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Ambrose Bierce #5
Ambrose Bierce and the Ace of Shoots
“Oakley Hall is a master craftsman. . . . Intrigue will keep you turning the pages.” —Amy Tan
From Thomas Pynchon to Richard Ford, Amy Tan to Diane Johnson, the list of devotees of the Ambrose Bierce mystery series continues to grow as the larger-than-life hero tracks down California’s most malevolent criminal minds. In this rough-and-tumble romp through gritty Old San Francisco, Ambrose Bierce and his faithful associate Tom Redmond are on the trail of a celebrity sniper. Amid seduction, revenge, wing shots, ambuscades, knife throwers, free-love colonies, a friendly opium parlor, and a letter from Queen Victoria, Ambrose Bierce and Tom Redmond must turn up the true killer.
“Oakley Hall has found the perfect Holmes of the West in Ambrose Bierce, and an ideal Watson in the guise of Tom Redmond. Ace of Shoots is beautifully written and devilishly entertaining—as much fun as a Wild West shoot-’em-up extravaganza.” —Mark Childress
From Thomas Pynchon to Richard Ford, Amy Tan to Diane Johnson, the list of devotees of the Ambrose Bierce mystery series continues to grow as the larger-than-life hero tracks down California’s most malevolent criminal minds. In this rough-and-tumble romp through gritty Old San Francisco, Ambrose Bierce and his faithful associate Tom Redmond are on the trail of a celebrity sniper. Amid seduction, revenge, wing shots, ambuscades, knife throwers, free-love colonies, a friendly opium parlor, and a letter from Queen Victoria, Ambrose Bierce and Tom Redmond must turn up the true killer.
“Oakley Hall has found the perfect Holmes of the West in Ambrose Bierce, and an ideal Watson in the guise of Tom Redmond. Ace of Shoots is beautifully written and devilishly entertaining—as much fun as a Wild West shoot-’em-up extravaganza.” —Mark Childress
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
50 people want to read
About the author
Oakley Hall
42 books91 followersOakley Hall also wrote under the nom de plume of O.M. Hall and Jason Manor.
Oakley Maxwell Hall was an American novelist. He was born in San Diego, California, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and served in the Marines during World War II. Some of his mysteries were published under the pen names "O.M. Hall" and "Jason Manor." Hall received his Master of Fine Arts in English from the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa.
Oakley Maxwell Hall was an American novelist. He was born in San Diego, California, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and served in the Marines during World War II. Some of his mysteries were published under the pen names "O.M. Hall" and "Jason Manor." Hall received his Master of Fine Arts in English from the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 4, 2024
Book rating 3.5 stars
Having read quite a bit of Ambrose Bierce’s The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary this title seemed interesting to me. Some years ago, I picked it up at deeply discounted used book sale at my local bookstore, that it was practically free. As my usual method, didn’t know what to expect with this book.
First off, it’s a series of titles and this one is not the first, it’s the fifth. So the main characters are perhaps more developed in earlier books of the series. I expected Ambrose Bierce to be the main character, but he wasn’t. Not sure if it’s that way in the series, or just this book. Instead the narrator is Tom Redmond, a journalist for the newspaper Examiner in San Francisco. Bierce also writes for the newspaper a column called "Prattle". They are friends, Bierce does come up in the story, but he’s more of a side-kick in this book. Of course, this is a fictional Bierce modeled from the real person.
Both are sometimes detectives and for this book they are summoned to a case of a murder. During a parade for the Colonel Studely Wild West Show the colonel himself is shot dead. High on the list of suspects is Oswald “Oz” Bird, train robber and recently out of jail for the shootings in Hungry Valley. His ex-wife Dora Pratt is the Ace of Shoots in the Wild West Show and Studley had taken her under his wing. Bird doesn’t consider the divorce to be valid and so has a vendetta against Studley.
The writing was good. The book has a historical feel as this takes place in 1892. Really liked how each chapter began with an entry out of the Devil’s Dictionary.
While the book was enjoyable enough, it wasn’t something I was floored by and want to search for the other books in the series.
