Call Me Lonesome

Morgan Clyde #2

by Brett Cogburn

Two-time Spur Award winner Brett Cogburn brings back the true grit and glory of the Wild West with his second post-Civil War thriller featuring New York City policeman-turned M&K Railroad lawman Morgan Clyde…


With a storm of hot lead he brought peace to the blood-drenched, lawless Ironhead Station, deep in the wilds of Indian Territory. Now Morgan Clyde, who fought criminals as a New York City policeman and Confederates as a Union soldier, has another war on his hands.

WANTED DEAD AND BURIED

The bloody barbarism of the Civil War scarred Morgan’s soul as well as his body. He sent so many soldiers to Hell and almost joined them when he was struck by a bullet from the sniper known as the Arkansas Traveler. The only man to ever survive the notorious Rebel’s sharpshooting skills, Morgan finds himself back in the assassin’s sights.

But the ex-Confederate isn’t the only one gunning for Morgan. The outlaw Kingman brothers have followed him from Ironhead Station out onto the Salt Plains of the Arkansas River, seeking vengeance for their brother who Morgan killed in a gunfight. Then there’s the Pinkerton Detective agents, answerable to no law but their own, on a mission to execute him.

And as his enemies close in, Morgan strikes with the speed of a rattlesnake, the ferocity of a grizzly, and the predatory instinct of a stalking wolf…

Genres: Westerns

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published April 26, 2022

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.
I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it quite a bit. This second book was only okay.
Author Brett Cogburn has a great character in Morgan Clyde.
This book just didn’t seem to do him any justice. His one man battle against the assassin known as The Traveler just left me kind of bored.
To my mind, the author redeemed my lack of interest for the beginning with a mostly satisfying ending.
I can say that I’m in for the author’s next book.

[Harrison Hibbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took awhile to get the story started. I haven't read the first book and this one felt like half the book was recapping the first. It was very enjoyable after that though! Unfortunately, his views on women were gross and unnecessary. Every woman was a "whore" or got raped, no normal everyday woman just making it by.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thus far, I have found NO Western writer who comes closer to the REAL west than Brett Cogburn. This guy takes his time to get the setting, the dialogue, the people, the equestrianship, and the weapons 100% correct. Into that very carefully crafted setting he inserts a plot designed to keep the story moving at a fast pace. The plotting is both interesting and realistic, keeping true to the period.

First, I have to praise the author's understanding that everybody in the old west did not carry a revolver designed by Mr. Colt or a rifle bearing the Winchester emblem. The author introduces weapons that drive this reader to the internet to check his research, which is always spot on.

The only complaint I have about this particular installment is the title. The title implies that the story revolves around Morgan Clyde, the Hero from "Smoke Wagon." While a major component of the story revolves around Morgan's "duel" out in the wilderness with the man called the "Traveller" that was introduced in the first book, the story is so much DEEPER and BETTER than that. This is more than a story about Morgan Clyde-- it is a story about the building of a railroad (THE MK&T) and the people working at the railhead or seeking to exploit the workers there. This is much more than the settling of a long-standing feud story-- it is about the building of the west.

Cogburn is an expert when it comes to writing western novels. They are far and away much better and deeper than the usual western formulaic novels. He manages to portray the continued bitterness stemming from the Civil War, the competition of those involved in vice, and even teaches a lesson about building the railroad. There is a great scene where Clyde meets a railroad man who speaks of the difference between those who are actually involved in building the railroad and those who are using the railroad as a cash machine to sell stock, etc. Cogburn demonstates both types of these people. He also demonstrates those who want to use their size and reputation to intimidate others and the efforts others go to avoid trouble.

This is a GREAT novel. If you like westerns at all, Brett Cogburn is your man.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call Me Lonesome by Brett Cogburn
Morgan Clyde #2

Morgan Clyde gave up his star to play cat and mouse with a killer…who is prey and who predator AND who will win in the end?

What I liked:
* The gritty real feel of the story
* Morgan Clyde: intriguing man that I want to know better, lethal, quick, intelligent, capable, and a whole lot more.
* Dixie Rayburn: chief of railroad police after Clyde resigned, survivor, talkative, good man, hope to see more of him in the future
* Molly O’Flanagan: Irish immigrant, survivor, prostitute, addict, has dreams, wants revenge, difficult backstory, wonder what will happen to her as the story progresses
* Saul the cook and Hannah his fiancée: a couple that met years before and married for a short while in this story
* The Bickford family: blacksmith father, laundress mother, looking for a future in the west
* Sergeant Harjo and the Creek Lighthorse
* That the bad guys, and there were several, were eventually thwarted
* Wondering what will happen next in the series – Where will Morgan Clyde go next? Will he work for the railroad again? Will he return to Ironhead?

What I didn’t like:
* Exactly what and who I was meant not to
* Knowing that the evil in this book is all too real and likely to happen in the world…now and also back when this story took place

Note: The story had more than one thread that had me hopping from one to the other sometimes skipping ahead to find out what would happen. I never really warmed up to any of the characters but might over time.

Did I enjoy this book? For the most part
Would I read another book in this series? I believe so

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Pinnacle for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

[Shawn Cote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only is Call Me Lonesome a solid follow-up to Brett Cogburn’s first Morgan Clyde novel, Smoke Wagon, it is, by and large, a more satisfying read. What it is not is a standalone novel, which means that in order to make sense of the action and characters, it may be a good idea to read the first book before diving into this one.

That’s a suggestion, not a complaint.

One reason the sequel is more rewarding than its precursor is that it manages to tie up most of that novel’s numerous loose ends, while at the same time telling a story that is every bit as engaging as the one that prefigured it. If anything, Cogburn deepens his approach this time around, giving most of his major and secondary characters added depth. I admit this is only the third Cogburn novel I have read, but that’s enough to appreciate how better and more accomplished a writer he has become in a relatively short time. He’s so good, in fact, that it probably isn’t necessary for the marketing machine behind him to keep reminding readers that he is the great-grandson of the real Rooster Cogburn, an accident of birth that has nothing to do with his writing ability. As brand recognition, his lineage doesn’t really doesn’t mean that much this far into his career, and it may even be more liability than asset. His most recent novels are more than capable of succeeding without the ubiquitous “roosterism,” as it were.

As traditional westerns go, the first two Morgan Clyde books are as good as any I’ve read in recent years, and I am definitely looking forward to the next installment. If you’re a western buff looking looking for a binge-worthy series, you could do worse.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one. I am liking this series. Smoothly follows the characters from the first in the series. Great grandson of the O.G. Rooster I believe for the author? He really does a good job of painting scenes for the reader to visually create the scene from the words. I also like the characters. They seem somewhat hard around the edges yet so real. Yes I am enjoying the series and look forward to the next one up. Take care all and be good to each other and much love till the next one. Out.

[Beth Andre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, it's rough! I've read both his books, and though they're violent, I imagine they are pretty true to what life in a railroad camp was back then. Eastern OK is still Indian territory except for Tulsa and it's still vast and empty.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second western and I see why Lonesome Dove is considered the best. This had some good characters but was a bit hard to get through

[Bre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call Me Lonesome by Brett Cogburn
Yall, I felt like I time traveled back to the wild west days when I was reading this book. Cogburn did such an amazing job on writing the scenes and characters. I felt like I was there riding or walking along beside the characters. I will say that this book was brutal and somewhat gruesome. And the game of cat and mouse with the Traveler and Morgan had me on the edge of my seat. I was even holding my breath at the end. Ughh and the ending! I can't wait for book 3 now. Especially with how book 2 ended. I wish that Molly got her revenge on Duvall. Even though that he met his demise, I was hoping that it would be at her hands. Especially with what he did to her and several other women. None the less he got what he deserved. Other than that the book was really good!!
Overall 4 stars