REVIEW of HIRED GUNS by STEVE HOCKENSMITH

 

STEVE HOCKENSMITH has written novels that are a hybrid of western and mystery, hybrids of horror and classic novels (‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls’) and a mix of mystery and magical. He’s also written short stories.

Several of Steve’s short stories have been nominated for awards in the mystery field. He won the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Derringer Award for ERIE'S LAST DAY, published in the May 2000 issue of ‘Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.’  Other short stories were finalists for the Shamus Awards and the Anthony and Barry Awards.

His short story HIRED GUNS: MULE’S GOLD was, for me, one of the highlights of the SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES anthology. From my review of this anthology: ‘HIRED GUNS: MULE’S GOLD is a stark outdoors tale of prospectors searching the harsh Sonora desert for an abandoned gold mine. Meanwhile, they’re being stalked by hidden enemies. Again this features terse, cinematic prose, with some laconic humour. It reads like the gritty first chapter of a novel (or a series) which I would be very happy to read.’

Well, now it is one! It’s the first in a series of ‘Double-A Western Detective Agency’ novels.

Here’s my four star review of HIRED GUNS, the novel:

‘Fun’ is not a term that features too frequently in reviews of western fiction – more often books in this genre are praised for being ‘action-packed,’ ‘gritty,’ ‘exciting’ etc. But Steve Hockensmith’s ‘HIRED GUNS’ manages to tick all those traditional western boxes and still be rollicking good fun. It’s the first in a series of ‘Double-A Western Detective Agency’ novels. In 1894 Arizona a diverse group of mercenaries – an Anglo, a Mexican, a black man and an Apache – sign up to the Double-A. They’re tasked with helping a small mining company in its David-and-Goliath fight with a larger mining conglomerate. Action soon ensues. While there’s plenty of the laconic and the menacing in Hockensmith’s prose (‘Hoop and Romo watched Schuck’s men in tense, coiled silence.’) he freshens up the familiar western aspects with quirky humour where quips fly as fast as fists and bullets. So a satisfying and entertaining read for those seeking the usual western thrills, but also a lively re-invention for anyone looking for something more original. Highly recommended.’ 

You can find the review (and novel) online here: https://www.amazon.com/Hired-Guns-Western-Double-Detective-ebook/dp/B0CZXXGR4F/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr

and here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hired-Guns-Western-Double-Detective-ebook/dp/B0CZXXGR4F

It’s difficult to find historical examples of gun men in the Old West involved in mining disputes. In the so-called ‘Battle of Cripple Creek’ – which also happened in 1894 – there was a dispute between the owners of the 150 mines in the area of Cripple Creek, Colorado, and the miners. The mine owners wanted to cut costs by slashing miners’ wages and extending the working day. The miners went on strike in response. A County Sheriff intervened on behalf of the mine-owners, supported by six ‘deputies.’ When he sent a team of six deputies to defend a mine, they were captured by the local marshal's ‘special police,’ who were on the side of the strikers. So were these ‘deputies’ and ‘special police’ hired guns? In this instance the state governor intervened, sending the state militia to calm things down, and helped negotiate a better deal.

BAT MASTERSON (1853 - 1921)

BAT MASTERSON and other gunmen were involved in the so-called Royal Gorge Railroad War of 1879. This clash was between the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and the smaller Denver and Rio Grande Company. Masterson and co. were actually on the side of the larger company, (whereas the heroes in ‘HIRED GUNS’ are on the side of the underdog.) As a sheriff in Kansas at the time, Masterson had no authority in Colorado, but this did not prevent him from enlisting a large company of men, including  such noted gunmen as BEN THOMPSON, 'MYSTERIOUS DAVE' MATHER and possibly 'DOC' HOLLIDAY. However, Masterson's involvement came to an inglorious end on June 12, 1879, when he surrendered a roundhouse his men were holding. The ‘war’ between the railroads was finally settled out of court.

The most notable example on screen of a team of mercenaries hired to fight a powerful enemy is, of, course, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960.) I’m surprised I’ve not been banished from every western movie forum in existence, as I have previously expressed my opinion that this is NOT a great western film. It’s good, it has a great score and good action scenes, but it’s not a masterpiece, particularly in comparison with the film that spawned it, Akira Kurosawa’s SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) which is, IMHO, a masterpiece.

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN itself spawned a series of mediocre spin-offs, including a 2016 remake where the ‘hired guns’ take on a mining tycoon.   

Another ‘hired guns’ movie is THE PROFESSIONALS from 1966.

A clash with a large mining company out west is depicted in BROKEN LANCE (1954.) Here they’re in dispute with a local cattle rancher.

