Thursday 20 February 2014

Haunted Falls

The Nations #2
By Farmer and Stienke
Timber Creek Press, June 2013

US Deputy Marshals, under Judge Issac Parker, The Hanging Judge, patrol the Indian Nations--the most dangerous place in the world--in the late 19th century. Black Marshal Bass Reeves long-time partner, Jack McGann, goes undercover to ferret out some claim jumpers in the Arbuckle Mountains. He is bushwhacked and washed down the rapids and over Turner Falls. A restless spirit and a sacred white wolf send a fiery redhead widow to nurse him through his amnesia and other wounds back to health. Bass and his other partner, Jed Neal are sent to find the missing McGann, but are side-tracked into helping US Deputy Marshal Selden Lindsey track down Bill Dalton, the last of the old time outlaws.

Like the first book in the series, this is an extremely well written and tightly plotted tale based around truth and people who really lived and took part in the hunt for Bill Dalton.

To start with the book reads like two separate storylines; that of McGann’s recovery and of his fellow lawmen’s quest to bring in Dalton. Gunplay erupts regularly and there’s a particularly exciting, and lengthy, exchange of bullets at the cabin McGann fines himself in that brings the lawmen altogether. Action scenes are fairly brutal but this is counterbalanced by the often humorous dialogue between main characters.

The book will touch all your emotions, making you laugh, despise, urge on, warm your heart and tingle with sadness. Farmer and Stienke also include a budding romance amid all the bloodshed.

Then there’s the supernatural elements. This you’ll either love or hate depending on whether you believe there is a place for it in what is sold as a western novel. Personally I could have done without it, but having said that I did find the rest of the book to be really entertaining and look forward to the next book in the series.

Haunted Falls (The Nations) (Volume 2) Amazon.com
Haunted Falls: 2 (The Nations) Amazon.co.uk

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