In the summer of 1893, Gustav “Old Red” Amlingmeyer and his brother Otto (a.k.a. “Big Red”) find themselves down and out in San Francisco. Though cowpokes by training, the brothers are devotees of the late, great Sherlock Holmes and his trademark method of “deducifying.” But when they set out to land jobs as professional detectives, they land themselves in hot water, instead.

First their friend Dr. Chan mysteriously takes a potshot at them, fatally wounding Big Red’s new hat. Then a secretive young woman from their past pops up and convinces them that Chan’s in trouble -- and they’re just the men to get him out of it. Unfortunately, they’re too late: By the time they track Chan down again, he’s dead. The police call it a suicide. Old Red calls that a lie. When he and his brother set out to prove it, they put themselves on a collision course with shady S.F.P.D. cops, brutal Barbary Coast hoodlums and the deadly Chinatown tongs.

Before long, all sides are in a race to uncover the secret that could rock the city. And their only clue to what’s actually going on is the enigmatic, exotic and extremely difficult to find “Black Dove.”

What folks are saying about The Black Dove:

"[Big Red’s] foot-in-a-bucket narration will keep the reader snorting with laughter...Hockensmith has been nominated for the Edgar Award, and if he keeps writing like this, he'll win one soon." --Library Journal (starred review)

"Don’t mistake this for just Sherlock Holmes dressed up in spurs and six-guns: Hockensmith’s creations earn a genuine depth of character, and the mystery can be a delight to untangle."
--Booklist

"Like the first two books in the series, The Black Dove is a wonderful whodunit (and clever homage to Doyle's Baker Street detective) from accomplished writer Steve Hockensmith. Well-written, fast-paced, filled with historical atmosphere and plenty of quirky characters, and featuring the most genuinely funny narrator-protagonist in modern mystery fiction, this highly recommended adventure of the Amlingmeyer brothers will be thoroughly enjoyed by fans of classic Holmesian-style mysteries. Don't miss it!" --Tim Davis, Mystery News

"Other books and TV series have featured genre-melding cowboys armed with ratiocination as well as revolvers, but Hockensmith's take is quite special. There's his combination of intriguing mystery, breathless action, colorful characters and enough laugh-out-loud moments for the book to fit in the humorous crime category." --Dick Lochte, The Los Angeles Times

"Buoyant and consistently entertaining." --Kirkus Reviews

"Like its predecessors, [The Black Dove] is a winner on many levels...This is an adventure that tickles the funny bone while emphasizing honor and moral choices." --Dawn Goldsmith, Mystery Scene

"While this is a portrayal of a time often portrayed as innocent, it is well informed by a modern telling without losing the charm of that era. Readers interested in history, mystery or humor (and those especially interested in a combination of these) can't go wrong with The Black Dove." --Eric Turowski, The Alameda Sun

"...a quirky and original mystery series...breezy and funny throughout....." --Robert Croan, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Hockensmith has created an original opus here; the story is full of interesting details about [San Francisco], the railroads and the times...[a] fine package of historical atmosphere, wit and creativity." --Roberta Alexander, The Contra Costa Times

"The third series installment, The Black Dove, finds both Hockensmith and his consulting detective, Gustav 'Old Red' Amlingmeyer, at the height of their creative powers. What began as a novelty idea has evolved into a series that continues to grow in creativity and popularity...The Black Dove is a fast-paced tale that will appeal to both lovers of detective fiction and Western adventures. As Otto says, 'Let the Sherlockery commence.'" --David Hofstede, Cowboys & Indians

"This series just keeps getting better. The pace is breakneck and action-packed, but there's always time for a wisecrack, even as characterizations deepen...A great, rollicking tale, firmly set in its time and place." --Eileen Charbonneau, Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice Titles

"Every book in the series is different, and does not merely follow a cookie cutter format. With the latest 'Holmes on the Range' tale, Hockensmith does not disappoint. Although the books might be reminiscent of dime novels in their adventure scenes, quite a bit of character development happens for both the brothers, and we learn more of the very reticent Old Red’s past, and witness character growth from both brothers. The mysteries are as complex and enjoyable as any Sherlock Holmes tale ever was." --Kate Wise, The Emporia Gazette

"Everything I've enjoyed in the previous books is back -- a tight plot, a good puzzle, witty dialogue, a fast pace and rock-solid atmosphere of the Old West...." --Linnea Dodson, Reviewing the Evidence

"This moody and dark tale resembles the work of another major Victorian mystery novelist, Wilkie Collins, yet it remains, as does all of Hockensmith's fast-paced Western thrillers, eminently readable." --William Garwood, True West Magazine

"I've been hooked since I read Holmes on the Range...Otto and Gustav are characters that stay with you when you close the covers of the book." --Gayle Surrette, Gumshoe Review

"Big Red and Old Red continue to spin their remarkable yarns in this fast-paced and surprisingly dark installment in Steve Hockensmith's series...Three times out of three I've gotten my perfect entertainment fix, and can't wait to make it a fourth time in 2009." --Sarah Weinman, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind

"Steve Hockensmith created the 'Holmes on the Range' series and was nominated for the Edgar and the Shamus for his trouble. Sherlock Holmes and deductive reasoning as seen through the eyes of two cowboys is both entertaining and engrossing. The series is true to the sensibilities of both genres and the third novel in the series, The Black Dove, continues the tradition. Rollercoaster paced and hilarious, with more than one homage to Hammett's original Black Bird mystery, The Black Dove is another winner for Hockensmith." --W.J.H. Reed, I Love a Mystery newsletter

"With Dove being a true-to-form mystery, I won't spoil the fun, but rest assured, if you enjoy the genre seated in the style of Sherlock Holmes with some Charlie Chaplin thrown in, you're gonna love this book." --Bart Brunscheen, Bookgasm

"...clever...fun...." --The Boston Globe

"Rollicking... Readers will delight in the hilarious climactic ‘Mandarin standoff’ between Chinatown's underworld and Frisco's hapless police force." --Publishers Weekly