SPENCER TRACY in ‘Broken Lance’

On TV conflicts with mining companies are depicted in ‘The Big Valley’ episode ‘Heritage’ and ‘The High Chaparral’ episode ‘No Irish Need Apply.’

From the right: CAMERON MITCHELL, HENRY DARROW and JOHN VERNON in ‘No Irish Need Apply.’

More reviews of ‘HIRED GUNS’:

“Tempered with a wry grin and the wink of an expert Western wordslinger, Steve Hockensmith delivers the action fast and hard as iron.”

“Steve Hockensmith has jumped to the front of the line to establish himself as a top-shelf creator of westerns… he’s a genre wordsmith with his own voice whose already here and giving us fortunate readers his very best.” 

“Steve Hockensmith paces the story superbly, building to a terrific final showdown. ... The story also contains some neat twists and turns and a touch of mystery. If you like traditional westerns that are packed with tough, brutal action, mixed with elements of humour and have plots that will keep you guessing until the end, then look no further than Hired Guns.” 

I’ve also blogged about Steve’s novel HOLMES ON THE RANGE where a character seeks to be the Sherlock Holmes of the Old West.

The blog includes a look at the Sherlock Holmes phenomenon, which has lasted 140 years. Find it here: https://andrewmcbrideauthor.blogspot.com/2022/03/author-favourites-holmes-on-range-by.html

 

AUTHOR FAVOURITES: HOLMES ON THE RANGE by STEVE HOCKENSMITH

 STEVE HOCKENSMITH has written novels that are a hybrid of western and mystery, hybrids of horror and classic novels (‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls’) and a mix of mystery and magical. He’s also written short stories.

Several of Steve’s short stories have been nominated for awards in the mystery field. He won the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Derringer Award for ERIE'S LAST DAY, published in the May 2000 issue of ‘Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.’  Other short stories were finalists for the Shamus Awards and the Anthony and Barry Awards.

His short story HIRED GUNS: MULE’S GOLD was, for me, one of the highlights of the SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES anthology. From my review of this anthology: ‘HIRED GUNS: MULE’S GOLD is a stark outdoors tale of prospectors searching the harsh Sonora desert for an abandoned gold mine. Meanwhile, they’re being stalked by hidden enemies. Again this features terse, cinematic prose, with some laconic humour. It reads like the gritty first chapter of a novel (or a series) which I would be very happy to read.’

Find SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES here: https://www.amazon.com/Six-Gun-Justice-Western-Stories-ebook/dp/B09CMV5GMH

and here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09CMV5GMH/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Like many authors I’ve featured, Steve’s favourite of his own novels is his first one: HOLMES ON THE RANGE. He says: “I think it established everything I would try to bring to my later books: offbeat but likeable protagonists, lots of humour that's hopefully funny without undercutting the stakes, and an approach to genre tropes and expectations that's both irreverent and affectionate.”

This is the first instalment of a 6-part series. It was a finalist for the Shamus and the Anthony Awards for Best First Novel.

Montana, the 1890s. Two itinerant cowboy brothers, nicknamed Big Red and Old Red, are working on a ranch when they come across a dead body, killed in a particularly grisly fashion. Old Red has become obsessed with the stories of British detective SHERLOCK HOLMES. He's determined to catch the killer using Holmes' methods. Whether he likes it or not (and mostly he doesn't), Big Red is dragged along for the wild ride as his brother tries to "deducify" his way to the truth. But standing between them and a solution to the mystery are stampedes, rustlers, and a cannibal named “Hungry Bob” stalking the range.

Though not the first fictional detective, SHERLOCK HOLMES is arguably the best known. Holmes was created by Scottish author SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (1859-1930.) Whole libraries have been devoted to analysing Holmes, so this is a very brief and not even remotely exhaustive take on a literary figure who has fascinated the world for almost 150 years. I’ve used Wikipedia for most of my information.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

First appearing in print in 1887's ‘A STUDY IN SCARLET’ the character's popularity became widespread with the first series of short stories in ‘The Strand Magazine,’ beginning with ‘A Scandal in Bohemia.’ in 1891. In total. Doyle wrote 4 novels and 56 short stories featuring Holmes. All but one are set between about 1880 and 1914.

Holmes as depicted in 1904

Referring to himself as a "consulting detective", Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and logical reasoning. Most of his adventures are narrated by his friend DOCTOR JOHN WATSON. Other re-occurring characters in the books include Holmes’ nemesis, the criminal mastermind, PROFESSOR MORIARTY.

