Thursday 20 October 2022

DEVIL'S DEN


THE TRAILSMAN
Number 269 of 398 plus seven giant editions
By Jon Sharpe
Signet, March 2004

When Dave Donaldson heads into Indian Territory and never comes back, Skye Fargo agrees to track him down and—if at all possible—bring him back to safety. Finding the young man near the lawless land of Devil’s Den, Fargo learns that Dave isn’t just in trouble—he’s part of it, tangled up with a gang of killer smugglers. It’s up to the Trailsman to keep Donaldson alive—and let the others fall where they may…

After being ambushed for reasons unknown Fargo meets up with a friend and agrees to find the man’s son. Dave Donaldson had headed into Indian Territory to start a freight line only to be never seen again.

Fargo’s hunt soon has him riding into the lawless Indian Territory in time to save an Indian girl from outlaws who are set to destroy her wagonload of honey. And here lies the mystery element of the story, why are outlaws out to kill the girl and her father and bring an end to their honey selling business?

Fargo’s questions seem to point to the man he’s looking for being a member of outlaw gang. Throw in a gambler, a man hungry woman or two and the Cherokee Lighthorse and you have an explosive mix set to detonate when they all come together at Devil’s Den.

Jon Sharpe is a pseudonym and the author behind the penname for this book is James Reasoner and he provides us with a first class Trailsman story that grips from the opening scenes. Filled with great characters the tale unfolds at an ever-increasing pace that includes plenty of action.

For Trailsman fans this book is a must read. If you’ve never read a book from this series, Devil's Den would be an excellent entry point.

Just a note of warning, if you do decide to search for this book, do so by its number, 269, as there are three books in the series that share the title of Devil’s Den. The other two are numbers 77 and 390, both of these being written by different authors.

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