The Illinois Detective Agency: The Case of the Missing Cattle

Montana rancher J. Douglas Trent has a big problem with rustlers in this appealing yarn set in 1884, from Wolfe (the Regulator series). The head of the Illinois Detective Agency, founded to protect the interests of western cattle barons, sends his two top agents to investigate: James Duffy, a serious-minded law student, and Jack Cavill, a brawny bare-knuckle boxer. Once in the Montana Territory, the operatives realize that the rustlers have been making off with thousands of cows from ranches all over the area. They go undercover to track down the gang’s mastermind. Meanwhile, they use the forensics of the day to clear a condemned man, and each falls hard for a gorgeous, tough-minded gal—Duffy for Trent’s forthright daughter, Sylvia, and Cavill for gun-toting rancher Josephine “Joey” Jordan. They also have some amusing encounters with such real-life characters as Calamity Jane and Theodore Roosevelt. Wolfe doesn’t offer anything particularly original, but he does provide plenty of fast-moving fun. (Aug.)