Sunday, March 29, 2015

Ironhorse, by Robert Knott

Robert B. Parker's Ironhorse, by Robert Knott

The trend of writers continuing other author's work after their death is becoming more and more common. Here, Robert B. Parker's Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are given new life. I haven't actually read any of these books, so oddly my first introduction to Parker's characters is in a book not actually written by Parker.

The story is solid but not exceptional; two lawmen in the old west find themselves in the middle of a train hijacking and of course deliver their own brand of justice. The action is constant and driving, with Cole and Hitch coming off like John McClane and Casey Ryback, victorious in the face of long odds. Heavy dialog (including gems like, "Luck is most often accompanied with knowing what you are doing") and sparse descriptions make this feel more like a movie script rather than a novel; fitting in that the author is also an actor and screenwriter, in fact writing the movie adaption of the first Cole and Hitch novel, Appaloosa. Entertaining but not deep, this is a fun read and a good escape for a couple of hours.

First Sentence:
Virgil was sullen.

1 comment:

Customer recommendations for Austin Towing said...

What a great trip down the tracks with Hitch and Cole. I was very excited to start this novel and I was turning the pages with delight as we rolled down the tracks with new and old characters. Robert Knott has a truly amazing voice for the Western ways and captures an even deeper friendship than I thought he would with Hitch and Cole. Awesome read! I hope there are more to come.

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