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Holmes On the Range #8
Strong Medicine
SHERLOCK HOLMES MEETS GILDED-AGE TEXAS IN THIS WICKEDLY FUNNY MURDER MYSTERY WHERE THE CURE MIGHT JUST KILL YOU.
The A.A. Western Detective Agency rides into Galveston in 1894 Texas, a city of elegant Victorian mansions and dark waterfront secrets, when a wealthy businessman burns to death in his own warehouse under far-too-convenient circumstances.
With Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer on the case, Old Red’s obsession with Sherlock Holmes is finally put to the ultimate test. Their client’s household is crawling with a brilliant female scientist, an eccentric would-be snake-oil salesman, a volatile socialite, and a charismatic “healer” whose devoted followers will do anything she demands.
As blackmail, madness, and murder tangle beneath Galveston’s gleaming surface, the detectives must separate miracle from menace before the killer delivers another dose of strong medicine.
With threats closing in from every direction, can the Double-A Western Detective Agency smoke out the truth before the next victim goes up in flames?
Saddle up for this fast-paced whodunit today, because in Galveston, the deadliest prescription of all is the truth.
The A.A. Western Detective Agency rides into Galveston in 1894 Texas, a city of elegant Victorian mansions and dark waterfront secrets, when a wealthy businessman burns to death in his own warehouse under far-too-convenient circumstances.
With Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer on the case, Old Red’s obsession with Sherlock Holmes is finally put to the ultimate test. Their client’s household is crawling with a brilliant female scientist, an eccentric would-be snake-oil salesman, a volatile socialite, and a charismatic “healer” whose devoted followers will do anything she demands.
As blackmail, madness, and murder tangle beneath Galveston’s gleaming surface, the detectives must separate miracle from menace before the killer delivers another dose of strong medicine.
With threats closing in from every direction, can the Double-A Western Detective Agency smoke out the truth before the next victim goes up in flames?
Saddle up for this fast-paced whodunit today, because in Galveston, the deadliest prescription of all is the truth.
- GenresMystery
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2026
About the author
Steve Hockensmith
98 books532 followersSteve Hockensmith is the author of the New York Times bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls and several other novels, including the Edgar Award finalist Holmes on the Range. He lives in Alameda, California.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 15, 2026
It’s the summer of 1894, and brothers Old Red and Big Red have traveled to Galveston, Texas. They aren’t on an official case, but they have gone down to help their friend Olivia Pertwee. Her family has suffered from a blackmailer, but their business partner just died in a fire in his warehouse. Is someone out to destroy the family’s business?
It’s always a pleasure to pick up a book in this series. I found the suspects perfect for keeping me confused, but I really liked the growth we saw in the brothers. I did figure out part of the plot out early, but the rest kept me guessing until the logical climax. This series isn’t a cozy series, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. I laughed so often, both at the relationship between the brothers and the antics of the suspects. As always, I am looking forward to seeing where the author will take us next.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
It’s always a pleasure to pick up a book in this series. I found the suspects perfect for keeping me confused, but I really liked the growth we saw in the brothers. I did figure out part of the plot out early, but the rest kept me guessing until the logical climax. This series isn’t a cozy series, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. I laughed so often, both at the relationship between the brothers and the antics of the suspects. As always, I am looking forward to seeing where the author will take us next.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
July 25, 2026
The Amlingmeyer brothers have started their own detective agency, modeling themselves after their hero, Sherlock Holmes. Gustav is learning to read so he can follow his role model without having to get his younger brother to read to him. Big Red (Otto) and Old Red (Gustav) are invited down to Galveston, Tx to solve the mystery of the murder of a wealthy businessman's partner. They meet a cast of amusing characters and get into trouble repeatedly while they do their "deducifying." The Holmes on the Range series is always good for some delightful distraction.
September 4, 2026
A Little Weak
Just not as good as the other books in the series. Expectations are high every book and for it sadly didn’t deliver.
Just not as good as the other books in the series. Expectations are high every book and for it sadly didn’t deliver.
October 24, 2026
A whirlwind investigation with Big Red and Old Red.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews