Firewind

Bill Pronzini,as befits a consummate professional,has penned a slick taut talethat neatly combines the Western with the disater novel."Austin Trace"the proprietor of the Big Tree Lumber Company,lost his son in action at White Bird Canyon (June 17th 1877)during the Nez Perce war and his wife,partly as the result of grief,some 3 months later.He is horrified at what he sees as undue leniency towards Chief Joseph shown by the authorities and assembles an army of merceneries ,and lays aside a stock of weaponry ready to send to Portland Oregon in order to obliterate the entire Nez Perce nation from the face of the planet,They are awaiting shipment at a crossing when "Clee Rudabaugh"and two henchmen arrive with the aim of stealing the weapons.They kidanap Trace and following a struggle the powder shed is ignited causing a roaring conflagration which is in addition to one already blazing away merrily in the nearby town of Pine Hill.In a Towering Inferno like scenario we are taken on white knuckle train ride as towsfolk try to outrun the engulfing flames,.Characters are sketched in neatly and effectively with a romantic triangle thrown in.(Personally,if surrounded by fire threatening to reduce me to a cinder,love would be the last thing on my mind!)There is plentiful lively action before the climax and readers will assuredly not find this crisp novel in any way shape or form dull.It is streamlined and machine tooled story telling and delivers in fullRead it to experience the joys of narrative and pace