Rio Hondo

The Brannocks #3

by Matt Braun

In a land of long red sunsets, Clint and Virgil Brannock had carved out a sweeping cattle spread along the lush banks of the Rio Hondo. But now Clint has been called away to fight in the Apache wars, and Virgil, driven by his ambition, is corralling mustangs on the Llando Estscado. With their family ranch in New Mexico territory threatened by men of greed and power, men who send murderers to do their dirty work, the Brannocks can only turn to one another--to hold onto an empire they have built with their sweat and blood.

Genres: Westerns

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 3, 1987

About the author

Matt Braun is an author of fifty-six books, most of which are in the Western genre and has over 40 million copies in print.

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Set in the aftermath of the Lincoln County War, "Rio Hondo" (1987) starts with brothers Clint and Virgil Brannock on separate missions. Clint is a lawman hunting down a Comanchero named Jose Tafoya. Virgil and his family are expanding their local ranch to include medical and legal help for local Mexicans being taken advantage of by white businessmen. With historical notes and interactions with the real-life participants in the Lincoln County War like Pat Garrett, Charles Goodnight, John Chisum, Quanah Parker, and Billy the Kid, "Rio Hondo" has a historical fiction genre tone to it.

Verdict: Informational prose makes "Rio Hondo" kind of a boring read without much flavor or character and an uninteresting plot.

Jeff's Rating: 1 / 5 (Bad)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent western read which became a TV program on Cheyenne with Clint Walker.

[David Cochrane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good fun book.

A great listen with George Guidall as performer.

This is a good old fashioned western. No surprises. But a very deep story as big as the old west.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story of the settlement of the west in the late 1800's. Clint, Virgil and Elizabeth are occupied with holding onto the Spur while also aiding the army and their Indian kin. Elizabeth has her own agenda of helping whenever she can, especially with the Mexican poor. She gets more and more involved in politics and the art of the "deal" which stands her in good stead when Clint needs it at the end of the story. Very entertaining.

[Navajojim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty alright and good. It was nice to find a different western author.