Robert B. Parker's The Bridge

Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch #7

by Robert Knott, Robert B. Parker (Creator)

The next gritty, gun-slinging entry in the New York Times–bestselling series, featuring itinerant lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch.

Territorial Marshals Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are back in Appaloosa, where their work enforcing the law has been exceptionally quiet. All that is about to change. An ominous storm rolls in, and along with it a band of night riders with a devious scheme, who show up at the Rio Blanco camp, where a three-hundred-foot bridge is under construction.
 
Appaloosa’s Sheriff Sledge Driskill and his deputies are the first to respond, but as the storm grows more threatening, news of troubles at the bridge escalate and the Sheriff and his deputies go missing.
 
Virgil and Everett saddle up to sort things out but before they do the hard drinking, Beauregard Beauchamp arrives in Appaloosa with his Theatrical Extravaganza troupe and the promise of the best in lively entertainment west of the Mississippi. With the troupe comes a lovely and mysterious fortune-teller who is set on saving Everett from imminent but indefinable danger.
 
The trouble at the bridge, the missing lawmen, the new arrivals, and Everett’s shoot-out in front of Hal’s Café aren’t the only things on Cole and Hitch’s plate as a gang of unsavory soldiers ease into town with a shady alibi, shadier intentions, and a soon-to-be-discovered wake of destruction.
 
As clouds over Appaloosa continue to gather, things get much worse for Cole and Hitch…

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Novels

320 pages, Hardcover

First published December 30, 2014

About the author

Chosen by the Estate of author Robert B. Parker to carry on the Cole and Hitch series of western novels.
Robert Knott is an actor, writer, and producer. His list of stage, television, and film credits include the feature film Appaloosa based on the Robert B. Parker novel which he adapted and produced with actor and producer Ed Harris. Also among his credits is the television mini-series The Stand based on the Stephen King novel. Longtime friend, co-writer and frequent co-star with Ed Harris.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out very, very slow -- to the point where I nearly abandoned it. But plowing through brought the reward of an action-packed third act, complete with shootouts between Cole and Hitch and various outlaws, as well as the culmination of the mystery of who blew up the titular bridge and why. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series, as I'm pretty sure I have been reading mostly for nostalgia -- the quality has definitely declined since Knott took over for Robert B. Parker -- but all in all, I'm not sorry I stuck through this one, at the very least.

[Daniel Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are so good because of the interesting and sometimes funny conversation between Virgil and Everett. Unfortunately, in this one the conversation wasn’t enough. For the first 5 hours of the audiobook, there was nothing much going on. Oh, Everett found a fortune-telling girlfriend and Allie was playing house with Virgil and trying to learn how to cook. It was terribly difficult for me to stay interested and focused. There was a faster paced ending. Not a bad story but too slow developing.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was challenging for me to stay focused, several short reading sessions and a few later in the night just trying to make progress. I’m all about character development so there’s nothing better for me than a good series.
📚
Having said that this is #7 and the only development I can think of is Allie cooked something well, she remained loyal and the town grew. The characters are flat, pacing is slow with little action, and there’s missed opportunity for describing setting to pull the reader in. If there was a cerebral component it would help but I’m not holding out hope.

[Schuyler Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my opinion, this effort by Robert Knotts to emulate Robert B. Parker’s inimitable writing style fell short of its goal. The characters of Cole and Hitch were there, their conversations were laconic, and their actions, while effective, were restrained. But “Robert B. Parker’s The Bridge” came off dull and lacking in excitement−very unParkerlike.

The terse dialogue that was so captivating under Parker’s talent comes off as just plain silly here. The realistic backgrounds that sparkled with Parker’s tight descriptive writing are nonexistent in this version. The atmosphere that I want to experience, rain running down my neck or cold snow biting my extremities, is flat and tedious, although the entire story takes place during a monstrous winter storm. The author is no Jack London.

I have long been a critic of anyone feeling the need to imitate a famous writer’s style. But there seems to be increasing urgency to bring out books that attempt to cash in on success. Hopefully writers such as Robert Knotts will find the talent to write books in a style that is their own and that prove to be a financial success on their own merit. “Robert B. Parker’s Ironhorse,” another of Knotts’s efforts, was much more entertaining. Perhaps he is trying too hard.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert B. Parker's Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch 07 The Bridge by Robert Knott, Robert B. Parker

4.25 Stars

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense

Medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus: Yes

As I keep reading the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch series, along with the books that Robert Knott has written (instead of Robert B. Parker), the more I'm getting "used" to Knott's version of Cole and Hitch (and all that that entails).

This is my favourite of Knott's stories. I do feel that Cole and Hitch would've matured, but they definitely would've been VERY different than the ones that we currently have...but on the other hand, we will never know. The characters that we do have, have grown into the people that they are...not what they would've been (if you know what I mean).

Knott's writing style is fuller and more descriptive (his style), while Robert B. Parker's style for this series was truly minimalistic.

As Appaloosa has grown and changed, so has this series and our heroes.

I loved the reveal and how it was laid out to us...and how we continue to stay in Appaloosa (as the town has grown into a city).

On to the next story in the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch series 08 Blackjack.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went ahead and purchased the book for this one because the used book store, By The Book, down by Publix at Moultrie (Wildwood) carried it. I like to support my local used book stores!!! I don't know how the writers come up with story lines but Virgil & Everett are great! I just don't know about Allie yet.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to have gone on a Western kick of late. I don't know maybe it's my second (or possibly third, fourth, whatever) childhood. Like many of my generation I grew up watching "B" westerns, western TV programs and of course reading Western novels. Seems that when I burn out on reading or hit a string of books that I find...meah...I go find a western.

I read all the Robert B. Parker westerns and the Robert Knott continuations. This is the last, so far.

Here we have a tale of Virgil and Everett concerning the building of a bridge and who in the world would like to blow it up.

Nice actioner, good characters considering that Mr. Knott has picked the series up after the originator's death. I like these. They are (while maybe not "great literature") reliably good reads. They are full of action, well plotted and the characters continue to be the people you get to know.

I can recommend them. Enjoy.

[John Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to be back in the saddle with Cole and Hitch. Robert Knott has done a great job of taking Robert B. Parker's western heroes past the death of their creator.
This time Cole and Hitch are back in Appaloosa along with Allie and the rest of townsfolk. Appaloosa has grown up to a population of 2,000 and there is a bridge built to move more goods and supplies though the town. Just one thing someone has blown the bridge. Strange army types are in the town and they don't seem to be what their suppose to be. A Traveling show comes to town with it's owner with a past that Cole is aware of. Worse yet is a snow storm of epic scale hitting the area.

Saddle up forma great read for 2015

[Doris Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

My not being a cowboy fan, I still liked this book. I enjoyed the little mystical world in the character of Seraphine. I loved the name Seraphine. Virgil and Hitch seemed a little more human that in their previous novels. Allie, Virgil's girlfriend, was still Allie. The town of Appaloosa was a little more filled out than previously. I think Robert Knott is doing a good job for Robert B. Parker.

[Brian Earnest · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a first reads give away, and since this is book seven I decided to read all of the books before the bridge. I loved all of them, I was sad to learn of Robert B. Parkers passing he was a good writer. I think Robert Knott has filled in really well in the Hitch and Cole books. Each book gets better and better, the Bridge is a very good book. Would love to see It made into a movie.

[False · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert B. Parker's estate did well in choosing the authors who have followed in sustaining their father's work. All have found the voice of the protagonists, and the rhythms of Parker. In this case, the margins and word spacing is even more filled than Parker, which is a treat since I used to fly through Parker's books. Two interesting leading men, a good plot and lots of atmosphere.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

One real decent scene managed to save this travesty. Not sure what the author is thinking incorporating seers, carnivals, flighty wives and such. The ending leaves as many questions as answers. 3 of 10 stars

[Meredith VanOordt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live this series and this is a worthy addition. Bad weather leads to bad business, literally...

[Harold Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Knott keeps Parker's characters — Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch — alive and more or less well in this continuation of the series. The showdown isn't particularly spectacular.

[Chowhound88 (a.k.a. Ralph) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book. It has a couple of twist and turns that Everett and Cole have to discover.

[Jeff]

not his best ... even for a dead guy

[Sonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Knott does a good job with Robert B. Parker's characters Cole and Hitch.

[Dyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

In order not to be disappointed, I tend to read these later books in the series as stand-alones and not as an imitation of Robert B. Parker. Some things do stay the same as our dynamic duo are still in tune with each other and being verbal is unnecessary - they are minimalist talkers. I would classify this book as a U.S. marshal's investigative procedural. I gave it three stars because it started out slow, there was not much action except at the end, had a couple of unresolved plot endings, and the supernatural aspect. The previous two books, Bull River and Ironhorse had more punch to them. The story is written in first person by Everett Hitch.

A big snow storm is on it's way; and territorial marshals, Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, are just finishing up rebuilding a house for Allie and Virgil in Appaloosa. Unbeknownst to them, a 300 foot bridge being built across a wide chasm on the Rio Blanco has been blown up and three men killed. Sheriff Sledge Driskill and two of his deputies stop by to let Cole and Hitch know they are going out to the bridge to find Lonnie Carman who hasn't come home to see his wife lately - she's been complaining. The sheriff and his two deputies never return - they vanish.

Meanwhile, a traveling carnival comes to town called the Beauchamp Brothers Theatrical Extravaganza. Cole recognizes Beauchamp as an arrogant fool from his past. Hitch, of course, notices an attractive lady named Seraphine Leroux looking out a window of a trailer going by. She has a mysterious and haunting gaze. She looks him up later and begins predicting his immediate future. She is a fortune teller and her cryptic visions concerning Hitch start coming true. The two are attracted to each other and spend some time in bed. The next day a band of seven shifty soldiers ride through town. Later, two dandies are being chased down the street by a man named Bolger. He claims the two haven't paid him for services rendered. They had been supplying goods for the men building the bridge. Since the sheriff is gone, Cole and Hitch strap on their guns and begin some investigative work. As they ride out to the bridge to find out what happened to the sheriff, the snowstorm hits.

All of these events, except for the traveling extravaganza, are intertwined. The plot thickens. Who benefits by the bridge being blown up? What happened to the Sheriff and his deputies? Who were those shifty looking soldiers. Does G. W. Cox, the contractor who won the bid for the bridge, have anything to do with the explosion? He outbid cattle baron Walton Wayne Swickey for the job. Does Swickey want revenge? Why? This is a western so the proverbial shootout takes place at the Yaqui Brakes, a holdout camp filled with miscreants. Toward the end, Cole and Everett meet Sebastian Winthrop, an investigator for Lloyd's of London who provides the key to the answer of who might have blown up the bridge and why. He helps in the apprehension of the perpetrators.

This was pure western. Allie continues to be Allie, and Virgil continues to love her despite her flaws. She actually provided the comic relief in this story. A twist at the end concerning Seraphine isn't resolved. Who was she and where did she come from and disappear to??? An enjoyable read if the reader doesn't compare it to a Robert B. Parker novel. Recommended with that caveat!

[Annie Yotova · Rating 2 out of 5]

The third novel in the continuation of the series (and 7th overall) finds Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch back in Appaloosa. They had just rebuilt the house Allie managed to burn to the ground in a cooking incident and are waiting for the weather to turn into winter - it is the second day of November and the hot weather is a bit surprising. The sheriff and his deputies are taking care of the town (which had grown considerably in the last couple of years) and our territorial marshal and his deputy are taking a break from the law.

Until a bridge is blown up at least - the biggest bridge in the area, just months before being finished explodes and falls down into the river. Meanwhile a traveling troupe shows up in town, the sheriff and two of his deputies go out of town on an errand and don't return and Everett falls in love again - this time with Séraphine, a futures teller who seems to really be able to see the future.

And just then the weather finally turns, stranding the troupe in town (without them even be able to set their tents in the foul weather) and Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are off trying to figure out what happened with the bridge and where did the sheriff go.

