Staring Down the Devil

This novel was published in October 2004,but like any well written Western,it is great reading even if read years later. Peter Brandvold writes westerns as good as any author around. He has a vast knowledge of the west and even spent years working in the enviroment.His personal experience of working on ranches has given him both the knowledge and passion of life in the west and it shows when he writes about it. He takes his personal experience and uses it in writing stories and developing characters of the Old West. In this story we meet up with a character who we got to know from other of his novels. Lou Prophet is not a Gunslinger,but he can match any he meets. He is not a Lawman,but he can hunt down any owlhoot,and bring him to justice. He is not an Indian,but he knows their ways and can take them on at their own terms and teach them a few lessons.What he is ,is a Bounty Hunter of the first order. Tough but fair,ruthless when dealing with the bad guys ,but gentle and caring when dealing with the good people.He grew up in Georgia ,but at same time is as at home in the Old West as the natives.Peter introduces a lot of History,Flora and Fauna ,and lifestyle of the Old West into his stories. This gives the reader a feeling of traveling right along with his characters. One of Lou's favorite friends is Louisa Bonaventure,who we have met in other novels.She is on her own mission of revenging the gang that murdered her family.She can hold her own against the worst of them and she and Lou have a lot of respect for each other and have done some traveling and hunting together.It looked like we were going to see them teamed up again in this tale,but,alas! they meet only briefly this time. In this story we find Lou taking on a job of helping a wealthy Russian Countess and her Russian Aide in tracking down the Countesse's sister who has taken off with a treasure map,gone into some of the worst areas of the Old West, and is now missing. Peter writes a great story,full of action that is hard to put down until you reach the end. Not only is it a rip-roaring saga,but it is also filled with notable descriptions and expressions.For example; "Hell,I ain't a troubled man. Now a wife and kids-they'd trouble me." " He had nothing against gunpowder in his ammunition,but he'd never been partial to it in his whiskey." At the end we are left with; "As Prophet rode,he threw his head back,singing," Jeff Davis built a wagon and on it put a name. Beauregard was the driver and Seccession was the name..." If it's a good Western you're looking for; try this one, it's got all the stuff that makes a splendid read.