The Guns of Sapinero

The Guns of Sapinero opens with a scene right out of the Spaghetti West. Two mules are pulling a wagon with a grisly cargo along a trail in the Lunatic mountains. Young ranch-hand Colter Farrow discovers his adoptive father has been crucified, nailed to the bed of the wagon. Colter heads out to the town of Sapinero to discover who killed his father and why. Peter Brandvold wrote this one under his pen name, Frank Leslie. I'm not clear on why he uses a pen name, as it is a pretty open secret and the style is no different. This book has all of Brandvold's trademark touches. Gritty, violent and well written action, quirky and unusual secondary characters and an innocent hero who is corrupted by a thirst for vengeance and, unfortunately, repetitive use of certain phrases. Whenever Colter would think of his adopted family back in the Lunatics, the description was exactly the same. His young sister, for instance, was always referred to as 'little May'. I think Peter Brandvold just needs a better editor. Really, that's my only real quibble with the book. The Guns of Sapinero is the best Brandvold book I've read so far. The action is well handled and visceral, the settings are pretty interesting and Colt's final, blazing revenge is masterfully done. I believe it is the first in a series and (assuming it is) I will be picking up the rest of Colter Farrow's adventures. I also want to say that the cover for this book is fantastic. Lately, pulp westerns have had some awful covers. Photoshopped pictures of cowboys that are usually pretty hokey. The Guns of Sapinero's bright red cover reminds me of the style of the Italian westerns. I hope this cover artist sticks with the series.