Writing a review for this book is made difficult by the excellent forward provided by Chris F. Holm saying almost exactly what I’d like to say, but with far more eloquence than I’d manage. I’ll give it a go in my own simplistic way.
I don’t read cowboy stories normally. I haven’t watched a western in about twenty years. So why did I read this? If I see an author posting on Twitter and I like what they write there it follows that I will probably like their fiction too. It usually works out for me. I think one of the key things I took from this book was that a good story is a good story regardless of genre and world setting. These stories could work just as well in modern St. Louis or a dystopian future society. That to me is a sign of a well written story.
Cash Laramie is a half-breed Marshal that is known as much for the arrowhead around his neck as his unorthodox methods. His partner Gideon Miles is a black Marshal at a time when this alone opens up a huge amount of possible plot hooks. Although race is an issue at some parts of the book it is not an overriding theme. Each short story in this collection is self-contained, but there are some characters that recur or get mentioned in other stories. I like the way that this rewards you for paying attention but does not form a vital part of the story. I found the characters to be vivid and in some cases vivacious. The stories are not complicated and reveal themselves in a gripping and easily readable manner.
All-in-all for a book I purchased without realising it was a genre I don’t usually read it was cheeky and fresh like an Australian wine (I have no idea where that came from and I apologise).
Finally I should add that I paid eighty-six pence for this book. That’s less than a Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut. Take a chance, buy this book today.
I enjoyed it as well. There’s a very fine voice throughout those stories, along with great characters and action.