Having read quite a bit of Ambrose Bierce’s The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary this title seemed interesting to me. Some years ago, I picked it up at deeply discounted used book sale at my local bookstore, that it was practically free. As my usual method, didn’t know what to expect with this book.
First off, it’s a series of titles and this one is not the first, it’s the fifth. So the main characters are perhaps more developed in earlier books of the series. I expected Ambrose Bierce to be the main character, but he wasn’t. Not sure if it’s that way in the series, or just this book. Instead the narrator is Tom Redmond, a journalist for the newspaper Examiner in San Francisco. Bierce also writes for the newspaper a column called "Prattle". They are friends, Bierce does come up in the story, but he’s more of a side-kick in this book. Of course, this is a fictional Bierce modeled from the real person.
Both are sometimes detectives and for this book they are summoned to a case of a murder. During a parade for the Colonel Studely Wild West Show the colonel himself is shot dead. High on the list of suspects is Oswald “Oz” Bird, train robber and recently out of jail for the shootings in Hungry Valley. His ex-wife Dora Pratt is the Ace of Shoots in the Wild West Show and Studley had taken her under his wing. Bird doesn’t consider the divorce to be valid and so has a vendetta against Studley.
The writing was good. The book has a historical feel as this takes place in 1892. Really liked how each chapter began with an entry out of the Devil’s Dictionary.
While the book was enjoyable enough, it wasn’t something I was floored by and want to search for the other books in the series.
December 18, 2022
Not my favorite of the Ambrose Bierce Novels. But glad I read it. I have now completed all of the Bierce Novels. 18 of Hall's works read...10 to go.
May 21, 2025
A fine end to the series.
March 9, 2015
I don't generally hold with real historical individuals being made into characters in (usually mystery) novels set in their historical period, but Oakley Hall's Ambrose Bierce series is one that I quite enjoy, no doubt at least in part because it's set in 1890s San Francisco. In Ambrose Bierce and the Ace of Shoots, the fifth in the series, Ambrose and his sidekick/fellow journalist Tom Redmond, run across Dora Pratt, a "shootist" with a Wild West show who rivals the more famous Annie Oakley; Tom, as is his wont, falls in love with her, but Dora has many dark secrets and a shady past which includes a liaison with the traveling show's owner and a marriage to Oz Bird, the infamous outlaw, bank robber and multiple murderer. When first, then the other of her paramours turns up dead, it's up to Ambrose to sort out the suspects to get to the real killer - before Dora is hanged for the deeds. You don't need to have read the earlier books in this series to enjoy this one, and even having some acquaintance with Bierce's rather acerbic misogyny isn't necessary since Hall thoughtfully heads each chapter with an entry from his famous work, The Devil's Dictionary. Light and fun, definitely recommended!
February 23, 2010
So-so book. I love a good western, but I've read better. For a funny western, I'd recommend The Adventures of Johnny Vermillion by Loren D. Estleman or Telegraph Days: A Novel byLarry McMurtry.
January 22, 2008
Using Ambrose Bierce as a fictional detective in 1890s San Francisco was a good idea. Unfortunately, the author wasn't quite up to it. In this book, Bierce is only a vague side-character. Instead, we're bored by a bland, no-personality narrator named Tom Redmond, who's supposed to be Bierce's "Dr. Watson". Dr. Watson had 100 times more personality than this character. Redmond falls in love with a Wild West show sharpshooter a la Annie Oakley, some murders happen, bla bla bla. The Golden Age San Francisco is presented nicely but otherwise I had to force myself to keep reading it.
Read
September 12, 2008Meh. I was kind of ambivalent about this book. I liked the historical aspect, but couldn't get that into the plot. And I had absolutely no sense of the characters at all. In fact, I'm writing this up about a month after I read it, and I don't really remember anything that happened in the book, and probably wouldn't even remember having read it if it weren't sitting on my pile of books to give away.
Want to read
January 27, 2009stamped
November 25, 2012
I wanted to like this book, a Western Sherlock Holmes and Watson, but it just didn't keep me interested. Even the leading lady was hard to like and the story just wasn't enough.
Want to read
December 29, 2016I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14340665
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14340665
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews