Friends and Enemies

Fortunes of the Black Hills #4

by Stephen Bly

ROBERT FORTUNE IS THE LAST ONE TO COME HOME. Robert is not like his father, the legendary Brazos Fortune. Not a businessman like his brother Todd. Not a notorious retired gunslinger like his brother Sam. Nor the social darlings of the Black Hills like little sister, Dacee June. Hes a career soldier who no longer has a career. With the discipline of a West Point graduate, and the rock solid faith his long-departed mother, Robert moves his family to Deadwood to join the rest of the clan. And in Deadwood, Robert finds not only his placeas a railroad detectivebut a fistful of enemies, all seeking vengeance against him and his family.

Genres: Westerns, Historical Fiction

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Stephen Bly (August 17, 1944 - June 9, 2011) authored 100 books and hundreds of articles. His book, THE LONG TRAIL HOME, (Broadman & Holman), won the prestigious 2002 CHRISTY AWARD for excellence in Christian fiction in the category western novel. Three other books, PICTURE ROCK (Crossway Books), THE OUTLAW'S TWIN SISTER (Crossway Books), and LAST OF THE TEXAS CAMP (Broadman & Holman), were Christy Award finalists. He spoke at colleges, churches, camps and conferences across the U.S. and Canada. He was the pastor of Winchester Community Church, and served as mayor of Winchester, Idaho (2000-2007). He spoke on numerous television and radio programs, including Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family. He was an Active Member of the Western Writers of America. Steve graduated summa cum laude in Philosophy from Fresno State University and received a M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary. The Blys have three sons: Russell (married to Lois) and father of Zachary and Miranda (married to Chris Ross) and mother of Alayah, Michael (married to Michelle), and Aaron (married to Rina Joye) and father of Keaton and Deckard. A third generation westerner, Steve spent his early years working on ranches and farms.

Reviews

[Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the others in this series. Only two books left. Gonna be sad when I'm done with the Fortune family saga.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read. One think I’ve liked about this author is that, while there is action and bad guys, it’s not so tense and dramatic as so many modern stories. It’s a slower pace at times and I really like it. I didn’t realize until I was reading this that it was the 4th book in a series because it doesn’t say anything about that on the cover. But that was okay, I didn’t have any trouble enjoying it as a stand alone. Yes, the earlier books probably would have filled me in a little more on the Fortune family, but oh well.
Robert was a likable man trying to figure out where he fit in. As the youngest boy in the family, he didn’t want to be known as the little brother, so he had gone his own way. I liked watching him find his calling, and how the family all rallied around him. Robert’s wife and children were so fun! The twins irritated and amused me.
I also really like that this was a Christian book, and the characters don’t shy away from it. This story also shared the Gospel.
Now I need to see if the library has other books in this series.

[Kristi Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked quite a bit of this story. The Fortune family sticking together, Robert and his job. I didn't even mind the gentle proselytizing going on. The conflicts were interesting and one even surprised me although in hindsight I should have seen it coming.

No, what drove me crazy was the twins, and the way the Robert Fortune family never let each other finish what the other was saying. I guess it is a measure of how realistic the scenario/writing is, but good grief, I seriously wanted to stop listening more than once. I would be barking mad if I had to endure conversations like that on a regular basis. Mind you, I don't have kids and this particular peeve is one of the reasons for that choice.

So, take the star rating with a grain of salt. If it weren't for the all-too realistic familial conversations, I'd have given it 4 stars. Maybe that's unfair, but I really didn't enjoy listening to them.

Oh yes, I listened to the audio version. The talent was quite good.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun story! I enjoyed it. Stephen Bly had a great sense of humor.