At times Holmes smokes a pipe and wears a deerstalker hat; he is also a violin player and occasional cocaine and morphine user (both were legal in late Victorian Britain.) He lives at 221B Baker Street, London (an address that didn’t exist until the 1920s.)

Conan Doyle felt "my literary energies should not be directed too much into one channel” so in 1893 he killed off Holmes in a hand-to-fight with MORIARTY over the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland; after a desperate struggle both men fell into the waterfall below. However, the public response, with distressed readers refusing to let Holmes die, was unprecedented. Conan Doyle received many protest letters, and one lady even began her letter to him with "You brute".

After resisting public pressure for 8 years, Conan Doyle brought Holmes back with perhaps his most famous adventure, ‘THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES.’ He would sporadically write new Holmes stories until 1927. In his last years, the reader is told that Holmes has retired to a small farm on the Sussex Downs and taken up beekeeping as his primary occupation.

Tying in with HOLMES ON THE RANGE, the very first Holmes novel, ‘A STUDY IN SCARLET’ has a western element, as part of it takes place in late 19^th Century Utah.

Conan Doyle repeatedly said that Holmes was inspired by the real-life figure of JOSEPH BELL, a surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in Scotland, whom Conan Doyle met in 1877 and worked for. Like Holmes, Bell was noted for drawing broad conclusions from minute observations. Sir HENRY LITTLEJOHN, Chair of Medical Jurisprudence at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, is also cited as an inspiration for Holmes. Littlejohn, who was also Police Surgeon and Medical Officer of Health in Edinburgh, provided Conan Doyle with a link between medical investigation and the detection of crime.

Joseph Bell (1837-1911)

By the 1990s there were already over 25,000 stage adaptations, films, television productions and publications – including spin-off novels - featuring the detective. ‘Guinness World Records’ lists him as the most portrayed human literary character in film and TV history, having appeared on screen 254 times as of 2012. Many actors have also portrayed Sherlock Holmes in radio dramas and on stage.

The following have all had a crack at Holmes in one medium or another: Tom Baker, John Cleese, Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey Jr., John Gielgud, Stewart Granger, Robert Hardy, Charlton Heston, Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, Raymond Massey, Ian McKellen, Roger Moore, John Neville, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Plummer, Robert Powell, Ian Richardson, Robert Stephens, Orson Welles and Nicol Williamson.

I particularly like portrayals by:

BASIL RATHBONE, in a series of 30s and 40s films. Here Doctor Watson is portrayed by NIGEL BRUCE as a bumbling comic foil (although he’s nothing like that in the books.)

Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone

PETER CUSHING in ‘THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES’ (1959) with ANDRÉ MORELL as Watson. (Cushing also portrayed Holmes in a TV series.)

André Morell and Peter Cushing

And JEREMY BRETT as Holmes in a British TV series that ran from 1984 to 1994.

Reviews of HOLMES ON THE RANGE:

"Delightfully offbeat." ‘Entertainment Weekly’

"Just when it seemed as if there were no more literary riches to be wrung from Sherlock Holmes, along comes Steve Hockensmith's inspired debut novel...The star of this tale is a fresh narrator's voice that whoops and hollers, dazzling the reader with colorful language, vivid images and hilarious asides. Sherlock Holmes in a Stetson turns out to be a dandy idea." ‘The Boston Globe’

"Sherlockians, Western fans and mystery lovers who enjoy their whodunits leavened with humor should all be delighted by Hockensmith's captivating debut." ‘Publishers Weekly’

 "HOLMES ON THE RANGE is a wonderful debut novel!’

 

Find HOLMES ON THE RANGE here: https://www.amazon.com/Holmes-on-the-Range-Mysteries-6-book-series/dp/B074CGRZ68?ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_0000_ext

and here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0851Q2XXY/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

AUTHOR FAVOURITES: RIVER RUNS RED by JEFFREY J. MARIOTTE

 JEFFREY J. MARIOTTE is the bestselling, multiple-award-winning author of more than fifty novels ranging across genres, including ‘dark thrillers,’ supernatural thrillers, horror and latterly westerns. He has also produced comic books, short stories, graphic novels, nonfiction and video games. As well as his own original work, he has written novels and comics based on licensed properties such as CSI, Star Trek, Spider-Man, Superman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Conan the Barbarian and more.

Jeff is a three-time winner of the Scribe Award for best novel, presented by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, a co-winner of the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America, and a recipient of the Inkpot Award for his contributions to the fields of science fiction and fantasy from the San Diego Comic-Con. He's been a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, the International Horror Guild Award, the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America, the Peacemaker Award from the Western Fictioneers, and, in the comics’ field, the Harvey and Glyph Awards.

