Fun story of the changing West, where a former Pinkerton detective, Charlie Suringa, teams up with another former Pinkerton man and fledgling writer, Dashiell Hammett, to catch a horse thief, fight corruption that may or may not turn into the Teapot Dome Scandal, and assist the family that deceased Jack London left behind. Loren Estleman knows how to blend story with great characters, and infuse it with just enough humor to elicit an occasional guffaw. ( )

When I was a little girl and needed some comforting, my father would softly sing a song called Ragtime Cowboy Joe so when I saw there was a book called Ragtime Cowboys by Loren Estleman, of course, I had to read it. This book turned out to be a delightfully fun story about two ex-Pinkerton detectives in the early 1920’s. The two detectives are Charlie Siringo and Dashiell Hammett and they make unlikely but highly readable partners. They are brought together by Wyatt Earp as he hires them to find a valuable racehorse that was stolen from his stables but during their investigation they stumble onto something even bigger.

I think the author has as much fun writing this book as his readers will have with the reading. It’s a veritable who’s who of 1920’s California. Ragtime Cowboys is an entertaining adventure that’s a quick, light read. I very much enjoyed the colorful characters and the snappy dialogue and will certainly be looking for more by this author who specializes in both Westerns and Mysteries. ( )

LA 1921: 2 ex Pinkerton agents are hired by famous Wild West lawman Wyatt Earp to find the rustler who stole his prize horse and end up in a shootout defending the ranch of Jack London's widow. Throw in a suspicious list of names with dollar amounts they stole from Joseph P. Kennedy (yep JFK's father) and we have quite a tale! Of course, the whole scenario is very improbable but it is great fun! With Estleman's artful skill in this genre, this is another good read. ( )

LA 1921: 2 ex Pinkerton agents are hired by famous Wild West lawman Wyatt Earp to find the rustler who stole his prize horse and end up in a shootout defending the ranch of Jack London's widow. Throw in a suspicious list of names with dollar amounts they stole from Joseph P. Kennedy (yep JFK's father) and we have quite a tale! Of course, the whole scenario is very improbable but it is great fun! With Estleman's artful skill in this genre, this is another good read. ( )

Great book. Loved the dialogue which reminded me of the word play between Robert Duval (Captain Augustus "Gus" McCrae) & Tommie Lee Jones (Captain WF Call)and other characters in the TV mini-series Lonesome Dove. ( )