Twenty-year-old Jeremiah Bacon has never fired a gun or even ridden a horse. He’s headed by train with his parents from Boston to San Francisco to start a career as a concert pianist. But his father is killed in a holdup of a Wells Fargo office in Point of Rocks, Wyoming, and Jeremiah swears to catch the murderers no matter what it takes.
He plunges into an entirely new world. His piano playing gets him a job in a saloon, where he’s introduced to cowboys and beer, poker and brawls, and the beautiful, captivating Stacey. He grabs the chance to be a stagecoach driver to South Pass City and becomes equally enamored of Anita, the Wells Fargo agent’s pretty daughter.
But it's his gunfighting lessons from Marshal Otis MacKenzie and his drive for vengeance that takes him into deadly conflict with the cold-blooded outlaws of the Red Desert Gang. He willingly puts his life at stake to avenge his father, but at the same time he also learns a lot about people and what’s really important in life.
This was a gem of a little book I picked up at almost random at a really cool bookstore one day. I'll be checking out as many of James Janke's books as I can in the future. I don't have a lot of experience with this genre, but I liked what I read. The L'Amor book I read was like a guy reciting to me what was going on at a particular time in the Old West.
Jeremiah Bacon however had me feeling what it was like in the Old West. I intend to read more of both, but this book was much more immersive and preferable I must say. This book tells the tale of a city boy thrown into a town barely large enough to justify that label. His father is gunned down by the Red Desert Gang. Jeremiah grows up real quick as he vows to himself, his mother, and his dead father that he's going to avenge him. Along the way There was also an element of mystery to this book, which was kind of cool. The only downside was
I am not a big fiction or American wild west fan but I promised s friend that I would read this book. It was engaging, moved quickly, and had suspense. Enjoyable for those who like this genre.
Jeremiah Bacon is a treat for those with an appreciation of Old West history, fiction, and romance. It shares the life of Jeremiah Bacon, his travels, and his pursuit of becoming a concert pianist. Along the way, Jeremiah’s life is interrupted with murder, vengeance, gunfire, and the admiration of someone special. Staged in Wyoming, the narrative is fun to read, full of adventure, and suspense. With Janke’s extensive western travels, he was able to recreate the Wyoming territory in this historical novel. The reader felt as though they were part of the Old West. The novel’s cover shows a current photo of a saloon taken at the South Pass City Historic Site. That photo mirrors the setting of numerous action filled scenes. This is a great read. I highly recommend this novel.