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Jack Lark #8
The Lost Outlaw
The eighth action-packed Victorian military adventure featuring hero Jack Lark: soldier, leader, imposter. Expect hard fighting, dangerous bandoleros and double-crossing aplenty as Jack arrives in Mexico. A must-read military adventure for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow.
Dusty deserts, showdowns under the blistering sun, bloodthirsty bandoleros, rough whisky and rougher men. Bullets fly, emotions run high and treachery abounds in The Lost Outlaw. This is classic Jack Lark in a classic western...an exceptionally entertaining historical action adventure'
Louisiana, 1863. Jack Lark is on the long and lonely road to nowhere, the battlefield behind him. But soon his soldier skill lands him a job, and a new purpose - defending a valuable wagon train of cotton as it journeys down through Texas to Mexico.
Working for another man, let alone the volatile Brannigan, isn't going to be easy. And with the Deep South's most infamous outlaws hot on their trail, Jack knows he is living on borrowed time.
As they cross the border, Jack quickly discovers that the usual rules of war don't apply. He will have to fight to survive, and this time the battle might prove one he could lose.
Praise for the Jack Lark series:
'Brilliant' Bernard Cornwell
'Enthralling' The Times
'You feel and experience all the emotions and the blood, sweat and tears that Jack does... I devoured it in one sitting' Parmenion Books
Dusty deserts, showdowns under the blistering sun, bloodthirsty bandoleros, rough whisky and rougher men. Bullets fly, emotions run high and treachery abounds in The Lost Outlaw. This is classic Jack Lark in a classic western...an exceptionally entertaining historical action adventure'
Louisiana, 1863. Jack Lark is on the long and lonely road to nowhere, the battlefield behind him. But soon his soldier skill lands him a job, and a new purpose - defending a valuable wagon train of cotton as it journeys down through Texas to Mexico.
Working for another man, let alone the volatile Brannigan, isn't going to be easy. And with the Deep South's most infamous outlaws hot on their trail, Jack knows he is living on borrowed time.
As they cross the border, Jack quickly discovers that the usual rules of war don't apply. He will have to fight to survive, and this time the battle might prove one he could lose.
Praise for the Jack Lark series:
'Brilliant' Bernard Cornwell
'Enthralling' The Times
'You feel and experience all the emotions and the blood, sweat and tears that Jack does... I devoured it in one sitting' Parmenion Books
448 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2019
48 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Paul Fraser Collard
18 books137 followersPaul's love of military history started at an early age. A childhood spent watching films like Waterloo and Zulu whilst reading Sharpe, Flashman and the occasional Commando comic, gave him a desire to know more of the men who fought in the great wars of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. At school, Paul was determined to become an officer in the British army and he succeeded in winning an Army Scholarship. However, Paul chose to give up his boyhood ambition and instead went into the finance industry. Paul stills works in the City, and lives with his wife and three children in Kent.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 19, 2020
The Lost Outlaw is the eighth book in the Jack Lark series. I haven’t read any of the previous entries and so, I approached reading it with a sense of trepidation. Some series you can pick up late on and really enjoy even without any prior knowledge of the main character and what has gone before. But, the reversal can also be true and some series are impossible to pick up, enjoy and get into after starting them late. With The Lost Outlaw, the blurb screamed ‘western’ to me. I’ve always enjoyed watching westerns (playing westerns in video games too) and with my interest piqued I decided to give the book a go and I’m glad that I did. My initial apprehension at starting the series late on was misplaced, the book gripped me, was easy to get into and like a man on the gallows, I was hanging on every page.
The Lost Outlaw starts with a Confederate Captain and his troops riding across the aftermath, the carnage and the dead bodies of a wagon train that has been ambushed, captured and taken by bandoleros. The wagon train and its cargo were under the Captain’s protection. Seeking retribution, the Captain tracks down the gang, taking back the wagon train and delivering deadly and swift justice to the bandoleros. The troops rain down death on the bandoleros but, the Captain doesn’t kill them all. Instead, the Confederate troops leave two buried alive to their necks in the ground as a sign, a warning to others who prey on the wagon trains. This opening really set the scene for me. It was graphic, brutal and dark. With vivid imagery created by Collard of the ambush aftermath, the retaliation and the setting where it all takes place.
