Sidewinders, No 5
William W. Johnstone with J.A.
Johnstone
Pinnacle
June 2011/ ISBN 9780786023479
Western
Amazon
Reviewed
by Bob Walch
As Thanksgiving rolls around, Scratch Morton and Bo Creel don’t
have much to be thankful for. The two have been guarding gold shipments
from the mining camps around Deadwood in the Black Hills of the
Dakota Territory. A band of hell raisers, dubbed the Devils of Deadwood,
have been hijacking some of the precious metal shipments and leaving
pitchforks in the bodies of the victims of their raids.
When a detachment of the cavalry arrives to protect the gold shipments
and run to earth the Devils, life gets even more complicated for
Scratch and Bo. As the weather turns nasty, the troopers need as
much watching over as the gold flowing out of the mines and then,
to make matters worse, Scratch’s lady friend is kidnapped
by the band of miscreants.
Flushing the varmints out of their high mountain hideout and saving
the kidnapped woman will tax every ounce of expertise the two Texans
possess, but, as always, they are up to the challenge. When the
smoke clears away the Devils’ band will be greatly diminished
and Scratch and Bo will be thinking about heading south where there’s
less snow, more sun and friendlier folk!
The author of over 200 novels, William W. Johnstone just keeps
cranking them out. Yes, this is formula writing but that doesn’t
mean it is any less entertaining than the fiction that takes a couple
of years to produce. If you hanker for a traditional western story
with plenty of action and protagonists who let their fists and guns
do the talking, you’ll find this a satisfying read.
Reviewer note: HOLIDAY: Thanksgiving |