Jeff’s THE FOX AND THE SNAKE was, for me, one of the highlights of SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES, an anthology of western short stories edited by Richard Prosch, introduced by Paul Bishop. In my blog about SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES I write: ‘Mariotte wastes not a word in this taut, superbly-written tale. Once more, the cinematic qualities of the writing brought movies to mind, perhaps a Sam Peckinpah-directed end-of-the-west elegy with a script by Elmore Leonard. (Full review here: https://andrewmcbrideauthor.blogspot.com/2021/11/andrew-mcbrides-review-of-six-gun.html )

Jeff tells me he has three particular favourites of his own novels, one of which is

RIVER RUNS RED.

 He says ‘I'm a desert rat from way back - I love the big empty spaces, the rugged landscapes, the thorny plants and poisonous creatures, the visible effects of water, where it exists... In RIVER RUNS RED I got to explore that landscape in depth, and also pay tribute to some of my favourite writers who feel the same way that I do about the desert Southwest, particularly EDWARD ABBEY, CHARLES BOWDEN, and WALLACE STEGNER… I felt that the characters were rich and true and I loved spending time with them.’

 About RIVER RUNS RED:

As teenagers, Molly, Byrd and Wade faced inconceivable evil in an underground labyrinth near the Rio Grande in Texas. Reunited as adults, they discover that their terrifying experience was only the beginning. Now they and a CIA agent return to these sinister caves as combatants in a supernatural war. They have to stop the rising of an ancient malevolent force that wants to erase the world and start over. Their paths wend through raging rivers, mysterious murders, long-buried gods, and secrets worth dying—or killing—for, on the way to a final, mystical battle, with the fate of worlds hanging in the balance.

RIVER RUNS RED is the first of The Border Trilogy books, the others being MISSING WHITE GIRL and COLD BLACK HEARTS.

Espionage was also blended with the paranormal/ supernatural in the 1978 movie THE FURY

Amy Irving and John Cassavettes in ‘THE FURY’

And in the TV series THE X FILES

Horror, the occult and the supernatural have been associated with caves and labyrinths since THESEUS fought THE MINOTAUR and probably before. Many movies have – literally – plumbed these depths, from QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1967)

to INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)

to THE DESCENT (2005.)

REVIEWS of RIVER RUNS RED:

DAVID MORRELL, (creator/ author of RAMBO): ‘RIVER RUNS RED is a fascinating blend of espionage and the occult with several jaw-dropping plot twists and one of the best action sequences I've read in a long time.’

OTHER REVIEWERS:

‘…Blends unforgettable characters with horror on a truly epic scale.’

‘A fast paced thriller with a supernatural twist… a character-driven story of epic proportions, an intense experience... This was my first read from Jeff Mariotte and it certainly won’t be my last.’

‘A pretty wild X-Files-esque supernatural thriller… a very entertaining beginning to Jeff Mariotte’s Border Trilogy.’

‘Great writing.’

‘Fast paced supernatural horror… Exciting and fun to read.’

‘Mariotte has a strong grip on characterization and page-turning suspense. This is a novel I wish I had written!’

Find RIVER RUNS RED here: https://www.amazon.com/River-Runs-Red-Jeffrey-Mariotte-ebook/dp/B07VMTQCNC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

and here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Runs-Red-Jeffrey-Mariotte-ebook/dp/B07VMTQCNC

ANDREW McBRIDE’S REVIEW of SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES

 A diverse collection of tightly-focussed western tales.

Two acclaimed western novelists, PAUL BISHOP and RICHARD PROSCH, have been running a podcast called SIX GUN JUSTICE for a while, where the co-hosts look at most things western: western history and fiction, TV, film, radio and books (including interviews with authors, publishers etc.) So far they’ve freewheeled through a wide range of topics from how icons like Buffalo Bill and Custer have been depicted on screen and in books, to TV western shows well-known and obscure (‘Rawhide’ ‘Lancer’) western-themed comics and memorabilia, western songs (‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’) to ‘shooting the breeze’ with authors both new and established, from JAMES REASONER to WAYNE D. DUNDEE.  

Here’s the SIX GUN JUSTICE website: https://www.sixgunjustice.com/p/podcast.html 

They’ve now branched out into publishing fiction, and their first effort is SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES, an anthology of 13 western short stories by MICHAEL RITT, JEFFREY J. MARIOTTE, WAYNE D. DUNDEE, JACKSON LOWRY, EASY JACKSON, SCOTT DENNIS PARKER, JOHN D. NESBITT, RICHARD PROSCH, STEVE HOCKENSMITH, JACQUIE ROGERS, CHERYL PIERSON, BILL BOULDEN and VONN MCKEE. It’s edited by Richard Prosch, and Paul Bishop writes the introduction.

