STARMEN

In Hamit’s historical adventure novel, detectives, mythology, and magic mingle in the post-Civil War West.

In 1875 El Paso, Texas, Pinkerton detective Harold McLean discusses the arrival of a hot air balloon with young Jim Frazer. An ethnographer, Frazer only took the job of advance man for the balloon crew as a way to get to Texas and study the Apache, hoping to learn more about their mythology and publish his findings. McLean introduces him to a young man who not only helps him connect to the tribe of warriors but seems to have some mystical abilities himself, piquing Frazer’s interest. While Frazer is busy learning what it means to be Apache, and how their myths of the Starmen (“We fight on, knowing the White Man will prevail through sheer weight of numbers, unless the Starmen return to help us”) may connect to the crew of the hot air balloon, McLean investigates the crew, believing their story about being scientists to be suspicious. McLean and his fellow Pinkertons find themselves embroiled in a web of political intrigue—and maybe even something out of this world. In this adventure story, the author blends Native American myths, political intrigue, and some magical elements. The novel is lengthy, and filled to the brim with details; Hamit clearly has passion for his work, and the research he used to tell as accurate a tale as possible is impressive. Unfortunately, the story can get bogged down with excessive detail and unnecessary background, including tidbits from characters’ pasts that have no bearing on the plot. Additionally, the narrative can feel disjointed, as it doesn’t always follow a straight line; in one scene, Frazer is meeting with some Apache warriors after being dropped off—in the next scene, he is on a ship being taken to this meeting point. At other times, the author will use phrases such as “In later years…” and provide an extraneous detail that has nothing to do with the here and now. Still, readers who love historical fiction set in the Wild West will find plenty here to entertain them.

A richly detailed historical adventure novel in which a detective agency gets pulled into political machinations.