On the plus side, Knott finally decided to stop trying to emulate Parker's style and instead started to develop his own - it pays homage to the original but without trying to sound like it (or not too often anyway - some of the dialog still seemed to try for it). It may not work completely but it sounds better and makes the story a lot more readable. He is nowhere near Atkins and I am not sure he will ever get there but the novel does not feel like a bad pastiche.

On the minus side is the story - the pacing is just wrong. I liked the final twist - it is a bit unusual for a western but who said that all westerns should be the same (even if technically the end is just a spin on an old tale everyone expected). But getting there was uneven - Séraphine being used as a deus-ex-machina to essentially kick start the proceeding and the butler's decision at the end of the novel felt like an author who had no idea how to tie the novel together. Séraphine was more of a narrative device through the novel and less of a character and unless Knott plans on bringing her back to town, it was just lazy writing (or unsuccessful anyway).

Overall I liked this one a bit more than the previous novel - it is nowhere near perfect (or objectively good) and if it was not about characters I like, I probably would have not continued with the series. But then the previous one was such a mess that the bar was very low. As it is, I plan to stick a bit longer and see where we are going.

PS: The novel can work as an entry into the series - short of a few repeated characters here and there (and none of them show up here), the series is more of a "The adventures of" type of a series than a proper sequential one -- Cole and Hitch never change and the only thing marking the order is how big Appaloosa is or what Allie had been up to (and what adventures they mention). The back story really does not come into play. While I prefer the modern type of series where the characters show some growth, I don't mind the old style ones occasionally.

[John Reis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nightriders roll up to the Rio Blanco Bridge and blow it up.

Cole and Hitch are back in Appaloosa. Crime has been low. They rebuild the house that Allison burned down

Soldiers roll into town and then disappear. Hitch has a little shootout with a troublemaker, who is chasing two men who owe him money. He is injured.

Beauregard’s Theatrical Extravaganza Troupe rolls into town. Allison is all aflutter. Hitch is warned by the fortuneteller Serafine that his life is in danger.

Sheriff Driskill leaves town to look for a missing man. After several days, he has not returned.

Cole and Hitch finally learn of the bridge when the telegraph wires are repaired and a message is sent from a nearby telegraph office. They go to visit the builder, a man named Cox. He insists on joining them to the site of the bridge. It begins to snow. It hinders the investigation and delays the theatrical show.

They return to Appaloosa leaving Cox at the camp. They begin the search for other likely suspects. They meet a rancher who lost the bid to build the bridge.

They get a lead and go to a rebel hideout called Yaqui Brakes. Then the shooting begins. Hitch is shot again and is laid up for a long time. They eventually solve the crime, but then one of the conspirators is shot.

I very much enjoyed this book, better than Knott’s first two outings. It was shorter and tighter. Allison was occupied with the theatrical troupe and seems to be improving as a cook, and thus not as central to the story as before.

[Michelle Skelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a longtime fan of Robert B. Parker, I've always appreciated his distinctive characters and storytelling. Parker's passing was a significant loss, as it felt like many of his classic, beloved characters passed with him. Returning to the Cole & Hitch series after a while, I was eager to reunite with this dynamic law enforcement duo out of Appaloosa.

In "The Bridge," Knott delivers a story that includes all the classic elements of traditional Western fare. The setting is rich with vivid descriptions of the wild West, and the narrative is filled with the standard showdown on Main Street type of fun that fans of the genre can appreciate.

However, the story does have a slow start, which might test the patience of some readers. One aspect that stood out, and not in a positive way, was the portrayal of female characters. Unfortunately, every female character in this book seems to fall into a narrow mold: they are either "a rare beauty with alabaster skin" or are defined by their sexual allure. This one-dimensional portrayal is a bit of a yawn and detracts from the overall experience.

