Through them, we see the "White City" in all its majesty and absurdity-- and usually at a gallop (or at least a fast run). There are lots of laughs at the Amlingmeyers' expense, but they're used to it, and when readers pause to inhale so they can laugh again, they just might notice that Hockensmith has written a first-rate mystery, too.

That World's Greatest Sleuth competition is an interesting one with the death of its biggest detractor (a bred-to-the-bone Sherlockian purist) at its heart. Something tells me that the author has probably had more than one encounter with those pesky Sherlockian purists since he began writing this series.

If you're not too much of a purist and can accept the presence of an illiterate cowboy as an Old West Sherlock Holmes, you are going to love this book (and the series). Hockensmith has a smooth writing style that knows how to tell a strong tale, make readers laugh, and give them a true feel for the wild, wild West-- all at the same time. I can't wait for the next installment! ( )

Read aloud in the car with Winston. 4th in the series. I read the others earlier in the year. Chose this one to read together because it linked to 1893 Chicago - World's Columbian Exposition, which interests us.
Dorky humor, quick & light enjoyable reading.
Not your average detective series.
Read in 2011. ( )

Hockensmith has created characters that have been a pleasure to follow through the Holmes on the Range series. Great characters, humor, adventure, and fun. [Jen, patron]