Arizona

The Lawbringers #2

by Brian Garfield

used western

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Brian Francis Wynne Garfield was a novelist and screenwriter. He wrote his first published book at the age of eighteen, and gained prominence with 1975 his book Hopscotch, which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. He is best known for his 1972 novel Death Wish, which was adapted for the 1974 film of the same title, followed by four sequels, and a remake starring Bruce Willis.

His follow-up 1975 sequel to Death Wish, Death Sentence, was very loosely adapted into a film of the same name which was released to theaters in late 2007, though an entirely different storyline, but with the novel's same look on vigilantism. Garfield is also the author of The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History. Garfield's latest book, published in 2007, is Meinertzhagen, the biography of controversial British intelligence officer Richard Meinertzhagen.

Brian Garfield was the author of more than 70 books that sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and 19 of his works were made into films or TV shows. He also served as president of the Western Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America.

Pseudonyms:
• Bennett Garland
• John Ives
• Drew Mallory
• Frank O'Brian
• Brian Wynne
• Frank Wynne

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story that ends up being about family relationships and much more about the characters than the action. (Although there is some action.) Well worth the read.

[Regan MacArthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't help thinking of Faulkner at the start of this. Garfield opens the book with a bit of Godlike narration and then brings it down to earth in the second chapter. He wants us to know the town and everyone in it. Then he seems to forget his ambition and he settles down to telling us a simple morality tale. Definitely not the top tier of Garfield's westerns, but I thought the ending was strong.

[Michael Sigler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, though the novel isn't as grand or sweeping a Western adventure as I had hoped, or as the title made me believe it would be.