What do you think?
Rate this book
Rakeheart
Rakeheart, Wyoming, is a frontier town with troubles. Murders. Violence. Deceit.
Into its crosscurrents comes Kane, a troubleshooter sent west by Gen. William Sherman to learn why valued ex-army officer Jared Wilkins was found shot to death on his farm. Kane encounters hostility at every turn. The rancher’s widow emerges as his prime suspect even as the townspeople who ask him to become sheriff make it clear they, too, are playing a deceitful game.
As Kane tries to impose law and order on a town that has its own purposes at heart, he struggles to plumb the depths of Rachel Wilkins, the Comanche widow who holds tightly to her own secrets and views Kane with suspicion.
A new murder, an old one, and a trail of deception leave Kane looking for answers as he faces down the raw violence of a gang that will not easily be cowed, and that makes it clear that it will do whatever is necessary to impose its will on Rakeheart, and to ride roughshod over anyone who gets in their way.
When the violence erupts beyond anything Kane can control, he is left with no allies except Rachel as he faces the choice of riding away to leave his task undone, or fighting odds and enemies he cannot defeat.
In a world of uneasy alliances, Kane and Rachel take the fight to the town in one fiery battle for the future, and the soul, of Rakeheart.
Into its crosscurrents comes Kane, a troubleshooter sent west by Gen. William Sherman to learn why valued ex-army officer Jared Wilkins was found shot to death on his farm. Kane encounters hostility at every turn. The rancher’s widow emerges as his prime suspect even as the townspeople who ask him to become sheriff make it clear they, too, are playing a deceitful game.
As Kane tries to impose law and order on a town that has its own purposes at heart, he struggles to plumb the depths of Rachel Wilkins, the Comanche widow who holds tightly to her own secrets and views Kane with suspicion.
A new murder, an old one, and a trail of deception leave Kane looking for answers as he faces down the raw violence of a gang that will not easily be cowed, and that makes it clear that it will do whatever is necessary to impose its will on Rakeheart, and to ride roughshod over anyone who gets in their way.
When the violence erupts beyond anything Kane can control, he is left with no allies except Rachel as he faces the choice of riding away to leave his task undone, or fighting odds and enemies he cannot defeat.
In a world of uneasy alliances, Kane and Rachel take the fight to the town in one fiery battle for the future, and the soul, of Rakeheart.
Unknown Binding
1 person want to read
About the author
Rusty Davis
6 books3 followersRusty Davis writes westerns for the same reason people read them: because no matter how high the commitments are piled, there is always a place to go where the wind blows free, the sunset is a whole sky wide, and there is a good horse waiting to take you there. Rusty writes about the men and women who battle to preserve their freedom. Rusty has embraced upon a series focusing on the Northern Cheyenne, Oglala and Blackfoot Indians.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
Want to read
June 19, 2019A review from Booklist:
Rakeheart 's main gunslinger, Kane, is a confidante of General William Tecumseh Sherman, so the social and economic tensions of the era are easily identifiable, and the novel is infused with a sense of historical solemnity. At the request of Sherman, Kane travels to Rakeheart, a town in the Wyoming Territory, to investigate a murder. As Kane studies the facts, the potential list of suspects seems to narrow. Within a few short months, however, he uncovers a conspiracy of violence that will shake even the U.S. Army to its core. Though there are clues sprinkled throughout the text, it’s a challenge to identify the mastermind behind the vicious plan. Readers are introduced to the usual cast (a loathsome saloon owner, a scheming bank manager, carousing cowboys, town drunks), yet Davis (Black Wind Pass, 2017) crafts them delicately. He is especially careful with the women: they are simultaneously world-weary yet perceptive and kind. Using terse sentences and gruff vernacular, Davis offers a window into Kane’s motivation while inching the plot to its grand showdown.
Rakeheart 's main gunslinger, Kane, is a confidante of General William Tecumseh Sherman, so the social and economic tensions of the era are easily identifiable, and the novel is infused with a sense of historical solemnity. At the request of Sherman, Kane travels to Rakeheart, a town in the Wyoming Territory, to investigate a murder. As Kane studies the facts, the potential list of suspects seems to narrow. Within a few short months, however, he uncovers a conspiracy of violence that will shake even the U.S. Army to its core. Though there are clues sprinkled throughout the text, it’s a challenge to identify the mastermind behind the vicious plan. Readers are introduced to the usual cast (a loathsome saloon owner, a scheming bank manager, carousing cowboys, town drunks), yet Davis (Black Wind Pass, 2017) crafts them delicately. He is especially careful with the women: they are simultaneously world-weary yet perceptive and kind. Using terse sentences and gruff vernacular, Davis offers a window into Kane’s motivation while inching the plot to its grand showdown.
Displaying 1 of 1 review