Thomas Carey had come a long way for this moment. For nearly a year he had struggled through a ravaged land, his faith in the gun slung low on his hip, and his only passion the revenge that burned in his heart. The tall, lean hard-bitten Texan had shot his way out of prison camp. Ridden with Quantrill’s Raiders as they fought and raped and plundered. Blazed his vengeance trail through a thousand miles of countryside where every man was his enemy.
Carey’s body was scarred, his brain hot with hate, his hands stained with blood as they curled around his pistol butt. Now at last he was closing with the man he was sworn to kill – his own father . . .
This book has 154 pages and they are divided into four chapters. Each chapter is split into different scenes separated by a line drawing of a Colt, so it is easy to find a place to stop reading if you so desire. I think you’ll get more enjoyment out of this book if you read the first Carey book, The Carey Blood, before this one as it will help you understand the hatred that drives Thomas Carey’s craving to kill his father. Irving Greenfield does include some explanation as to the Carey’s backstory, so the book can be read as a standalone title but I’d still urge you to read The Carey Blood first.
Carey’s Vengeance begins only moments after the end of the previous book and is set during the Civil War. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of Thomas’ attempts to head back home to kill his father. Chapter one tells of Carey’s escape from the prison camp. Chapter two covers his recovery from a wound. Chapter three details his time riding with Quantrill during which he will meet many real characters, such as Frank James, and covers the battle of Pleasant Hill and the attack on Lawrence, Kansas. It’s the fourth chapter that sees Thomas arrive home for the reckoning he wants with his father.
Neither of the Carey’s are likeable men. They will stop at nothing to get what they want with little regard to who they will hurt in achieving their aims. It’s these character traits that make them so fascinating though, made me want to keep reading to discover what would happen when father and son faced off against each other. The author doesn’t hold any punches either. The story is brutal, filled with vicious action scenes and tough dialogue.
Perhaps not as gripping as the first book, or was that just me wanting to get the first three parts out of the way so I could read what would happen when Thomas faced his father? This was the confrontation I was eager to read about. It didn’t let me down either. Bittersweet in its harshness, it left me thoroughly satisfied, and looking forward to reading the third book, The Carey Gun, to see where the storyline will take me next.
UK readers can get a copy here.
American readers can get a copy here.
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