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Santa Fe Showdown
Beaten down by four years of war and the defeat of his beloved Confederacy, the suicidal Trey Marsh rides toward Santa Fe, New Mexico, looking for trouble--and finding it. Original.
255 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 9, 2025
A nice fast read. Despite being a western and a shootout with an obvious ending, I did dig the love angle trope. Deep questions or explored about relationships that I am currently experiencing. Is the relationship one sided? Is it off balanced? Healing from a toxic one, am I opening myself up to a very caring person or should I forever be in my shell?
Real interested in a backstory of The Gambler, Stiles. A longer book would be appreciated exploring his time in Andersonville. Maybe there is a book about this already written.
The final showdown is a little stupid. It brings back the manners of yesteryear. Trey is standing out in front awaiting the arrival of the bandits. Out in the open. He knows what their business is for but yet quizzes them why they are present outside manor. I would set up an ambush and fire on sight. He already was warned multiple times that the dudes are coming with bad intentions. Also, when he saw the Boss retreat Trey had a conscience and couldn't shoot him in the back. This villain does not give a fuck about maiming people, yet Trey does. It's war motherfucker, not fucking ballet.
Real interested in a backstory of The Gambler, Stiles. A longer book would be appreciated exploring his time in Andersonville. Maybe there is a book about this already written.
The final showdown is a little stupid. It brings back the manners of yesteryear. Trey is standing out in front awaiting the arrival of the bandits. Out in the open. He knows what their business is for but yet quizzes them why they are present outside manor. I would set up an ambush and fire on sight. He already was warned multiple times that the dudes are coming with bad intentions. Also, when he saw the Boss retreat Trey had a conscience and couldn't shoot him in the back. This villain does not give a fuck about maiming people, yet Trey does. It's war motherfucker, not fucking ballet.
October 8, 2025
In 1997's "Sante Fe Showdown," Trey Marsh is drifting without purpose after the Civil War, his dead wife and son behind him, when he's hired by a Mexican family to protect them as they travel the Apache-, outlaw-, and range-war-plagued road to Sante Fe. Since he's headed that way anyway, why not?
Marsh is a classic tragic western antihero who would fit alongside some of the best from the Kelton, Grey and L'Amour titles I've read. He's smartly stubborn, quick to anger, handy with a six-shooter, and talks to his horse like a crazy loner who doesn't like people.
It has a bit of the eyerolly western stuff we see in a mediocre Grey or Kelton novel, but here these circumstances are all well-earned and make sense. The plot and pacing are perfect for a three-day read. Suspense comes and relents as we journey this road to Sante Fe via the eyes and thoughts of a smartly-written protagonist, and the payoff at the end lands just right.
Verdict: "Sante Fe Showdown" is a good read. If it had a sequel, I'd want to read it.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13
Marsh is a classic tragic western antihero who would fit alongside some of the best from the Kelton, Grey and L'Amour titles I've read. He's smartly stubborn, quick to anger, handy with a six-shooter, and talks to his horse like a crazy loner who doesn't like people.
It has a bit of the eyerolly western stuff we see in a mediocre Grey or Kelton novel, but here these circumstances are all well-earned and make sense. The plot and pacing are perfect for a three-day read. Suspense comes and relents as we journey this road to Sante Fe via the eyes and thoughts of a smartly-written protagonist, and the payoff at the end lands just right.
Verdict: "Sante Fe Showdown" is a good read. If it had a sequel, I'd want to read it.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews