The Stranglers

I like reading westerns from time to time and keep a stash of them in my library so that I can lay my hands on them when I need my "Western Fix." Loren D. Estleman fulfills my needs, in particular with this series which includes The The High Rocks (Page Murdock, US Deputy Marshall, Book 1), Stamping Ground (Page Murdock, US Deputy Marshall, Book 2), Murdock's Law (Page Murdock, US Deputy Marshall, Book 3) and now this offering, The Stranglers (Page Murdock, US Deputy Marshall, Book 4). I like my reading in this particular genre to be fast moving with plenty of action; again, this book and this series meets that criteria in spades. In this tale of the Old West, we continue to follow the exploits of Deputy Page Murdock. Murdock, to be honest, is just slightly nicer than the "bad guys" he tracks down and brings to justice. There is little distinction between the title of Deputy Marshall and "Bounty Hunter," in the case of Murdock. I like that; swift, old time western justice with not that much regard to existing laws, such as they were at that time. The setting is near Helena Montana in the late 1800s. Through a series of incidents, Murdock finds himself tracking down and attempting to bring to justice a group of very bad people who make a habit of dealing brutally with lawmen who go after them...i.e. they hang them...and not quickly either! I love the opening paragraph in this work: "You hear some grotesque things about what happens to a man when he's hanged; how his face turns black and his neck stretches to three feet and he soils himself, and it's all true, except you never hear about the smell." This book, written and published in 1984 is actually quite well written. The reader must be warned though that the body count in this one is quite high, the scenes are rather graphic and brutal and before you really get to know some of the characters, and most of them are quite well done, they get killed off. There is absolutely no sex or love interests in this work, so if that is a requirement in your westerns, then look elsewhere. As to the main characters...most are quite like believable and the amazing thing about this work is that the author has been able to tell you quite a bit about them (as has been pointed out...most are quite likeable) with a minimum of words. Good tight writing here. The entire fast paced story has sort of a gritty feeling to it which is another aspect of the book I like. The work is presented in a first person form in the mode of a story teller. This is quite effective with this particular tale. All in all, if you want a fast moving story of the old west (remember that as with most of this type of book, the truth of the situation may perhaps have been embellished just a bit here and there...hey, this is fiction meant to entertain!), then this would be a good selection. The first three novels in the series need not be read to appreciate this one. It is a fast read. This is good stuff here if this is y

I lose interest in books quickly, so if they start out slowly, I don't finish 'em. The Stranglers, however caused me to lose some sleep. It got me hooked early and kept my interest til I finished it off. I enjoyed the authors use of western jargon and the little bit of history that he injected into the story. The story takes place in Montana circa 1880s where US Deputy/bounty hunter Page Murdock is after a small band of desperados who are torturing and killing the lawmen sent out to capture them. Murdock also runs into corruption and heroism as he attempts to subdue the villains. The story line is alittle predictable, but the characters Estleman introduces are likable, interesting or despicable enough to keep my interest. There is no romance in the book and some of the scenes are pretty graphic. The thing I appreciated most about the book was the way it moved along. It went from here to there quickly and characters died off at an alarming rate.