Cooper

THE LANDON SAGA #3:

By Tell Cotten

Solstice Publishing, February 2014

Cooper Landon is determined to keep what is rightfully his, even after he's wounded and stranded in the mountains. To survive, he must use his wit and knowledge against thieving outlaws and Indians. Meanwhile, Yancy Landon is determined to find his brother. There are many obstacles to overcome, including an escaped prisoner, a fire, missing money, and an old foe, Lee Mattingly.

This story picks up from where the previous book ended and features nearly all the main characters and some of the secondary characters from that tale. You don’t need to have read the earlier book(s) to enjoy this as Tell Cotten incudes enough background to explain what happened before.

Tell Cotten has created a superb set of characters for his Landon saga, each having their own personalities and all are very memorable. I always hope they will all survive, good and bad, as I’m continually left wanting to read more about them but they all can’t be left alive can they? Of course they can’t, and this tale contains a terrific face to face showdown that sees casualties on all sides.

Cotten tells his story in both the first person and third. Switches from one to the other are smoothly handled and works extremely well. In fact Cotten’s blend of action, twisting plotlines, and witty dialogue that is often laced with humour, has me believing he’s one of the new bright stars in western writing.

Even as the book ends and all the major story threads are tied-up, Cotten manages to hint at things to come in the fourth book of the series, Rondo, that will be released in the not too distant future, and whenever that maybe it won’t be soon enough for this reader.