"Killing is easy. It’s the forgetting that’s hard."A little place called Sultan, a father and his four sons, and a whole mess of trouble...The year is 1923 and Prohibition is the law of the land. The Bowman family fights to survive and thrive in the remote woods and mountains outpost of Sultan, Washington. It is a time and place governed by the gun and the fist where family comes first, rules are meant to be broken, and enemies put down.
“The Bowman Boys is D.W. Ulsterman at his best. Lots of action, mystery, crackling dialogue, and a touch of romance while also having plenty to say about the importance of family, living by a code, and defending what’s yours.” -MobelyReviews
D.W. Ulsterman is the USA Today featured author of the international bestselling family drama, The Irish Cowboy, and a Kindle Scout winner for the San Juan Islands Mystery series.
Overall I liked the book however far too many characters appeared to be lifted straight from television shows like Boardwalk Empire, Justified and Peaky Blinders. The plot followed these shows almost exactly, which generally I like, but this felt lazy. The dialog was modern and did not feel well researched. Overall character development was weak and I had a very hard time keeping track of which brother was which, especially since I felt their names (Chase, Dalton, Dylan) were unlikely to have been used at the turn of the 20th century as given names.
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.
This is the first book in the The Sultan Saga book series. It is set in a small town where the main characters own a bar and depend on the local distillers for their alcohol and for the law to look the other way (after being appropriately paid). They also do not appreciate any encroachment on their business, which they settle by in true mob fashion. The family and business is run with an iron fist by their patriarch Levi Bowman.
There's lots of action - as the family deals with a supply issue and some unwelcome publicity about their business from the church. In addition, a man who owed Levi some money is missing so the police are sniffing around. As if that weren't enough to capture your interest, Levi's three sons have various issues - with the most compelling being his son dealing with his war injuries and PTSD (not that this was a diagnosis in the 30's).
I really enjoyed this tale with all the wheeling and dealing and "your word is your bond" mentality. The Bowman family dynamic was most interesting to me and how they fought to preserve it, regardless of the consequences. Great character development. I look forward to the next book in the series.
The narrator, J. Scott Bennett, was fantastic. I have listened to other books he has narrated and really enjoy his style. He does different voices for the various characters so they are easily distinguishable as you listen.
Love to read books that let me immerse myself in the story. This is one of the better ones at this. The tale here is as ‘basic’ as the time it’s based in. The war to end all wars has finished, prohibition is in full swing and the backlots of the US are coming alive. The characters seem so real you sometimes have to stop and tell yourself “these are the bad guys” at by law. These ‘people’ are so well set up you can relate to everything they feel and everything thing they say. The timeframe is real as a novel can be and when you put all this together you get a truly great story - going to get the next one and bury myself again.
Mr. Ulsterman is a veritable genius of a storyteller. He never fails to deliver. Prohibition is not something I ever fancied reading about, but as usual, my favorite author has spun a web of intrigue impossible to resist. Due to his incredible display of character development, I feel as if I know each of these backwood, hardcore, wheelin', dealing' entrepreneurs.. I devoured this book in just a couple of hours and eagerly await the next installment of the Bowman family.
I have enjoyed this story more than anything I've read in months. It was a terrific period piece and a shout out to family loyalty. If you're listening Hollywood, this could be a winner to offset the crap you pass off every evening trying to find something outside the Hollywood box to watch. On the other hand, you'd probably get it wrong. This is a visually stunning and well done example of pure storytelling. Can't wait to download the second book.....
This is an entertaining book set in prohibition time, with traces of a Peaky Blinders type world this story takes you on a journey of booze, business, enemies, guns and family ties. The narrator did an excellent job of drawing you into the story and bringing out the feel of life in the 1920’s. A thrilling drama with subtle twists, action, intrigue and murder.
Interesting story about a family who sell whiskey during prohibition. There seems to be someone or someone’s who are trying to stop them. Multiple possible suspects and everyone in the family thinks it’s someone different.
The culprit is a bit surprising but then again not really.
Easy read, interesting enough to read the next one.
Not as good as the San Juan series but set in a different time and place so I will give the second book a chance and see if I get more into it as the series develops.
Really liked the story. Loved the Bowman family and all of the characters within the story. Amazing how people from all walks of life take matters into their own hands. I can only imagine how prohibition was a crazy time in our American history.
Well written story beginning the family saga of an old hired gun who have up that profession to run his prohibition whiskey with his four sons. Wonderful reading
love this book. this book from page one was full of action and the end was a surprise. did not think about it ending this way. The author did a great job with the way it was written.
This Prohibition era book has plenty of drama, some mystery, a bit of romance all tangled together. The listener will get to figure out who the good and bad guys are. I found this quite entertaining.
The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. J. Scott Bennett is always an enjoyable listen!!!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.