Don't Bid the Devil

by Ryan Atlas

This is revenge. The kind that reaches into a man and pulls something out that can’t ever be put back. It’s 1977 and Bret Maddon, the most gifted big league shortstop of his generation, is putting the finishing touches on another baseball season when he learns that his sister’s been found strangled to death in Vegas with no leads on who killed her. Bret may be no hero but he’s not about to let his sister’s murder go unpunished. He sets out on the open road with only one find the bastard that did it and put him in the ground. Jenette, she used to be famous, a young star adored by millions. Those days are long gone now. Barely anyone recognizes the aging, isolated woman holed up in a Vegas hotel. The beast inside is changing her. It claws at her mind, growing into something she can no longer contain. It makes her do things. It makes her destroy what’s most beautiful. And it will never stop. Not unless someone comes along and puts an end to it for her. Bret’s coming, tearing down the highways on his snarling iron horse, with revenge in his heart and a trigger finger getting itchier by the day. Don’t Bid the Devil is a meditative but brutal take on the modern Western, where the guns shoot straight, the desert is punishing, the killers are unflappable and God may not always be there when He’s needed most.

271 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2014

Reviews

[Pandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was recommended by a friend, I have had several forays into the western genre in the past and I sure wasn't disappointed in this purchase.

the characters are well rounded and I am sure this cannot be Ryan atlases first novel. it reads far to well for a first novel.

the main character Bret is an everyman swept up in events and although it's not right he is Damn well gonna make it right. he is far from righteous, but has old school values that resonate with me as a reader. I would recommend this book to everyone. and I will

[Matthew Giordano · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is truly well written. This is my first trip into the western genre and was not disappointed. You are easily lost in the story and are able to understand the characters' motives. Bret Maddon is not perfect but you know he always strives to do what is right. It's easy to root for a man like that. I would highly recommend this book.