The story then moves to a dusty small Louisiana town, where, in a bar and eating a warm meal we see a man. There’s an air of mystery to him, he’s been living a life of solitude, avoiding people, keeping himself to himself, a wanderer with no place to go and aimlessly travelling around. He has turned his back on life, living on the fringes of society, the edge of the world. He is a man apart, only his horse for company, he could be the man with no name but, he’s not, he’s Jack Lark. A chance meeting, a random encounter with a couple of strangers in the town leads to an opportunity for Lark. He could have walked away, left the pair to the consequences of their actions but fate is a fickle mistress, he intervenes, steps in and saves them from an outnumbered gunfight. His actions lead to a job offer which he accepts, hired on by the leader of the gang and the wagon master, Brannigan as part of a gang contracted to escort a wagon train full of cotton from Texas to Matamoros, Mexico and then on the return journey with a shipment of ammunition and guns. It is time for Lark to return to the world, to the land of the living and, to once more find a purpose.
The Lost Outlaw is set in 1863 against the backdrop of the American Civil War. It is a dangerous time, a hard land populated by hard men and the only rule is the rule of the gun. The journey of hundreds of miles will be rife with danger, rival gangs, bandoleros, the army and others will all be after the wagon train and its valuable cargo. Suffice to say that there are twists and turns, betrayals, double-crosses and gunfights galore along the way.
Brannigan is ruthless and he uses people. To him, they are objects and when they are broken, of no more use he casts them aside. They aren’t human, they are a tool to be used and nothing more. He lacks any sense of loyalty but those who call him ‘leader’ are loyal to him. As the wagon train travels towards its destination Jack will need to be on his guard, not just from the potential attacks on the wagon train but from within Brannigan’s gang too.
Jack is originally from the East End of London, England. He is many miles and many years away from there now though and he is a veteran who has seen many conflicts from India to the US. He has learnt many lessons from his life. He is a fighter, no longer a soldier or an officer but he will always be a fighter. While you can take the soldier out of the army, you can’t take the soldier out of the person, out of Jack. He is a man who believes in fate, that trusts to it. He is determined, thoughtful and introspective. Events that have happened in his past, shape how he is now. There is a wry sense of humour to Jack and glimpses of anger, arrogance and pride in him too. He is his own man, he’s been through a lot, seen a lot, survived a lot, killed a lot and lost a lot too. There is a depth of character to him and he is an enigmatic main character.
Along with Jack Lark and Brannigan. There are Adam and Kat, the duo from the beginning of the adventure. Vaughan, a plantation agent who isn’t a fighting man but who works for the plantation owner (who has funded the wagon train) and is there at the behest of him. The Confederate Captain Dawson, his troops and Angel Santiago, the feared leader of the Los Angeles de la Muerte or ‘The Angels of Death’ the largest and most notorious gang in Mexico.
Collard is a tremendous storyteller and I felt like I had been transported back in time to 1863. It was like I was experiencing the events and living the story as it played out across the pages. The characters, the battles, the scenery, the setting and the locations all come to life on the pages of The Lost Outlaw. The rain falling, cascading down, the flashes of lightning, the scorching sun, the heat, arid and dry, the dusty air, the sounds of the wagon train, the mules, the horses, the sounds of men fighting, of gunfire, the smell of the gun powder, the dust, grime and grit of the trail. Collard doesn’t shy away from violence, showing the horrors of battle, of the inflicted wounds and there are some grisly and gruesome fight scenes included in The Lost Outlaw. There are also many standout moments and spectacular set-pieces (one on a riverbank where a storm breaks and another, a siege where the few defend against the many) and they are cinematic and heart-pounding. The action throughout is ferocious, the battles and the gunfights, bloody, vivid and visceral.
More often than not I am to be found with either a fantasy book or a thriller in my hands and The Lost Outlaw is somewhat different from what I usually read. However, it turned out to be a revelation as Collard immersed me in his work giving me an entertaining dose of the Old West and I found The Lost Outlaw to be an action-packed, brutal, compelling, fast-paced and gritty western.
You can also find this review on my blog The Tattooed Book Geek: https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress...
