The Adventures of Johnny Vermillion

by Loren D. Estleman

Johnny Vermillion's theater troupe brings masterpieces to the Wild West. The four actors are versatile enough to wear many costumes and play many roles. A few props, a little makeup, a costume and-- voilà --applause on the rugged frontier.

Johnny also arranges a special attraction for each town. While his actors bustle in and out of costumes, on and off the stage in many roles, one plays the villain in the bank. Then the actors take their curtain calls and railroad away.

Who? Us? Rob a bank? But you saw all of us on stage. When could we have done that?

A Pinkerton man becomes the troupe's severest He notices the news reports of stage performances one day and bank robberies the next. He follows the troupe, packing his suspicions. Finally, he sets a clever trap.

Loren D. Estleman's The Adventures of Johnny Vermillion features one of the most entertaining rogues ever to turn a dishonest dollar. Any audience will love a troupe that can transform A Midsummer Night's Dream into grand larceny.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical, Adventure, Historical Fiction

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Loren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He writes with a manual typewriter.

Estleman is most famous for his novels about P.I. Amos Walker. Other series characters include Old West marshal Page Murdock and hitman Peter Macklin. He has also written a series of novels about the history of crime in Detroit (also the setting of his Walker books.) His non-series works include Bloody Season, a fictional recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and several novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.

Series:
* Amos Walker Mystery
* Valentino Mystery
* Detroit Crime Mystery
* Peter Macklin Mystery
* Page Murdock Mystery

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

The basic idea was OK, but everything was far too long starting with the first chapter which describes the setting of the novel. It's not the real wild west, but the one we hold in our heads due to all the penny-dreadfuls, John Wayne movies, & such. There, I described it in a sentence. He took an entire chapter!

And then there was an excellent chapter about what Johnny is up to. Flew right along, very well done, but then we get a terrible information dump as we go back in time & spend an entire chapter on Johnny's early life before returning to the story at hand. What story was that? Oh, yeah, but nothing much happens for a while...

The narrator was pretty good, the story idea not bad, the execution just awful. Friends of mine with more patience might find a good story which is why I gave it 2 stars, the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps I didn't stick with it long enough, but I was zoning out too often & I have a lot of other books I'm looking forward to.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a genre of books I typically read but a theatre troupe that robs banks? Such a book could not be dismissed.

Johnny Vermillion loves the theatre. He uses a lifetime of listening to his father’s backroom deals to rob banks across the American West under the guise of the Prairie Rose Repertoire Co. The 'Ace in the Hole' gang under the leadership of Black Jack and a lone Pinkerton man on his first field assignment raise the stakes.

This was a great story. The narrative style was written like a newspaper article but gave the feel of a film noir. It really drew me into the tale. The characters do not have any real depth but this wasn’t a detraction for me. I found it amusing, unique and just a little clever.

[Joe Santoro · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of this book is pretty fun... a group of actor/thieves that cover their robberies with their performances, but it doesn't really make sense. It shouldn't take too long to connect things. And it didn't.. alot of the book is about an extremely generic train robbing outfit that our main characters come across, and the Pinkerton detective that figures out their game.

Estleman's writing is far better in the Page Murdoch books I've read... here he goes to 3rd person, and gets way to descriptive for ordinary things that don't need describing. The detective was quite fun though, and the characters all unique and interesting.. this COULD have been an excellent book, it just didn't quite pan out (alot like the actual plot, really).

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character in this was not Johnny but The West itself, excellently portrayed! I am always amazed at the research Estleman must do to pack in so much history and tips of the hat to legends ending up with such a vivid picture. You can really "see" the cow towns & silver cities and all the other locations and understand the impact of events such as the economic bust of 1882, etc.. I wish there had been a bibliography or author's note. My favorite Estleman remains The Rocky Mountain Picture Company but The Master Executioner was also good.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A western story with a theatrical bent.

This is a story about bank robbers and what happens when two different gangs try to rob the same bank. One gang of bank robbers is a cut-throat bunch of war veterans and the other is a theater troupe. Yes, you heard me, a theater troupe, Shakespearean to be more specific.

It was alittle slow in places but entertaining otherwise.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loren Estleman has a way of turning a phrase to grab the reader's attention. Take this excerpt for example:
"A pot of coffee has simmered there since morning - when it's poured you could tie a knot in the stream. There is the usual gun rack and the usual bulletin board shingled with plug-uglies and offers of reward with no restrictions as to their condition upon delivery."
Admit it, your interest is piqued. In this tale set in the old west, Johnny Vermillion, the title character has put together an acting troupe which travels from town to town putting on abbreviated plays of the likes of Shakespeare for the rough and tumble clientele of the frontier.
Their ability to interchange themselves into the various roles are an advantage in staging a production with multiple characters as well as a way to surreptitiously slip out to rob a local establishment while the play is in progress.
However, they have no idea that a Pinkerton employee has been following their career via newspaper articles and has noticed the coincidence of theater programs and robberies happening simultaneously at every town where the group has been. On top of this unknown problem the actors have also run afoul of the Ace-in-the-Hole gang by committing a robbery right before those outlaws had intended the same thing to the same business on the same day.
All the characters are well developed and the whole plot makes for a ripping yarn.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like westerns, but I don't read many. I enjoy a good Louis L'amour now and then and love Joe R. Lansdale. I say that to explain that I'm not a student of the western genre. This was my first Loren D. Estleman book, its being one that I just happened to pick up at random. The blurb made it sound like a fun book. The premise is indeed a fun one, and I love how Estleman blends in tropes from classic movies in providing the background and description. At the same time, though, I didn't think the dialogue was all that great and also felt that the premise and characters begged to be handled with a better sense of humor. This'll likely be my only Estleman read. Not that I didn't like it, but this didn't make me want to go out and find more, when there are so many other writers to try out.

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Adventures of Johnny Vermillion, Loren Estleman (western)
Jeff Book Review #202

A theater troupe is robbing towns in the old west. A Pinkerton agent takes the case. Another gang of thieves is miffed when it tries to rob a bank that had been robbed empty the day before - by the theater troupe. Estleman notes to us readers early that this tale occurs in a lighter, fun, happy version of the old west, kind of like he's trying to set our mind to just enjoying the theatrical nature of this one instead of trying to receive the story as if it were taking place in a harsh or imposing western environment.

Verdict: A fun setup but "Johnny Vermillion's" prose and pacing is a bit cumbersome and repetitive.

Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13

[Henry McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A troupe of traveling actors supplement their earnings by robbing banks during performances.

This is a highly enjoyable light-heated romp through the Old West (and Europe) as we follow the Prairie Rose Repertory Company, led by mastermind, Johnny Vermillion. The actors are pursued by the Pinkerton Detective Agency and by the outlaw Ace-in-the-Hole gang. The agency, in the person of Philip Rittenhouse, pieces together the connection between the actors and the robberies, but they always keep on step in front of him. The outlaws are out for revenge because they believe the actors stole money that was rightfully theirs to steal.

The plots twists are ingenious, and the dialogue snaps and crackles. The humor woven throughout keeps the reader smiling on every page.

The good guys and the bad guys are wonderfully drawn. Estleman does an excellent job with the acting troupe. The thieves are very much the heroes. I found myself rooting for them to succeed.

The climax, where all three forces come together and the final plot twist is revealed, is riveting yet retains the light-hearted tone of the whole book. The ending is a sweet coda to the adventures of Johnny Vermillion and his crew.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This is an entertainment,” we’re told midway through this novel, “not a historical tale.” And entertaining it is, not only the story it tells but the way it is told. Estleman indulges a penchant for droll humor and clever wit as he follows a troupe of actors roaming the West and robbing banks. Played against a backdrop of actual historical events and figures, their story also has a persuasive ring of verisimilitude.

Johnny Vermillion is the stage name of the lead actor and brains behind The Prairie Rose Repertory Company. On their tracks is a Pinkerton detective, who has persuaded his boss—Allan Pinkerton himself—to let him leave his desk job and try his hand in the field. Also in hot pursuit is a gang of cold-blooded outlaws, upset that the Prairie Rose is giving them stiff competition.

