Dead Man's Revenge

RANCHO DIABLO #3:

By Colby Jackson

April, 2011  

Sam Blaylock fights to save Rancho Diablo. Has a dead man returned to take revenge against Sam, or is there something more human at work? Even the law doesn't seem to be on Sam's side as he takes on enemies that strike in the night.

In this story Colby Jackson picks up on some of the threads left dangling at the end of the first book in the series and introduces a supernatural slant to the events. Can the attacks on the Blaylock family really be the work of ghosts? At least one of the Rancho Diablo hands believes it is and does his best try to convince others that it is so, this results in some humorous conversations, and also allows the author to include some suspense filled situations such as when the ranch hands attempt to track down these ghosts.

Sam Blaylock’s relationship with the town of Shooter’s Cross citizens is also explored further, particularly that with the newspaper owner and the sheriff. Trouble for both of them is that when someone threatens Sam’s wife and children he isn’t going to let them, or anyone else, stand in his way of dealing with his enemies, be they living or dead.

The writer behind the pseudonym of Colby Jackson this time around is Bill Crider and he fills this story with action and intrigue making this a difficult book to put down before discovering just how Blaylock deals with these new threats. 

Like the two books before it, this is a self-contained story that continues to flesh-out some of the main characters and also ends with a couple of unresolved issues that I expect will be explored in later books in this highly recommended series.