Book Review- A Ralph Compton novel by Joseph A. West- Vengeance Rider

A Ralph Compton novel by Joseph A. West- Vengeance Rider (Signet 2004) 4 Stars

Buck Fletcher’s daughter is ill and in need of treatment. The cost of the treatment is $10,000 and he knows just how he is going to get this money. He plans to race his horse for a purse of $10,000, but suddenly his horse is stolen and one of his hand sis murdered. Now he must race against the clock as he tries to catch the killers/thieves before the race begins and his daughter’s last hope fades away. The thieves are deadly with their guns and Buck will rely on the help of some friends in order to succeed in his mission of vengeance, one dear friend includes Doc Holliday.

I enjoyed the introduction as it kind of throws the reader into the start of Buck Fletcher’s problem, but after the theft has been committed. I found it easy to get into this novel and loved the characters that we meet along the way (always love to hear about Doc Holliday). Joseph A. West did a great job of creating the characters and making them as real as possible. The plot was very well created and I loved the fact that Buck wasn’t doing any of it for himself, but for his daughter, although this is a little overused at times, but what isn’t nowadays? There was enough action to keep the reader into the novel, although at times it did feel like west was trying a little too hard to find reasons for action. I loved this book right up until the ending, and then I read the ending and I am still not sure how I feel about it. I will try to explain without ruining the book. It is a sad ending, certainly not what any reader really expected, which is a good thing to shoot for, but I also like to have a good feeling at the end of a book, and this shocking ending did not do that for me. You should read the book in order to make your judgement call on this one.

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Tony Peters

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