Sunday, April 14, 2013

Redemption: Trackdown -- James Reasoner

The third book in James Reasoner's series about a Kansas town called Redemption is just as good as the earlier books.  In the course of a wild shoot-out following a bank robbery, the leader of the outlaw gang kidnaps Eden, the wife of Marshal Bill Harvey.  This gives Harvey a powerful incentive to catch up with the gang, as if the bank robbery weren't enough already.

While the posse is hunting the outlaws, Bill's deputy, Mordecai, is dealing with a serious problem in the town: spousal abuse.  It's interesting to see how the people in old west reacted to this crime.  Since the families of two of the town's most powerful men are involved, the situation becomes tricky and dangerous.  

Eden Harvey is in a perilous situation, and it's not just because she's been kidnapped.  The gang leader has a very jealous female companion who's just looking for an excuse to kill Eden.  Any little excuse will do.

Reasoner intercuts all these story lines for maximum suspense, and brings it all home with two big confrontations at the novel's close.  It's another expert job, so check it out.

1 comment:

George said...

I'm buying this!