Kosoma, Indian Territory. The outlaw Darby brothers have been sentenced to hang until dead. Witnessing the execution are Amelia Darby, sister of the condemned men, as well as U.S. Deputy Marshal Sam “Trusty” Dawson and Judge Gordon Hadesworth. After justice is served, Trusty hits the trail, escorting the judge – and begrudgingly, Amelia – back to Oklahoma. Ambushed en route, the judge is murdered and Amelia vanishes, leaving Trusty to believe she led them into a trap for revenge.
To find Amelia, Trusty will have to put his faith in Father Michael Darby, a fourth brother who gave up his criminal ways to take up the cloth and collar. Unwilling to let his sister continue to fall to the wicked evil that claimed the rest of his family, Michael joins the hunt for Amelia. But as their journey turns deadlier by the day, Trusty starts to doubt that Michael is truly of the righteous path . . .
As is stated on the copyright page, this book is based on a short story that was published in the anthology The Traditional West under the same title in 2011. I have read that tale and enjoyed it. The opening scenes are the same as in this book, and the theme is generally the same, although it plays out quite differently. Sweazy has also changed some of the character names, not least the lead, although he was still known as Trusty.
Larry D. Sweazy has adapted that earlier tale extremely well. Plot changes and more twisting story threads make for a gripping read. In a much longer story, Sweazy can flesh-out his characters, and his does this well, especially with Trusty Dawson, as there are many flashback scenes to his childhood, his meeting of a special girl and of his time in the army. Alongside Trusty’s past and his present, there is another storyline, that of a scheming rancher who is soon riding a killing trail. Discovering how these three seemingly separate storylines will entwine is what made me keep turning the pages. All I will say, is that there is a possible life-changing shock awaiting Trusty. It is fascinating to witness how Trusty deals with all the problems thrown at him and he is soon dealing with self-doubt, questioning his abilities to do his job and make the right decisions.
Sweazy also includes some real-life characters and the book contains plenty of gunplay and a couple of brutal murders. As the three plot threads develop, Sweazy starts to include information that will give you some idea of how they will end, but there are still a few surprises in store as the story moves into its final scenes, especially the very last one, which offers a possible storyline for the next book. It’s just a shame readers will have to wait such a long time to discover if this will be part of the second book as, according to information at the end of this book, the next title won’t appear until the winter of 2022.
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