Utah Terror

THE TRAILSMAN #373

By Jon Sharpe

Signet, November 2012

Skye Fargo is surprised to meet anyone in the badlands of Utah Territory. But what’s more surprising is that the men he meets are Chinese. They claim to be looking for a young runaway girl who has disgraced her family – but there’s something sinister about them. And the Trailsman is about to find out that once you get involved in the affairs of the dreaded underworld tong, the only way out is death….

Jon Sharpe, in this case David Robbins writing under the house name, sure doesn’t believe in giving Fargo and easy time. Here the Trailsman finds himself facing a small army of hatchet men, all of whom are willing to die to protect their master and his plans. Plans that include driving Americans from this part of Utah and killing those who oppose him.

Fargo soon finds himself fighting to protect the runaway girl and it isn’t long before his temper boils over and he declares war on the Tong. This all results in a book that is packed with action, virtually every chapter contains a brutal fight of some kind. 

Dialogue is as keen as the sharp edges of the hatchets and is laced with wicked, and at times sarcastic, humour. Characters are engaging and compel the reader to keep turning the pages. 

Fargo’s one man attack on the Pagoda and its army of protective Tong makes for exciting reading and brings the book to an enthralling close.