westerns are hard to find. Well, here are a couple to consider reading!
The first is a real whopper of a read! It is entitled, "Back Lands,” by Michael Mc Garrity. This is book two of the Kerney Family
Trilogy. If you have read the Kevin Kerney crime novels by this author you will
be ready to read his newest western. This historical fiction novel is set between the
Great Depression and World War II. Kerney has moved back to his roots of the
New Mexico back lands. Emma Kerney has
experienced sickness that she thought she’d die from. Eight year old son, Matthew has been the one
to do the chores, buy the groceries and keep things going. Emma hated to put
this heavy burden on Matthew, but there was no choice. She had been dealing
with two losses in her life: divorced from her husband and the death of her son
CJ in WWI. These two circumstances would send any one’s life in a tail spin.
Neighbors expected the worst, when one day she awoke and her energy and
strength were back. She was not a destitute person; she had three rentals,
eighty acres of pasture land near a river. She also owned two vacant commercial
lots on Griggs Avenue in town. This is why she could survive through her
illness. She is currently setting up a trust for her son. This way if anything
ever happened to her, he’d be taken care of. She specifically wants her
ex-husband to never get his hands on the trust. The story builds about the west
and the young man, Matthew as he grows.
It is a true western. This book is a 503 page novel. You will enjoy it. It reads easily and the story moves quickly.
The next book is a bit slimmer in the number of pages.
It is only half the size of the previous one, at 245 pages. Author, John
Nesbitt a Spur Award winning author has once again done a great job writing a
novel, entitled “Across the Cheyenne River.” Russ Archer, a native of Kansas, and Boot
Beckett from Pueblo, Colorado are riding to the same place. They both hope to
be hired on at the Bar M. They decide to ride together until they get there and
then see what the circumstances are. Lidge Mercer of Bar M Ranch is hiring men
to help him set up his ranch. He doesn’t just want cow hands, but men able to
dig postholes, cutting lumber and anything else the boss thinks needs to be
done. Things begin to turn dangerous on the ranch. Archer thought he was hiring onto a safe,
enjoyable ranch, but is not above figuring out the mysteries of the
problem. As all westerns have, a young
beauty, Archer meets a young gal. Together they consider a life together in the
future. 