Sunday 24 April 2011

Dakota Rage


By Jake Douglas
A Black Horse Western from Hale, April 2011

Chance Lawton lived with his best friend, Ishna-Kobay, amongst a Lakota Sioux tribe in the Black Hills of Dakota. They hunted and broke mustangs – until a fake army patrol ambushed them, stole their belongings and killed Ishna-Kobay.

Lawton usually liked to steer clear of trouble, but avenging his friend’s murder was no trouble: the way he saw it, it was his bounden duty. And if duty meant facing ‘Captain’ Brodie Hall’s guns, then so be it….

This book is filled with fast moving action from almost the first word. Lawton’s desire for revenge seemingly the only storyline, and that would be enough for most authors. But Jake Douglas further complicates matters with the discovery of hidden gold nuggets that Lawton cleverly uses to draw his enemy to where he wants him.

The final showdown between Lawton and McCracken – the actual killer of Ishna-Kobay - is an exciting one on one without guns that is told brutally. This fight carried out under Indian rules. In fact a band of Sioux play a major role to the outcome of Lawton’s quest for vengeance and the other plot threads.

Dakota Rage is a well-written book that moves forwards at a tremendous pace as it builds to its excellent ending. But then again I’d expect nothing more from this writer: Jake Douglas being non other than the highly regarded western author Keith Hetherington.

Dakota Rage has an official release date of April 29th but is available now.

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