Missouri in Flames

I Rode with Jesse James

By W.R. Benton

Loose Cannon Ent., November 2013

In a fiercely contested Missouri, pro-Union and Confederate militias clash in bouts of guerrilla warfare and cross-border raids as they battle for control of the state. Disaffected confederate soldier Jim Light, joins up with the infamous Quantrill’s Raiders a mere two weeks before they attack and massacre the townsfolk of Lawrence, Kansas - a Union stronghold. When they finish, Kansas is truly "Bloody Kansas." 

As the end of the War draws near, Jim deserts the Southern Army. With the assistance of a woman who's sympathetic to the lost cause, he tries to start a new life. The peace he yearns for quickly slips away after the burning of his farm and hanging of his good friend by Union forces. Jim joins up with ex-fellow raider Jesse James to seek revenge on the murderous Yankees. Riding with the James Gang, he robs banks, and stagecoaches, sees action in Northfield, Minnesota and even participates in the first train robbery in history. 

The James Gang rode their way into legend, but for Jim Light will it all end along-side his friend in a small white house, or will he somehow find a path back to the simple quiet life circumstance and war robbed him of?

Written in the first person this is a tough story set in brutal times. The first part of the book deals with Jim Light’s experiences in the Civil War, his part in the raid on Lawrence filling him with fear as he’s sure the Union army will have no mercy for those they believe took part in the attack. It’s during this time Jim meets the James brothers and Cole Younger, although they don’t have much of a role to play during this time of Light’s life.

Even after the War is over Light is still fearful of Union vengeance, so only comes out of hiding to ride with the James gang as he needs money. W.R. Benton illustrates extremely well the changes Jesse James goes through from not wanting to kill during their robberies to merciless shooting down anyone whenever he feels like it and how this effects Light's impressions of the man.

As expected with a story that takes place during real events there is a lot of fascinating background information included. Benton inserts this into his story easily and at no time do you feel you are sitting in a history lesson, it all becomes part of the natural flow of the tale.

Benton’s descriptions are particularly good, be they of landscapes, emotions, or the savagery of battles. As already mentioned about Jesse James, Benton’s character studies are excellent too. Most of them being a perfect balance between good and bad, and depending on circumstances, seeing which way they gravitate more towards makes for absorbing reading.

If you like westerns that are based around real people and true events then this is a book not to be missed…and to those who just enjoy fast-paced, action-packed, well-told westerns then this is well worth considering for your next read.

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War Paint

By W.R. Benton

Loose Cannon Ent. February 2013 (ebook)

First printed as a paperback by Dancing Fox Publications, January 2013

George Alwood III, is a spoiled and rich young man who heads west to become a mountain man in 1825. Taken under wing by two experienced old mountain men, George Alwood the third becomes Bear Killer the mountain man. After a short visit with Shoshoni Indians, Bear Killer finds himself with an unwanted wife and though he resist's, he eventually learns to love her. A cold and hard winter in the mountains brings him closer to his bride, as he learns to live as a mountain man, and just before spring she informs him a child will soon come. Content now, with a canvas shelter, campfire, dried meat, and soon to be family, Bear Killer reflects on his rich and pampered background. 

After his wife and unborn child are killed by white men, the young mountain man makes a promise to avenge their deaths and he's swept up into a deep sense of rage. He finds, however, the men he is searching for are hard men to pin down and even harder to kill.

W.R. Benton is a new author to me and a quick search reveals he’s had a number of books published before this one also featuring mountain men. This story proves he is very knowledgeable about life in that period. The tale includes lots of factual information about trapping, different tribes and, in particular, medicines and doctoring of the time. None of this comes across as being explained by a teacher explaining the hows and whys, but instead fits smoothly within the tale, becoming a natural part of the storyline.

George makes for an engaging hero and it’s fascinating to see how he changes from being green to an experienced mountain men. There are plenty of other great characters too, such as the two men who take him under their wing and teach him how to survive.

Action scenes are well described and the more graphic paragraphs tend to be reserved for the doctoring of the wounded. The story develops well and I found myself sharing the frustrations Bear Killer felt as bad weather forces delays in tracking the men he so desperately wants to bring to justice.

At the finish of the book I couldn’t help hoping that Bear Killer will return in the future. In the meantime I reckon I’ll be checking out some of W.R. Benton’s previous novels.

The book includes two glossaries, one each for mountain man and medical terms.