The Lost Outlaw starts with a Confederate Captain and his troops riding across the aftermath, the carnage and the dead bodies of a wagon train that has been ambushed, captured and taken by bandoleros. The wagon train and its cargo were under the Captain’s protection. Seeking retribution, the Captain tracks down the gang, taking back the wagon train and delivering deadly and swift justice to the bandoleros. The troops rain down death on the bandoleros but, the Captain doesn’t kill them all. Instead, the Confederate troops leave two buried alive to their necks in the ground as a sign, a warning to others who prey on the wagon trains. This opening really set the scene for me. It was graphic, brutal and dark. With vivid imagery created by Collard of the ambush aftermath, the retaliation and the setting where it all takes place.
The story then moves to a dusty small Louisiana town, where, in a bar and eating a warm meal we see a man. There’s an air of mystery to him, he’s been living a life of solitude, avoiding people, keeping himself to himself, a wanderer with no place to go and aimlessly travelling around. He has turned his back on life, living on the fringes of society, the edge of the world. He is a man apart, only his horse for company, he could be the man with no name but, he’s not, he’s Jack Lark. A chance meeting, a random encounter with a couple of strangers in the town leads to an opportunity for Lark. He could have walked away, left the pair to the consequences of their actions but fate is a fickle mistress, he intervenes, steps in and saves them from an outnumbered gunfight. His actions lead to a job offer which he accepts, hired on by the leader of the gang and the wagon master, Brannigan as part of a gang contracted to escort a wagon train full of cotton from Texas to Matamoros, Mexico and then on the return journey with a shipment of ammunition and guns. It is time for Lark to return to the world, to the land of the living and, to once more find a purpose.
The Lost Outlaw is set in 1863 against the backdrop of the American Civil War. It is a dangerous time, a hard land populated by hard men and the only rule is the rule of the gun. The journey of hundreds of miles will be rife with danger, rival gangs, bandoleros, the army and others will all be after the wagon train and its valuable cargo. Suffice to say that there are twists and turns, betrayals, double-crosses and gunfights galore along the way.
Brannigan is ruthless and he uses people. To him, they are objects and when they are broken, of no more use he casts them aside. They aren’t human, they are a tool to be used and nothing more. He lacks any sense of loyalty but those who call him ‘leader’ are loyal to him. As the wagon train travels towards its destination Jack will need to be on his guard, not just from the potential attacks on the wagon train but from within Brannigan’s gang too.
Jack is originally from the East End of London, England. He is many miles and many years away from there now though and he is a veteran who has seen many conflicts from India to the US. He has learnt many lessons from his life. He is a fighter, no longer a soldier or an officer but he will always be a fighter. While you can take the soldier out of the army, you can’t take the soldier out of the person, out of Jack. He is a man who believes in fate, that trusts to it. He is determined, thoughtful and introspective. Events that have happened in his past, shape how he is now. There is a wry sense of humour to Jack and glimpses of anger, arrogance and pride in him too. He is his own man, he’s been through a lot, seen a lot, survived a lot, killed a lot and lost a lot too. There is a depth of character to him and he is an enigmatic main character.
Along with Jack Lark and Brannigan. There are Adam and Kat, the duo from the beginning of the adventure. Vaughan, a plantation agent who isn’t a fighting man but who works for the plantation owner (who has funded the wagon train) and is there at the behest of him. The Confederate Captain Dawson, his troops and Angel Santiago, the feared leader of the Los Angeles de la Muerte or ‘The Angels of Death’ the largest and most notorious gang in Mexico.
Collard is a tremendous storyteller and I felt like I had been transported back in time to 1863. It was like I was experiencing the events and living the story as it played out across the pages. The characters, the battles, the scenery, the setting and the locations all come to life on the pages of The Lost Outlaw. The rain falling, cascading down, the flashes of lightning, the scorching sun, the heat, arid and dry, the dusty air, the sounds of the wagon train, the mules, the horses, the sounds of men fighting, of gunfire, the smell of the gun powder, the dust, grime and grit of the trail. Collard doesn’t shy away from violence, showing the horrors of battle, of the inflicted wounds and there are some grisly and gruesome fight scenes included in The Lost Outlaw. There are also many standout moments and spectacular set-pieces (one on a riverbank where a storm breaks and another, a siege where the few defend against the many) and they are cinematic and heart-pounding. The action throughout is ferocious, the battles and the gunfights, bloody, vivid and visceral.
