Mel Odom – Rancho Diablo Omnibus – Reviewed 5/16/20 – Read 5/10-12/20
Scouting has been good, but a man needs roots for his family, even if he must fight for it!
Sam Blaylock had been working for the Army as a scout, and as such, it had taken him all over the west. During those travels, he had kept his eye out for the one place that he could put down roots. Where he could build a home for the future and a place where he could defend his family and keep them safe. Jenny and the kids had waited a long time, but the day that he rode into Shooter’s Cross and heard that Diablo Canyon was for sale, he had to check it out. It was everything that he was looking for. Even though the locals thought it to be haunted, due to the last owner hanging himself after he lost his family. With the strong smell of the devil's brimstone hanging over the valley, he thought the place had been aptly named. He knew something that obviously others that had passed on buying did not know. The smell could be taken care of, but it would take lots of work. That was where his best friends came in. They all had agreed that when Sam found the right place, the three of them would do everything together to make it their homes.
Now, while Sam was taking all of this in, and dreaming how it could all be, trouble was looking for Sam. And it was not the deserters that he had come to Shooter’s Cross to find. Apparently, while Sam had been discussing the possibility of buying Rancho Diablo, 5 men were taking in the fact that Sam would most likely be carrying lots of money. They figured to relieve him of that terrible responsibility. Of course, Sam did not want to hurt or kill anyone, he cursed himself for not being more careful. In his business not being careful could get you killed! Now the story begins….
Rancho Diablo Western Series: Omnibus includes – Shooter's Cross, Hell on Wheels, The Hold Up, The Matamoros Bull, The Armadillo's Hole Saloon, and Shooter York.
What did I like? I think anyone that has ever read any of my reviews knows that I love a man with values, and even better when those values involve family. This book has all of that and more. Throw in the camaraderie of the friends and add lots of gunplay and you have this book in a nutshell! LOL When you read as much as I do, it is hard to write reviews that do justice for a book. Sure, I can say, it was great, and it sure is! But every book has that something about it that makes it incredibly special, just as this one does. The storylines are fantastic, but it is the characters in this book that does it. The three men are so unique and special. I can remember my great grandfather telling me about army scouts and the work that they did in helping tame the west. They kept men from being killed and got them where they were going. When you add the way that the three men worked together, each with their own stories, each with their miseries, each with their pasts, add that all up and now you have got a great book!
What will you like? Exciting action, excellent storylines, fantastic characters, a dash of humor, unique animals, and enough reading to keep your nose in the book for hours. Lots of descriptions of the places, people, and action making each story come alive in your mind. Details that show the research and knowledge to keep the storylines interesting and extraordinary. The Blaylock family is not unusual for the times, they are exceptional! Devoted to each other, standing behind their word, and their friends, no matter what. It was men and families with values like these, that made the country what it is today. An awesome read and book that you can proudly add to your western library, that will be available on May 20th.
• File Size: 3836 KB
• Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing (May 20, 2020)
• Publication Date: May 20, 2020
• ASIN: B0886MQB68
• Genre: Western, Western Fiction Classics, Classic Literature & Fiction