Not a Rustler

 by John D. Nesbitt

Leisure, February 2010

With a lot of rustling in the area, tensions are high and rumors are flying fast and furious. Word’s going around that some of the larger ranchers have hired a gunman named Wolf Carlton to stop the rustling and protect their cattle. And now a couple of the smaller ranchers have been found shot to death. Unfortunately for Spencer Prescott, some of the rumors are now about him. Some people think Spencer’s the one killing the competition, not Wolf. Even worse, some folks think Spencer is behind the rustling—and that means trigger-happy Wolf will be looking to put a bullet in his back.

At first this book comes across as slow moving, but as you read on you become aware that this story is more a character study than an action filled western, a story that is driven by dialogue.

John D. Nesbitt takes his time introducing you to the many fascinating people that this tale revolves around, and it’s during this time that he plants the seeds of suspicion on various characters. A fair amount of the story features horses and this adds to the overall entertainment this book provides.

It doesn’t take long for Spencer Prescott to begin to suspect who’s behind the unexplained killings that happen at regular intervals. Problem is he can’t prove anything and soon finds himself being set up as the killer, but by whom? So the book also combines strong elements of mystery to the more traditional plot of rustling.

John D. Nesbitt’s writing style is extremely readable, and the almost gentle opening to the tale proves to be a slow burning fuse that inevitably picks up speed before exploding in violence that ties all the story threads up neatly.