More often than not I am to be found with either a fantasy book or a thriller in my hands and The Lost Outlaw is somewhat different from what I usually read. However, it turned out to be a revelation as Collard immersed me in his work giving me an entertaining dose of the Old West and I found The Lost Outlaw to be an action-packed, brutal, compelling, fast-paced and gritty western.
You can also find this review on my blog The Tattooed Book Geek: https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress...
August 8, 2019
Dusty deserts, showdowns under the blistering sun, bloodthirsty bandoleros, rough whisky and rougher men. Bullets fly, emotions run high and treachery abounds in The Lost Outlaw. This is classic Jack Lark in a classic western. Paul Fraser Collard has done it again and delivered another exceptionally entertaining historical action adventure.
December 26, 2019
Jack continues to explore America and is face to face with the truth, that money rules man.
Slower in pace than some of the previous outings but this seems to be a conscious decision that not only allows Jack's journey to feel real but also allow further character development in both Jack and the people he meets
This book, like all of the Jack Lark books have a strong sense of authenticity combined with expert storytelling. They are compelling reads, fun yet grounded, dark yet with enough levity to keep the tale alive.
Paul has taken the feel and style of Premier authors like Cornwell but has well and truly made it into his own, Jack Lark can confidently stand shoulder to shoulder with Richard Sharpe
If this is your first encounter with Jack, treat yourself and start at the beginning
Slower in pace than some of the previous outings but this seems to be a conscious decision that not only allows Jack's journey to feel real but also allow further character development in both Jack and the people he meets
This book, like all of the Jack Lark books have a strong sense of authenticity combined with expert storytelling. They are compelling reads, fun yet grounded, dark yet with enough levity to keep the tale alive.
Paul has taken the feel and style of Premier authors like Cornwell but has well and truly made it into his own, Jack Lark can confidently stand shoulder to shoulder with Richard Sharpe
If this is your first encounter with Jack, treat yourself and start at the beginning
August 29, 2019
Great reading as always - keep 'em coming...
.
.
July 30, 2019
Highly recommended.
Probably the best Jack Lark yet, although there really hasn't been a bad one. In 'The Lost Outlaw', Jack is a soldier, then he isn't, and then he is again. Sort of, anyway. As the American Civil War drags on, Lark is done with proper soldiering after the mess at the Shiloh and decides to take a job escorting cotton south to the Mexican ports, where it can be sold to foreign governments and make it through the Union blockade of the South.
Fraser Collard really knows how to build the tension and his scene-setting details show great research. Lark, as a character, reminds me of Richard Sharpe, only a little on the darker side, and I can't wait to see where the former Scarlet Thief goes next.
Probably the best Jack Lark yet, although there really hasn't been a bad one. In 'The Lost Outlaw', Jack is a soldier, then he isn't, and then he is again. Sort of, anyway. As the American Civil War drags on, Lark is done with proper soldiering after the mess at the Shiloh and decides to take a job escorting cotton south to the Mexican ports, where it can be sold to foreign governments and make it through the Union blockade of the South.
Fraser Collard really knows how to build the tension and his scene-setting details show great research. Lark, as a character, reminds me of Richard Sharpe, only a little on the darker side, and I can't wait to see where the former Scarlet Thief goes next.
October 16, 2019
Having read all of paul fraser Collard novels of the adventures of jack lark i find this book to be a good read if you like to read the novels of BC and Richard Sharpe you will like these books if you have not started reading any by Mr Collard start know
November 14, 2021
A solid four star adventure for Jack, really enjoyed this.
March 11, 2020
In this eighth novel Jack Lark finds himself still in American during the Civil War, well kinda sorta.
1863 finds Jack in Natchitoches, Louisiana long before the Christmas Lights go up (sorry inside joke). Busted flat he's hoping to find any kind of job, but what he gets is one of the most dangerous events in his life, and there's been some.
