Thursday 22 July 2021

TOMAHAWK JUSTICE


THE TRAILSMAN
Book 141 of 398 + 7 giant editions
By Jon Sharpe
Cover art by Jerome Podwil
Signet, September 1993

1860, Yellowstone country . . . where raw wilderness, natural wonders, and human bloodlust made for a killer combination

The two young Shoshone women seemed too good-looking to be real when Skye Fargo met them in the virgin wilderness. But they were real – real dangerous, as he soon found out. Their father was a chief looking for a vision in the Yellowstone, and looking for Fargo to cover his tail while the chief lifted his eyes to the heavens. For the sacred valley was swarming with the most bloodthirsty redskins in the West – and Fargo was in the middle of a tug-of-want between sisters who gave him no rest, and in the line of fire of Indians who gave no quarter and took no prisoners.

This book doesn’t have a big cast. Fargo is the only white man, then there’s the Shoshone and a band of Bloods. All of this tale unfolds in the wilderness and the author adds some terrific descriptions of the magnificent landscape to give the reader a great sense of place. Amid all the mayhem, Fargo gets a moment to reflect on the advancement of the white man and what it will mean for this wild yet beautiful country. Wildlife also has a part to play, and these creatures add some tense scenes to the story. 

Character studies are well crafted, and dialogue often has humorous undertones adding light-hearted moments to balance the more vicious elements. The many action scenes are at times brutally savage in their descriptions. Let’s not forget that The Trailsman is an adult western series so there are also a number of graphic sex scenes, not as many as in the early books, but a few more than in those towards the end of the series.

Jon Sharpe is a pseudonym shared by a variety of authors. This time it’s David Robbins writing behind that alias, and he has written a fast-moving, action-packed tale that surprised me with its twist ending and proved to be a very entertaining read throughout.

If you’re think of trying to find this book remember the number too, as it shares its title with an earlier entry in the series, book 39.


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