Longarm 233: Longarm and the Branded Beauty

This episode of Longarm takes place in and around the towns of Auburn,Newcastle and Placerville;about 30 miles northwest of Sacramento,California.It is a good fast moving tale with some real good characters and scenes of the Old West.The writer of this episode has come up with a real good storyline;however,just when he gets to a situation where we can expect some extended action,he wraps things up all too quickly. Same with his characters;potentially real good,but more development and a lot more colorful language and Old West expressions ,would have improved the reading. I am a big fan of the cover art on these episodes and this one deserves a bit of comment. Generally,the covers were far superior in the early years of this series. I was pleased with this cover,especially the scene of the lynching.However; as the story developed,disappointment set in. The scene of a large number standing around with one body hanging from a tree doesn't add up. The lynching took place at night ,"The park was ablaze with uplifted torches,and it was a scene straight from H---.Three of the prisoners were still violently kicking their way into eternity,their necks twisted at grotesque angles.Their hands had been tied behind their backs,but their legs were loose and churning madly as if they were trying to outrun Satan himself." This is hardly the daytime lynch scene we see on the cover.I suspect this was a scene of a photograph from a hanging in the Deep South and the attire of the crowd looks out of place in their fine attire,all with hats,and anything but an unruly drunken mob with torches...and only one victim.A much better effort should be forthcoming from the "Art Department". The writer comes up with great lines like these; "When a good lawman takes an oath to uphold the law,he isn't about to allow a lynch mob to have its way.Our oath of office means as much to Pete and me as your Hippocratic oath does to you." And , "You lawmen are all the same." William choked."You got the badge,but you're no different than those of us who crossed to the other side and broke the rules.There just ain't a single cent's worth of difference between you and me!" "Yeah,there is,"Longarm told the ranting prisoner,"The difference is that I'm going on vacation and you're going to the gallows."