He finds himself working for businessman named Brannigan who has an interesting business, moving a wagon train from Texas to Mexico to sell the cargo to the British in order to buy the latest weapons for the Southern army. Not up to the usual Lark leadership skills but he needs the money.
Lots of slips between, what seems to be easy but Mr. Brannigan has a few deadly tricks up his sleeve that not imperils the wagon train itself but Jack in particular.
I would agree that this is one the most violent and repulsive villain's that Jack has ever faced. In fact Jack and his new Confederate allies have their own Alamo battle to fight.
Alway interesting and historically well done. One wonders what will be next for Mister Lark ? Back to the Red Coat?
Like most all of Collard's books its highly recommended.
1863 finds Jack in Natchitoches, Louisiana long before the Christmas Lights go up (sorry inside joke). Busted flat he's hoping to find any kind of job, but what he gets is one of the most dangerous events in his life, and there's been some.
He finds himself working for businessman named Brannigan who has an interesting business, moving a wagon train from Texas to Mexico to sell the cargo to the British in order to buy the latest weapons for the Southern army. Not up to the usual Lark leadership skills but he needs the money.
Lots of slips between, what seems to be easy but Mr. Brannigan has a few deadly tricks up his sleeve that not imperils the wagon train itself but Jack in particular.
I would agree that this is one the most violent and repulsive villain's that Jack has ever faced. In fact Jack and his new Confederate allies have their own Alamo battle to fight.
Alway interesting and historically well done. One wonders what will be next for Mister Lark ? Back to the Red Coat?
Like most all of Collard's books its highly recommended.
April 12, 2020
8th entry in Paul Fraser Collard's 'Jack Lark' series - originally dubbed as The Talented Mr Ripley meets Sharpe - and, this time, we're in Wild West territory with Jack joining a cotton convoy down from the Southern US States into Mexico.
Jack remains as compelling an protagonist as ever, having now fought on both sides of the American Civil War and throughout the British colonies (the series started in Alma), although now his past is beginning to tell - he is no longer as cocksure, as certain of himself as before and is suffering from nightmares over all he has witnessed.
And, yes, the finale does very much resemble Rorke's Drift - even the author states as much!
Jack remains as compelling an protagonist as ever, having now fought on both sides of the American Civil War and throughout the British colonies (the series started in Alma), although now his past is beginning to tell - he is no longer as cocksure, as certain of himself as before and is suffering from nightmares over all he has witnessed.
And, yes, the finale does very much resemble Rorke's Drift - even the author states as much!
April 6, 2020
The Jack Lark stories just get better and better. Paul Fraser Collard is in a class of his own. A wonderful Western written by an Englishman.
August 22, 2021
For the better part of a year, Jack Lark has been drifting across the war-worn South, working small jobs as he needs and generally avoiding society. For most of his adult life, he's been a soldier, albeit one sometimes for hire -- having served in the French Foreign Legion, as well as foreign powers the world over, like an Indian prince. Most recently he came to the United States to deliver a letter for a fallen friend, and found his homeland's daughter country engaged in its own fracas, with its bitter feud already nearing three years old. The North's naval blockade of Southern trade has created something of an opportunity for Jack, though, a job helping to escort a wagon train of cotton worth its weight in gold to the Mexican town of Matamoros. Standing between him and a year's fortune are the Texas cavalry, which has a tendency to engage in independent taxation of trade routes; rival smugglers, who want a monopoly; Mexican bandits; and the French army, presently attempting to conquer Mexico to make the Empire gran again. It's....going to be a bloodbath, full of treachery and deceit across a wind-whipped sun-baked landscape.
The Lost Outlaw is ninth in the Jack Lark series, and it's...darker than ever, with an already thoroughly dispirited Jack being constantly betrayed and put in danger, and surviving through wit, luck, and the occasional act of honor made by someone who isn't him. These are vanishingly rare because the trope of the lawless, bloody west is being delivered to full effect here, with Jack embroiled in one desperate grapple after another. Although I've enjoyed this series enormously so far, and was especially drawn to this one because of the setting, here the constant stream of treachery, near-death, and by-the-skin-of-his-teeth salvation wore me out, frankly. I was relieved when Collard introduced some characters who weren't total scumbags. The book had its moments, though; Jack mentoring a young man in desperate straits, and the constant comedy provided by Jack wandering through southern Texas and Mexico and asking his chums if they had any tea.
