Riding with the Devil's Mistress

The review before does a real good job of telling what this tale is all about ;so I won't repeat. This is the second book of Peter Brandvold's that I've read ;and I found it just as good as the first; "The Devil Gets His Due".See my review of July 15,2006. Louisa Bonaventure played a big part in it,but it was actually in this book that Lou Prophet first came across this little Hellcat,Vengence Queen,or as she is called in this case "Devil's Mistress". Although I probably should have read this book first,it really doesn't matter a whole lot as both tales can stand alone. Again,I like my westerns to stick with being a western and not drift into being a mystery. With this yarn,Brandvold lets us know exactly who the bad guys are and sets about writing a true western,and stays focused on the pursuit. He gives us lots of interesting experiences along the way.We get introduced to several Old West characters and towns ;and in such well written detail that we almost feel as if we were there.In my books,that is what a western should do. Peter's writing holds your interest,and it is difficult to put his book down,once you get started. Take this for example; "Climb up on that horse and put your head through that noose." "I...I ain't climbin' up on no horse...and I ain't stickin' my neck through no noose,Little Miss." "You'll die now,then." "Wait a minute now.You don't wanna do this." "I'm going to give you to the count of three,then I'm going to sink one forty-five caliber slug through your lung and leave you to choke to death in your own blood." "And if you call out to your friend,again reading his mind, the last word will not have died from your lips before I've killed you deader than a widow's husband." "Well, what good's it gonna do me to get up on that horse? You're gonna kill me one way or another!" "It will give you several more precious seconds to breathe the air and reflect on your life. Maybe even a minute or two. We humans do cling to life so,when the chips are down. Seconds can feel like hours." "It's your choice. You can die slowly now,choking on your own bodily fluids,or you can have the few extra minutes it takes you to climb into the saddle and tighten the noose around your neck." "I'm going to start counting now." .... And the tale continues.... In my books,westerns don't get much better than that.

Lou Prophet rides in to Luther Falls with the bodies of two outlaws drapped across their saddles. Then he finds out he has to wait a week to collect the bounty from Wyatte Earp for the two hombres Wyatte sent him after. One day Lou is relaxing in a saloon when gun shots erupt in the normally quiet town. When the gun smoke has cleared, a hold up has taken place, two citizens & the sheriff have been gunned down and a girl is kidnapped. The result is Prophet's relaxed wait in Luther Falls is over as he is the only one available to go after the gang and bring the girl back. While in the town of Campbell, Lou finds an unlikely ally in Louisa Bonaventure. Louisa's family was murdered by the same Red River Gang in Nebraska Territory and has been on their trail for a year. In that time Louisa has dispatched several gang members. What bothers Lou about his new "partner" is the fact she is only seventeen. RIDING WITH THE DEVIL'S MISTRESS is another MUST READ from Peter Brandvold and a refreshing western set in the Dakota Territory.