Wyoming Manhunt, #120 in the long running Trailsman
adult western series offers yet another fine adventure with our main
man Skye Fargo and his fabulous pinto horse with no name. Hugely talented and prolific writer David Robbins offers up another winner and we are all the better for it. There is just no stopping this fine storyteller...not that I'm complain' pilgrims!
As usual Skye is minding his own business just hanging out, cooling his heels, and relaxing in the beast infested, Injun rampaging, mondo remote old west wilderness when he manages to stumble onto something even more interesting to do. First he runs across a bunch of clueless greenhorns trying to rescue a pretty blond. Naturally they dont have a chance without Skye's help and of course he agrees to do just that despite his better judgment. And he can't stand the thought of bad guys getting the girl (before he does) Pretty soon all the dumb greenhorns are sent to the happy hunting grounds except for one smooth talking quick shootin' gambler who has a lot more than pesky hostiles on his trail. This dude is named Wes Calhoun and makes for a great character in his own right. He and Fargo make a good fast shootin' team.
The really, really bad guy on the scene is one half breed maniac called Blue Raven (a little nod to old Blue Duck from Lonesome Dove perhaps?) Fargo knows it won't be easy to get the woman away from said maniac but a Trailsman has to do what a Trailsman has to do...right? Darn tootin' pilgrims!
As we all know things are never this simple for our buddy Fargo. He also has to contend with bushwhacking white men, a Injun totin' a sharps rifle, a completely ticked off twelve hundred pound Grizz that wants Fargo on his breakfast menu, a rampaging band of Ute warriors, a rampaging band of Blood warriors, a rampaging band of generic renegade warriors, a foraging rattlesnake, a love starved Shoshoni girl, another love starved old girlfriend, and of course the love starved kidnapping victim who can't stay out of Skye's way long enough for him to kill Blue Raven. All in a day's work.
One little extra I found interesting about this particular adventure is several instances where Fargo uses his "throwing knife" to off a bad guy. Mighty lucky too that none of the bad injuns or outlaws ever bother searching him for hidden weapons. (must be all that fire water they keep guzzling?) Pretty cool thing there, the throwing knife bit, and not a feature of most Trailsman novels that I've read so far. Usually old Skye prefers to dice them up close and personal, using a stolen bow for the longer range "quiet" killing. Also, at the end of the book there is a big showdown fight followed by a nice bittersweet ending....very well done. That's something else Robbins is good at, wrapping it all up in style...not an easy thing to do my friends.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit...Robbins (writing as Jon Sharpe) keeps it face paced, violent, and pretty darned suspenseful too. This guy is a great writer, its a real pleasure to read his brand of hard charging, gritty, and authentic western adventure. When Robbins is at the wheel the reader can really see the mountains, wild animals, horses, and all the rest. I love the guy's work. He is a big reason the Trailsman is still around today after 300 plus novels published in the series...wow! That's cool with me cause I can't stop reading the darn things! And I will review as many as I can right here pardners, so saddle up and don't forget to bring tobacco, water, bacon, and lots and lots of ammo. Oh, yeah, also remember to stay perfectly motionless the next time a big rattler is crawling all over your carcass while you're trying to be quiet and bushwhack somebody...important western tip of the day right there!!!!