The Lost Outlaw is ninth in the Jack Lark series, and it's...darker than ever, with an already thoroughly dispirited Jack being constantly betrayed and put in danger, and surviving through wit, luck, and the occasional act of honor made by someone who isn't him. These are vanishingly rare because the trope of the lawless, bloody west is being delivered to full effect here, with Jack embroiled in one desperate grapple after another. Although I've enjoyed this series enormously so far, and was especially drawn to this one because of the setting, here the constant stream of treachery, near-death, and by-the-skin-of-his-teeth salvation wore me out, frankly. I was relieved when Collard introduced some characters who weren't total scumbags. The book had its moments, though; Jack mentoring a young man in desperate straits, and the constant comedy provided by Jack wandering through southern Texas and Mexico and asking his chums if they had any tea.
October 24, 2021
It's a brave choice when an author steers away from their successful formula and puts their main character in new scenario, yet, it definitely worked a treat here. As always, the author's writing style made it wonderfully easy to jump straight back into the story at any time, although very difficult to put the book down.
April 27, 2024
It was not quite up to some of the earlier Jack Lark books as there was no imposter and less continuous tension. Some how, Jack came through again, but good for Mr C by not letting Jack have his evil way with Kat. She was too cunning for him. So on to the next installment, but hopefully this will be better than #08
November 23, 2024
Seguimos con las aventuras de Jack, esta vez vagando por el Oeste americano, hasta que le contratan para llevar una caravana a Mexico. La historia no está mal, pero ya son demasiadas veces que le dan por muerto… para seguir levantándose como si no le hubiese pasado nada. Quizás el autor se podría currar de otra manera el guión. Pero es entretenida la aventura. C
November 15, 2019
An alright read not much action till the end
Read
October 5, 2021Very good as usual
Read
April 11, 2022I’ve been following this character since he first took on his stolen identity as British Officer Jack Lark in book 1, The Scarlet Thief. This is the 8th entry in the series and quite possibly my favourite so far, but then again I’m a sucker for Old West stories having loved the old west movies since I was a kid and currently the proud owner of quite an extensive collection of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper, you name it I’ve seen it and loved it movies. I digress….back to the book
Having worn both the Union and the Confederate uniforms we now find Jack wandering the deep south at the tail end of his service in the American Civil War. Jack is a bitter man with no attachments and no purpose just trying to survive his situation in a foreign desolate place and he finds himself involved in a different sort of war with no rules of combat. Jack joins a band of men leading a wagon train of wealth into hell. With and amongst this motley crew, he comes up against truly evil men with no honour, Mexican bandoleros, the blistering desert sun and his own self reckoning in a story that stands tall in the style of the best of the Old West legends. The Lost Outlaw does not refrain from the violence and horror of no quarter, no rules fighting .
We do see some different retrospective character development in this entry. Jack is more solitaire then in the past books (if that’s even possible) and via his internal dialogue and self reflection he looks back on his past , questioning his choices and losses and at odds with who he has currently become and how far is he willing to go in this fight that really isn’t his or is it?
Surprised me to the very end , Truly Loved it!
Having worn both the Union and the Confederate uniforms we now find Jack wandering the deep south at the tail end of his service in the American Civil War. Jack is a bitter man with no attachments and no purpose just trying to survive his situation in a foreign desolate place and he finds himself involved in a different sort of war with no rules of combat. Jack joins a band of men leading a wagon train of wealth into hell. With and amongst this motley crew, he comes up against truly evil men with no honour, Mexican bandoleros, the blistering desert sun and his own self reckoning in a story that stands tall in the style of the best of the Old West legends. The Lost Outlaw does not refrain from the violence and horror of no quarter, no rules fighting .
We do see some different retrospective character development in this entry. Jack is more solitaire then in the past books (if that’s even possible) and via his internal dialogue and self reflection he looks back on his past , questioning his choices and losses and at odds with who he has currently become and how far is he willing to go in this fight that really isn’t his or is it?
Surprised me to the very end , Truly Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews