Appaloosa

by Robert B. Parker

I’ll be reading westerns in 2009, so here goes. . .

Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch have come to clean up Appaloosa. The town is plagued by lawlessness, and a rancher named Bragg seems to be the root of it.

Virgil has a reputation for cleaning up towns, and he does it in his own unique way. When he becomes marshal, he becomes the law. He writes the laws, and he enforces the laws. And Everett is his ever faithful sidekick.

Two problems: Bragg and a woman. Bragg has a lot of gun-slinging ranch hands and a lot of monetary influence. Additionally, an attractive widow has come to town, and she’s out to seduce Virgil, who is a surprisingly easy mark.

Well, you probably know the rest: gunfights, showdowns, betrayal, and even some Indians. It’s a typical western in terms of plot, but Parker’s writing makes it more accessible than the average western. Easy reading.

1/9/09