Read my review at my blog.

[Rae Sengele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a really promising start but became distracted halfway through and bogged down with one too many perspectives which prevented any real depth from the characters.

Also, seeing as this is the only Estleman book I've read so far, I'm not sure if it is just this book or if Estleman has some real issue with fat people. I'm hoping that it's the same as some of the mysogyny that seemed to be played differently according to character POV, but the fat thing seemed to be irregardless of whose POV we were in. Not sure why it stood out to me as much as it did, however. I guess it may have been because there was so little else going on for long stretches of the book.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for sheer literary entertainment, this is the book for you! Estleman's prose is poetic, comic and cinematic as he recounts the true tale of Johnny, the other players in the Prairie Rose Repetoire Co., and the rest of the nefarious villians, and the lone Pinkerton man determined to stop their reign of terror in the Old West. The plot speeds headlong like a train and the characters and dialogue crackle with life in a story that could only happen in a time and place that was the Last Frontier. What a fun book!

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom B recommended this, and i'm glad he did. it's a comic western adventure, which i suspect is the way i most like westerns to be. it uses a lot of overtly cinematic framing devices, which kept me wondering how i would cast this as a movie -- because i suspect it would actually be even better as a flick. tho the looks wouldn't be right, and it would be a little more understated than much of his work, i really want to cast Bruce Campbell as the lead. that oughta give you a good sense of the mood of the book. :)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun stuff. Johnny Vermillion turns a checkered past and a group of misfit third string actors into a traveling theatrical troupe with a more-profitable sideline, robbery between acts. Great writing, very evocative silent film reel allusions, and enough history thrown in to make this a little more substantial than your typical western.

[Dan Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick read, a nice twist on the usual Western style and the usual heist novel. Didn't have any of the clever believability that makes heist books fun (see "The Great Train Robbery", written in a similar style but much better than this book), but not quite funny enough to be a real comedy. But still, good fun.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

#16 in the American West series.

The American West series - Johnny Vermillion is the leader of The Prairie Rose Repertory Company, a traveling troupe of actors in the West of the mid-1870s, who use there acting as an alibi for robbery. The history also highlights the exploits of the Ace-in-the-Hole Gang, a more conventional group of bandits, and Philip Rittenhouse, a Pinkerton detective.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as the other Estleman books I've read. It's pretty insubstantial, and the references establishing it as a legend of the West story became annoying after a while. It's not bad, but it's just kind of cutesy.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous western about a company of thieves whose cover is acting. They are expert at disguising themselves and thus get away with robbing banks in towns where they are putting on plays. A little mannered.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on CD and enjoyed it's real-life escapism by which I mean that the real story (Pinkertons, frontier towns) overlapped with the fantastic (swash-buckling Johnny Vermilion) in a very satisfying way.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun. A great caper story, with over-the-top characters and situations, and very cinematic (intentionally- several times the author "sets the scene" using movie cliches, and says right at the beginning that the story takes place in a West that only exists in the movies).

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amusing in places, but a little awkward to read. The descriptions and language were fun but a little tiring. The story was a bit ridiculous, but that didn't matter much. It was meant to be humorous and was worth a few laughs. The humor was definitely in the language used, not the situations.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Western. It follows a troupe of thespians as they make their way across the Wild West. In addition to their acting abilities, they are an impressive group of bank robbers. This draws the attention of Pinkerton and his men, who are soon on the trail of Johnny and his gang.

[Corky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific writer. Humor, characters, plot lines. He's got it all. Great stuff. Really like his Page Murdock western series.

[Staff Favorites · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful and rollicking adventure of the Old West. --Jane

[Steven Irish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. The tale flowed very well.

[Mike Gowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bank robbery and a traveling repertory company mixing it up with Pinkertons and train robbers. Good idea, well done.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of characters to keep track on. Recommend to those who like mystery or westerns.

[Kit★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Review coming soon!**