Massacre at Pilgrims' Pass

This book was recommended to me and I was quite skeptical because this genre does not interest me at all. Needless to say, this was my first western and it has set a high standard for others that I may read. As an earlier reviewer stated, it indeed has a bit of everything in it which I enjoyed. It definitely kept my attention throughout. I think its strengths are its character development and message of commitment and duty to family. I hadn't thought of the movie option as mentioned in another review, but would agree that it would be a great story to tell on the widescreen.

I love westerns and this story had it all! Cowboys, Indians, good guys, bad guys, gunfights, family devotion and sacrifice. Sex, love, betrayal and the will to fight and live! Interesting story. Makes you want to turn the page! Stayed up late several nights in a row to find out "what happens next?" Would love to see more on Sylvester and Desert Flower. Possibly a sequel? Many twists and surprises! Who will survive in the trials and hardships of the Wild West? You will just have to read and find out! Great book!

For someone who doesn't usually enjoy anything much in the area of Westerns, I truly did enjoy this book. It captivates from the very beginning and doesn't let go until the last word on the last page. It reads very quickly and there are a lot of surpising plot twists which make it that much more enjoyable. It gives the reader a lot to think about in terms of the harshness of life at this time in history and also the clash of cultures and ideas. It is interesting to follow the changes in the character's personalities throughout the course of the story. The challenges they face reflect the people they are becoming. Watching the transformation creates authenticity in the characters and hope on the reader's part that they will be successful in their ventures.

Wow. A very exciting and unpredictable story. A fast read. Couldn't put it down. Recommended to me by a friend. I was reluctant because I usually don't read Westerns. Best fiction I've read in a long time. Great character development - they evolve throughout the story. Many twists and surprises. Love, hate, loyalty, sacrifice and betrayal - it's all there. You become emotionally involved with the characters. Some I liked, some I hated, but all were interesting. Great book. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading fiction.

This book was recommended to my husband by a friend of his. My husband read it and had high praise for it and told me he thought I would like it too. I was skeptical because I generally do not like westerns, and this one sounded particularly gruesome due to its title. My husband, however, was quite insistent that I would like it, so I gave it a try. To my surprise, it turned out to be an excellent book, so good in fact that I stayed up much past my usual bedtime one night to finish it. While it does have some violent parts, Massacre at Pilgrim's Pass went far beyond my image of the typical bloody, brutal western. In fact, it had all of the elements that I look for in a book - an engaging writing style, likeable protagonists who are faced with complex, life-altering decisions, a fast-paced, absorbing storyline with several unexpected plot twists and believable dialog containing a nice mix of humor and poignancy. As a woman, I was particularly surprised by the depth and engaging nature of the romantic sub-plots interwoven throughout the book as well as by the dynamics and complexity of the relationships between the various characters. I would recommend this book to individuals who, like my husband, enjoy westerns. My husband felt that it conveyed a particularly good sense of life in the West in the 1800's. Moreover though, I would also recommend this book to people who, like me, generally do not read westerns and are simply seeking a book which explores human relationships in their many and varied forms.