Longarm and the Golden Goddess

A different slant on a Longarm saga. Aren't they all somewhat different? That's what has kept this series so popular for all these years. Actually ,this episode has matured quite well.It was published exactly 7 years ago, in August 2000. Just because it isn't new,don't let that bother you as these yarns are timeless;and the older ones read as good as the newer ones. In this episode we see our hero,Longarm taking on quite a different role;that being a bodyguard for a rich Englishman,Sir Harry Blackstreet and his Niece Alice Channing on their visit to America for some real high powered wheeling and dealing. The job of bodyguard quickly turns into one including private eye and mystery solving. The story has a bit too much of the "Whodunnit" flavor for my liking ;but I still enjoyed it;as would anyone who likes some Mystery thrown into their Westerns. The srory reads much like a mystery and doesn't have the expressions and conversation that one gets in a lot of Westerns.There are several interesting characters developed; but these are quite different than the types Curtis usually meets up in his travels throughout the Old West. If you have read Larry McMurtry's "Berrybender Narratives" ,you'll recognize that the some of the characters are somewhat similar. It's not too often that I have to turn to the dictionary,reading these novels,but there were a couple of words that sent me searching. "Indubitably" meaning with certainty. and, "Catamite" this is an old west term going back to the 1890's.It was used to describe a young hobo,usually in the company of an older tramp;or a young boy who has sexual relations with an older man. Longarm usually meets up with some interesting ladies of the Old West;but will he ever find the Golden Goddess?

Some twists and turns. Was highly entertaining and easy reading.