Play Book Tag discussion

Atmospheric, excellent western thriller, set in the High Sierra mountains of California, near Reno and Yosemite. It is chock-full of action-adventure too! Ex-sniper vet Tommy, returned recently from 2 tours, is clearing trail with his long-time friend and co-worker Lester when they come across a plane crash sight and body that is certainly a billionaire who went missing months earlier while on a solo flight in a snow storm. Tommy is an old soul, taciturn, seeming far older than his 25 years. Lester is like a rambunctious pup, happy-go-lucky, seeming far younger than his 25 years. Odd couple as they may be, there is no question of the closeness, brotherhood, and real commeraderie that exists between these two. That is key to what otherwise would be just another thriller involving drug dealers, money, and a high body count before the good guys prevail.

Their different maturities and that brotherhood are also critical to the plot, as certain irresponsible and immature actions by Lester when they find the crash site, and Tommy's insistence that Lester undo those acts before they officially report finding the crash site and body. Lester and his girlfriend see a chance to 'get in on the money' by tipping off the billionaire's grieving widow and ne'er-do-well son, erroneously thinking one or both would be grateful monetarily that the billionaire's body has been located, thus allowing his estate to devolve into their hands. Instead, terrible things are set in motion.

Make no mistake, this is a thriller, with death stalking just about every page. Yet it is the truest western I have read in years, from the vocabulary, to the characters met, to the descriptions of riding the trails and caring for the horses. The descriptions of the scenery often leave you breathless, as if you are seeing it yourself. But for all its strengths, I have grumbles. A glossary for the western and horse terms would have helped this urbanite, especially as Google failed me more than once. Too many parts of Tommy's background are hinted at and not really explained,nor did they necessarily need to be incorporated. And it just kind of ended. It was like the author hit a certain body count, then just ended the story.

On the other hand, the next western thriller from this author also features Tommy. Obviously this is the debut of a series. I say bring 'em on!

That sounds interesting, I think I'll add it to my wish list

Great review! I never would have put thriller and western together but it sounds like a perfect combination.