What makes a good book? Intriguing plot that develops. Great characters. Descriptive scenes. Good beginning. Good dialogue. Genre the reader enjoys. So try Wyoming when it was still a territory and the year is 1876. The character is Hawk, a U.S. Marshal, full name — John Hawking. His two deputies are Ensio Cooper & Paisley O’Brien. Paisley!?! Not a man’s name which is good since Paisley is a woman. And her accuracy with a gun is excellent. Now you have the principal good guys.
A good Western needs bad guys. Oh, I forgot good guy Cade O’Brien, a well-known lawman, and Paisley’s husband. Now back to the bad guys. Rod Carlisle and Happ Minor whose wanted posters are accurate in appearance. Rod & Happ were just the gofers.
We need a damsel in distress. Enter Liesl Hodges, age 23. Her father is the sheriff of Sand Creek and you will notice I do NOT have him listed in the good guys. Liesl is a brave young woman. Gutsy. Which needs every bit of fortitude to survive. And make sure her mother is not hurt in the process. Her father and his poker buddies had dirty hands and Liesl knew it. The trick was not to let her father, who was known to be vicious when crossed, or any of the poker players know it.
Wyoming Wild has all the ingredients of a good book. I enjoyed every minute of the read. The plot is robust. It’s not a 30-minute TV western of the 1950s. This would be a great movie. The story could have been a 100-125 page book but then the reader would know what was going to happen before they turned the next page. All I will tell you is this story is a page-turner with some unexpected things thrown in.
This book was to be reviewed in early 2023 and health issues prevented it from even being read until this year. If you like American West historical novels, this is a gotta-read-it for you. Wyoming Wild has romance, but the plot is about bad men passing as town leaders … and sheriffs. Bad guys after money. As much as they can get anyway they can get it. Trust me. You’ll enjoy this great story.
I received a complimentary DRC (digital review copy) of Wyoming Wild via NetGalley from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Rating: 5 stars
Series: Savage Wells, #3
Cover: Compelling.
Pages: 258
Publish Date: 7 March 2023
#WyomingWild #NetGalley #SarahMEden
