Lone Star Book Blog Tour: Call of the Wilde by Preston Lewis (review & giveaway)

Wild west hijinks continue in the eighth installment of the hysterical and historical adventures of an unlikely hero. 

H.H. Lomax once again finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when, wrongfully accused of robbing a bank, he’s arrested and jailed in a town vying for a stop on the approaching Texas & Pacific Railroad.

When local officials can’t afford to pay for a trial, a harebrained scheme is concocted to get rid of Lomax without spending a red cent. But Lomax avoids the hairy situation, pulling off an escape with the aid of an unlikely accomplice and exacting a bit of revenge in the process.

His wandering spirit—and neck—intact, Lomax lands among the Mormons in Salt Lake City, where he encounters a long-lost relative in need of assistance and makes the acquaintance of none other than Irish poet and aesthete Oscar Wilde. And from there, it’s all downhill, folks!

Jumping from one bad situation to another in non-stop hilarious action, H.H. Lomax’s adventures will tickle your funny bone with genuine humor while satisfying your craving for western action adventure.

“I give people the truth of what they imagine, not the truth of what is.”

Call of the Wilde by Preston Lewis is another exciting H.H. Lomax romp across the Wild West. While Lomax always seems to land on his feet, his ability to get in his own way always plants him firmly in a pickle, which is good news for readers because that means his list of escapades continues to grow.

At the start of this latest tale, Lomax jumps straight into hot water by doing nothing but riding through Buffalo Gap, Texas. Rashly accused of bank robbery and murder, Lomax must use all of his quick wits, ingenuity, natural charms, and pure luck to get out of this jam and be on his way to anywhere else. Of course, being Lomax, he merely trades one predicament for another when he eventually ends up in Salt Lake City after unexpectedly finding and then joining his sister and her traveling acting troupe. Meeting Oscar Wilde, who has stopped in this strict Mormon town on his lecture tour, provides extra droll fodder for yet another H.H. Lomax adventure. For a very brief moment, I was obliquely reminded of the rather humorous episode about the Mormons in Mark Twain’s Roughing It. Rather, Lomax’s view of the Mormons is largely courteous, unlike how he feels about Oscar Wilde and his boorish behavior.

If you haven’t read anything about Oscar Wilde or read any of his works, don’t despair. Preston Lewis portrays this eccentric man quite adroitly and with plenty of panache. As an English major several years ago, I am familiar with Mr. Wilde and his historical indiscretions and foibles and have read his more famous works, such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. Having this singular man come to life in this convivial fictional anecdote is pure entertainment, especially when Lomax becomes Wilde’s body guard while in Salt Lake City and then onwards to Colorado. What could go wrong?

Preston Lewis never fails to create memorable characters throughout every story. Lomax, of course, is well developed and easily beloved, but even the bit characters that only shine for a moment, such as Legless Larry in Call of the Wilde, are given superstar treatment. It is almost as if Preston Lewis has traveled back in time and personally met all of these people and now peppers his adventurous tales with them, kind of like what Lomax is doing. 🤔 Could Lewis actually be…? The world may never know.

“My whole life is a performance.”

In any event, feel free to pick up any Lomax tale in any order. This entire Lomax series is hilarious, whimsical, and enjoyable, so start with Call of the Wilde if you like, but don’t be surprised if you then want to start at the beginning and read them all, forsooth!

---

Enter the giveaway below on or before May 12, 2023, for a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.