That said, I don't read these books for deep character development. Virgil Cole remains the strong and silent type, and Everett Hitch is as handsome and infallible as ever, which is part of their enduring charm. Despite its flaws, "The Bridge" is an entertaining, quick read. I would rate it 3/5 for its vivid description of the wild West and the classic, albeit predictable, Western showdown fun.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Territorial Marshals Virgil Cole and Everett Hicks are living in Appaloosa and they are fairly settled. There is the routine crime that they and their deputies have been dealing with, but nothing major. That changes in a dramatic way, starting with a man with a gun chasing some men down the street until Everett intervenes.
Things literally and figuratively explode when a major bridge under construction is blown up in a clearly professional job. There are several obvious winners and losers as a consequence, but it is clear to Cole and Hutch that it is the non-obvious winners and losers that likely matter more. Their investigation takes them on long journeys in horrible winter weather and of course they face potential mortal danger.
Knott holds very true to the Parker tactic of keeping minimal word usage by Cole and Hicks. There are a lot of one- or two-word utterances. There is a great deal of personal interaction between Colt’s female companion Allie and the two marshals, making this a personable novel. The requisite gunplay is also present, for their adversaries are brutal and sadistic, even to their allies.
Knott does an excellent job in keeping to the Parker mode in this book. I am not sure that if I was given a random segment of the book that I could identify it as written by Knott.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually enjoy the Everett Hitch & Virgil Cole lawman sagas, but this one was not up to par. Rex Linn, the reader, is splendid and definitely gave this his best shot, but even he couldn't save it. The plot was weak, the bad guys were generic, and the resolution was ho-hum. By the time Ev & Virgil figure everything out, I didn't even know who two of the people in the confrontation were or why they were there! Then there's way too much info about Ev's sex life. More interaction between our heroes, please!

[Gregory Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, almost didn't read this Western novel. Hard time getting through the first few paragraphs of the Prologue, but I fought my way the apparent gibberish, twisting, over-the-top, and entirely too many words of description. Once I got into the main story, and got my head wrapped around the way that Virgil and Everett talked, and some of the over-the-top ridiculous descriptive words and phrases were dwindled about, I started to really enjoy the story lines. Haven't read a Western in a bit of time, but I'd like to read more of them. Maybe I'll dig out some old Louis L'Amour tales, or the like.

[Sandra Lockhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bridge was another book written by Robert Knott in the tradition of Robert P. Parker's series with Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch as the county marshalls in the Appalossa township. The town sheriff goes off with two deputies to hunt for a missing man just as other events are impacting the community. There has been construction of a large bridge spanning the river nearby and news of wrong doing in that location does not hit the community as the telegraph wires have been cut. Everett and Virgil ride out to investigate the situation and sparks fly.

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a bit of a letdown after the fun of the first two Knott books. Starts slow setting up a couple of plot threads that don't really pay off. Knott avoided both Allie French and Appaloosa in his first two outings. That was a good choice as it turns out and the return of these elements to the series seem to have thrown Knott off his game. Both require a little too much scene setting, it suppose. The other books had plots that kicked off right away. That's probably the way they should go.

[Orion Lyonesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having seen the movie Appaloosa, also by Robert Parker and featuring the same cast, I could see and hear the two heroes, Cole (Ed Harris) and Hitch (Viggo Mortensen), in my head as they set out to solve the mystery of who blew up the new railroad bridge and why. Reading this book was like having my own private screening of a new western!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adventure with a bridge building scheme and an effort to destroy the bridge. A traveling carnival comes to Appaloosa along with a stretch of bad weather. As the plot thickens the weather worsens ending with cold and snow. Although it takes time, Cole and Hitch finally discover who is who and resolve the crimes in their inimitable way. Good read.

[Robert Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beauregard Beauchamp arrives in Appaloosa with his Theatrical Extravaganza troupe . With the troupe comes a lovely and mysterious fortune-teller who is set on saving Everett from imminent but indefinable danger. Then there is the issue of the Railroad bridge being blown up and killing a couple of workers. plus the killing of some deputies . at the same time of some shady soliders come thru town

[Libbie Harr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Virgil and Everett are just finishing up the new house for Allie (since she had burned down the first one with one of her cooking adventures). Performers come to town and Everett falls in love with a mystery lady. Trouble with lots of gunplay! The scenes are great! The mystery lady vanishes and Everett is still reeling.