Simply on grounds of length, I’m not going to review every story in the anthology, so apologies to anyone left out. And MERRICK by BEN BOULDEN has already appeared as an independent novella, which I’ve given a four star review to (‘Razor-sharp western noir’) here on Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Merrick-Ben-Boulden-ebook/dp/B075JN7Y21/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&qid=1635517158&refinements=p_27%3ABen+Boulden&s=books&sr=1-1

and Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36226257-merrick

The stories in this excellent collection show an under-appreciated aspect of the western: the variety and diversity inside the genre. The book kicks off with:

THREE DAYS TO PINE RIVER by MICHAEL RITT

This tells of a lawman bringing in a prisoner through the Colorado Mountains. The morality play underlying this not-what-it-seems tale, and Ritt’s effective, cinematic prose made me think of a ‘conventional’ 50s western movie, which is no criticism, as I’m a great admirer of the best 50s western movies. It brought to mind the lean economy of those tough outdoor adventures featuring Jimmy Stewart directed by Anthony Mann, or Randolph Scott directed by Bud Boetticher – which often centred on a journey of some kind.

JAMES STEWART in 'The Naked Spur' (1953)

In contrast DULCIE’S REWARD by EASY JACKSON has a young woman as the central character, attempting to survive in a man’s world by organising a cattle drive in post-Civil War Texas. Jackson writes a pacy, first-person narrative in a very readable, colloquial style.

NIGHT HORSE by JOHN D. NESBITT, concerning doings on and around a small Wyoming ranch, has elements of murder mystery, and a back story of thieves falling out, told sparely and effectively. Unusual and interesting.

HIRED GUNS: MULE’S GOLD by STEVE HOCKENSMITH is a stark outdoors tale of prospectors searching the harsh Sonora desert for an abandoned gold mine. Meanwhile, they’re being stalked by hidden enemies. Again this features terse, cinematic prose, with some laconic humour. It reads like the gritty first chapter of a novel (or a series) which I would be very happy to read.

Prospectors in the Old West

HEADWATERS by VONN MCKEE is an interesting, expertly-written character study about professional gambler Lex Tucker. Fiddle-footed Lex is always looking for ‘one more river to cross.’ He sets out to find and make peace with his cruel, abusive father, and perhaps end his years of wanderlust.

My two favourite stories in the anthology are in marked contrast to each other, showing the wide range inside the genre.

HOLLIE JOLLY COURTSHIP by JACQUIE ROGERS is a beautifully-written western romance about Idaho farmer Jack Wade’s quest for a bride. A warm and funny tale that Jacquie found inspiration for in her own family history.

A farmer and wife in the Old West

THE FOX AND THE SNAKE by JEFFREY J. MARIOTTE tells of Fox Caldwell, an old widower living alone in the Arizona wilderness c. 1915, who was once an outlaw. But then the past comes calling: a daughter he hasn’t seen for years, and a posse serving an old warrant led by a lawman wanting personal revenge. Mariotte wastes not a word in this taut, superbly-written tale. Once more, the cinematic qualities of the writing brought movies to mind, perhaps a Sam Peckinpah-directed end-of-the-west elegy with a script by Elmore Leonard.

SAM PECKINPAH's end-of-the-west elegy 'The Wild Bunch' (1969)

Overall, a diverse and surprising collection I can highly recommend.

I’ve done a four star review of SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES (an edited-down version of this blog) for Goodreads and Amazon.co.uk, which you can find here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Gun-Justice-Western-Stories-ebook/dp/B09CMV5GMH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1E1ICV8QNKABI&dchild=1&keywords=six+gun+justice+western+stories&qid=1635790037&sprefix=six+gun+justice+western+stories+%2Caps%2C71&sr=8-1

and here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58941209-six-gun-justice?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=OH1Xwa10LY&rank=5

‘The Six-Gun Justice podcast is simply the best western podcast going. Paul and Rich know their stuff, and the deep dives into the genre along with conversations with today’s top-of-the-line western professionals make the show a weekly must-listen.’ PETER BRANDVOLD, acclaimed, award-winning and best-selling western author.

Find SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES here: https://www.amazon.com/Six-Gun-Justice-Western-Stories-ebook/dp/B09CMV5GMH and here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Gun-Justice-Western-Stories-ebook/dp/B09CMV5GMH/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=… …