The Crack in the Lens

Hockensmith returns with this superb mystery featuring two brothers, Otto “Big Red” and Gustav “Old Red,” who journey off to the Texas hill country in search of answers to a tragedy that befell them and Gertrude Eichelberger, a young prostitute, five years earlier. Of course, there's trouble along the way, and the boys find themselves scrambling at every corner, using Sherlock Holmes's methods to solve Gertrude's murder. As unique and exciting as the story is, William Dufris does not do the material justice and gives a laughable reading that seems miles away from his usually stellar performances. Dufris goes so far over the top that the story loses its subtle humor and becomes a farce. A Minotaur hardcover (Reviews, May 11). (Aug.)