Solitaire

by Mark Teppo

1872: The shattered South is struggling under the yoke of Reconstruction; the North has turned its attention to lands west of the mighty Mississippi. America is haunted by the blood that has been spilled, and only a few are ready to stand against the coming darkness.  During the War, Elmore Stonebrook was a celebrated Sharpshooter for the Army of the Potomac. Known as God’s Finger for the deadly accuracy of his rifle, Stonebrook fought for freedom for all men, but lost his way in the process.  Judge Willard Vernon Wallace once sat on the high bench in Louisiana. He loved the law; he served the law; but the law betrayed him. Now, his gavel is the butt of his revolver and his courtroom is anywhere he can sling a rope over a tree branch.  In the small Missouri town of Bitter, they run into an old friend of the Judge’s, Isadora Van Horn, whose ranch is threatened by a greedy landowner. He wants everything—her land, her cattle, her body—and he’s willing to do anything to get what he wants.  Including making a deal with the Devil himself, a deal that includes a wolf that walks on two legs . . . 

353 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2018

About the author

Mark Teppo has written more than a dozen novels across a number of genres. He's a book-seller, paper-hoarder, and troublemaker. Not necessarily in that order.

Reviews

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A civil war sharpshooter and an itinerant judge travel the land fighting monsters. In Solitaire Elm and the Judge help the daughter of an old friend protect her ranch from nefarious rivals. There might be werewolves involved. Everything you could want in a weird western. I'm looking forward to more about Elm and the Judge.

[Kristene Perron · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Everyone cheats. Expecting the world to be fair is to be surprised and disappointed at every turn.” ~ Elm Stonebrook

Don’t you just love genre mash-ups? Well, I do and Solitaire was everything I hoped for and nothing I expected! As usual, Teppo fills the pages with complex characters and a plot that twists and turns as frequently as the mighty Mississippi.

Set in post-Civil War Missouri, Solitaire follows the travels of “The Judge” and Elm Stonebrook, a former Union sniper. From the opening, it’s clear that these men are on an unusual and dangerous path, one that leads them to Isadora Van Horn—a ranch owner with a big problem.

While all the usual western tropes are in place, Teppo digs beneath the surface and adds a touch of the supernatural. Nothing in the world of Stonebrook and the Judge is exactly what it seems, including the men themselves. Great spooky fun for anyone who loves classic westerns and modern supernatural thrillers. I can’t wait for the next one!

[Doubledf99.99 · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as far out westerns go not bad at all, I did enjoy the poker game action on the riverboat from Keokuk to St. Louis, with plenty of villains, cheats, and quasi good guys.

[Ev N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stonebrook and The Judge are my new favorite superheroes. Superheroes in that they find unique ways to save the local folk of the frontier from the ubiquitous human baddies, PLUS they banish the supernatural monsters. What's not to like about that? Plus, I chuckled so frequently while reading the banter of The Judge and Elm Stonebrook that I have been banished from reading the book in bed. Just like any western these two heroes find themselves riding into one bit of trouble after another. There are gun battles, word battles, an occasional werewolf, poker games, and pretty lasses. Elm and The Judge manage it all, and I loved it. I am eager to see where their horses take them next, and how they manage to save the day.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not much for westerns, but I really dug this particular story. The addition of the weird and fantastical was more in my wheelhouse of the kinds of books I read. The characters were very well-crafted and believable. It’s easy for someone to take a fictional story and make the characters as outlandish as they want, but Elm and the Judge feel as human as they get. Add in the fact that the pacing of the story and all its subplots were top-notch, and you get the line that the bookstore I picked this up from out over the book to help sell it.

“This book does not suck.” Because it really doesn’t. Well, not in the sense most people associate such a word. The book sucked me in, but I’m sure that’s not what they were going for when they put up the recommendation. Looking forward to the continued adventures of these two in the near future.

[Sheri woolman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a western and yes spoiler alert *** there is monsters in it**** but I really loved it. Easy read likable characters and a good plot. Something I wish there was more of was our main girl having a little more power and a little less damsel in distress. Isadora was written beautifully and at times you feel like she has the guts to make her way in the world but she just comes up short and needs a helping hand from the judge and elm. Also elm I really liked his character and the romantic story of elm and isadora. Part of me thought that maybe the judge was isadora a father at some point but it never came out that way! I loved that I read this around Halloween with the zombies and the wear-wolves bit was perfect! I would truly recommend this book to others. It wasn’t something I normally pick and I loved it.