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    Basil in the Wild West
    Basil in the Wild West
    Basil in the Wild West
    Ebook89 pages1 hour

    Basil in the Wild West

    By Eve Titus and Paul Galdone

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    About this ebook

    Named one of “13 Detective Book Series You Obsessed Over as a Kid” by Buzzfeed.com and the inspiration for a hit Disney film, the masterful Great Mouse Detective is back and tackling America’s most ruthless outlaws in the Wild West!

    In this case of the smiling smugglers, Basil is off to the Wild West. But this time the Sherlock Holmes of the mouse world takes on the Big Cheeses of American mouse crime!

    Basil’s first stop is New Mexico, where a notorious gang of smiling smugglers is holed up with their ruthless leader, JJ, who is trying to set up his own superstate with the profits from his ill-gotten gains!

    Then, Basil heads to the Grand Canyon, to solve the mystery of “The Thing” that is terrifying guests at The Hathaway Hotel. Basil’s number-one suspect is Monterey Jack, one of America’s Most Wanted mouse outlaws, a wily and dangerous foe! Basil, his faithful companion Dr. Dawson, and their loyal pony from CLOPS (Cheese Lovers Official Pony Service) take off for the burning desert chase. Everyone calls it Mission Impossible. Has the genius detective finally met his match?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAladdin
    Release dateFeb 7, 2017
    ISBN9781481464123
    Author

    Eve Titus

    Eve Titus (1905–2002) wrote many books for children during her long career, including the Basil of Baker Street books and the Anatole series.

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    Reviews for Basil in the Wild West

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    • 4/5
      Basil, the great mouse detective, heads west to capture the nortorious J. J. But like his hero Sherlock Holmes and his quest to defeat the nortorious Moriarty, sometimes the fight must continue on another day. The delightful series is marvelously narrated by Ralph Lister whose various voices add much to the telling of the mystery.
    • 3/5
      I think this is the last Basil of Baker Street mystery that Eve Titus wrote. I made myself read all of them; I think I would have most likely gotten a lot more enjoyment out of them when I was a kid. My main complaint is that the plots are too convoluted while also being stupid. In this last one, Basil and Dr. Dawson thwart smugglers who are stealing antiquities from Mexico. Then there's some weird plot about wild horses and horses providing mice transportation in the old west. Then they go to hotel in Arizona where there is a "ghost" haunting the property and scaring the guests away. One of the culprits is a faux librarian from Boston who gets caught because she misquotes Shakespeare. Um, yeah.

    Book preview

    Basil in the Wild West - Eve Titus

    1

    AT THE BORDER

    PERCHED ON THE BACK OF a burro, Basil and I peered into the distance, paws shielding our eyes against the blazing sun.

    At long last—the Arizona border! declared the detective. I wonder what awaits us in the wild and wonderful West.

    He stroked the burro’s shaggy neck. Here we part. A thousand thanks for transporting us from Mexico City. You’ll be missed!

    Greatly missed, dear Carmencita, said I.

    She turned her head to regard us fondly. Tiny tears glistened in her large brown eyes.

    I’ll miss you both. Never have I carried passengers so famous—Basil of Baker Street, the Sherlock Holmes of the Mouse World! And you, Dr. Dawson, author of the books about Basil, the world’s best detective.

    Second best, my dear burro, said the sleuth. Mr. Holmes is first. I study at his feet in Baker Street. But here’s someone to inspect our passports and luggage. Will you kneel?

    Long ears flopping, she knelt, waited ’til we’d scurried down, then smiled and left us.

    As she jogged southward, I recalled our exciting Mexican adventures. . . .

    I, Dr. David Q. Dawson, am a medical mouse. Basil and I share lodgings in the cellar of Baker Street, 221B, where dwell Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Tall and lean, with a hawklike profile, Basil resembles his hero as much as a mouse may resemble a man.

    We’d gone overseas to Mexico in 1895. A famous painting, the Mousa Lisa, had been stolen. Basil tracked down the thief and the masterpiece.

    Then I was held hostage by El Bruto and Professor Ratigan, Basil’s long-time enemy, who tried to rule the mice of Mexico. Basil rescued me, and had the criminals put in prison.

    Lord Hathaway, British Mouse Ambassador to Mexico, asked Basil to investigate a mystery at a mouse hotel in the Grand Canyon, owned by the Thorbridges, his former cook and butler. Basil had agreed to take the case.

    And now, near Arizona, we were meeting Chief Celada, of the Mexican border policemice. He was also head customs officer, examining all goods brought into or taken out of Mexico.

    (By the way, during the events narrated on these pages, I kept expecting Ratigan, an escape artist, to appear, seeking revenge. But he stayed safely behind bars, and the cases in this book deal only with American criminals.)

    Celada recognized us at once, and led us to his rambling Spanish-style home nearby.

    "Es su casa! My house is yours! Please be our guests overnight. After so many nights on the road, you must be weary indeed."

    We accepted. After dinner, Mrs. Celada served a tray of many cheeses—Asadero from Mexico, Lipto from Hungary, Feta from Greece, Domiati from Egypt, Asiago from Italy, Bleu from France, Anatolian from Turkey, and others.

    Nibbling Camembert, Basil said the Emperor Napoleon had named it, after the tiny town of Camembert where he’d first tasted it, and had even kissed the waitress who’d served him.

    We next discussed crime, and I asked Celada whether any smuggling went on.

    He sighed deeply. I know that smugglers operate constantly, smiling all the while, but I haven’t a shred of proof! All along the border from Texas to New Mexico to Arizona to California we search and question mice, but haven’t captured a single smuggler. They’ve made fools of all the border policemice! You see, in Mexico, objects long buried beneath the soil are often discovered. Some are hundreds of years old, and are valuable antiquities. It is against Mexican law to remove these originals from our country. Yet I hear that outside our land dishonest collectors are buying our ancient relics from the head of a huge smuggling ring.

    Basil sat erect, eyes agleam. Chief, I’ve not used my wits on a case in weeks. My brain may be rusting away! Pray tell me about the Case of the Smiling Smugglers.

    Teresa, please give Basil some of the background, said Celada. I’ll chime in later.

    We sat back to listen.

    2

    THE CASE OF THE SMILING SMUGGLERS

    IN MEXICO, BEGAN TERESA, "MOUSE scientists are always on the lookout for priceless old originals that are part of our proud heritage. We call these objects pre-Columbian, for they existed long before Columbus discovered America. Sometimes they’re found by chance. A farmer, for

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