Archive for the ‘US Frontier West’ Category

DOC by MARY DORIA RUSSELL

DOC relates how it might have been during 1878-79 when Dr. John Henry Holliday lived in Dodge City, Kansas. “The Deadly Dentist” who later gained fame or infamy, depending on perspective, for “pistoleering” along with the surviving Earp brothers at the O.K. Corral, saved Wyatt Earp’s life in Dodge first. Earp is said to have credited Holliday with saving him, but apparently didn’t share details, so history isn’t sure of the facts. But this novel presents its own story of how it might have happened.

May 24, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , , ,  Â· Posted in: Facing History, US Frontier West, Wild West

FIRST OF STATE by Robert Greer

In FIRST OF STATE, Robert Greer goes back in time to the early career of his main character, C.J. Floyd. The series started in the 1990s, but this book begins in the fall of 1971 when 20 year old Calvin Jefferson Floyd returns to Denver, Colorado to live with his bail bondsman uncle Ike Floyd, after serving two years in the Navy in Viet Nam. This very enjoyable book not only provides details about how Floyd became a successful bail bondsman and part-time private investigator, but also provides a great mix of characters and mystery as Floyd searches for several years to find the murder of pawnshop worker and collector Wiley Ames.

October 24, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , ,  Â· Posted in: Sleuths Series, US Frontier West

WORTH DYING FOR by Lee Child

Those who enjoyed Lee Child’s 61 HOURS were prepared for a breathtaking follow-up. How sad that WORTH DYING FOR is a throwback to a more one-dimensional Jack Reacher, a far less interesting protagonist than the one in 61 HOURS. In the previous installment, it was thrilling to see a new version of Reacher—a man with flaws who made mistakes and was not able to win every battle. He also revealed a bit more of his background during telephone conversations with a woman named Susan whom he never meets. Since 61 HOURS ended in a cliffhanger, many of us expected that Child would pick up where he left off, perhaps heading in even more new directions.

October 24, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , ,  Â· Posted in: Thriller/Spy/Caper, US Frontier West, y Award Winning Author

EVERYTHING by Kevin Canty

Kevin Canty writes with a spare beauty. The book is designed so that there is a lot of white space on the pages and this space carries meaning. EVERYTHING is about people who are lost, looking for love, recovering from poor choices and yet have a resiliency that carries them through their damaged lives with strength and a certain dignity. Canty’s characters are able to tell us as much about themselves in their silences as when they speak.

July 6, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: ,  Â· Posted in: Contemporary, US Frontier West, Wild West

ICE COLD by Tess Gerritsen

In Tess Gerritsen’s Ice Cold, forty-two year old medical examiner Maura Isles is heartbroken. She is in a relationship with Daniel Brophy, a Catholic priest. However, their year-long affair has not brought either of them much happiness. Daniel is reluctant to give up his calling, and Maura is frustrated with his inability to make up his mind. After spending the night together, they part. Maura flies from Boston to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to attend a medical conference. There, she meets a former classmate, pathologist Doug Comley, who is divorced and has a thirteen year-old-daughter, Grace. He asks Maura to accompany him and his friends on a trip to a cross-country ski lodge. She agrees, but soon regrets her decision.

July 1, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , , ,  Â· Posted in: Mystery/Suspense, Sleuths Series, US Frontier West

THE LAST STAND by Nathaniel Philbrick

“Custer had always lived life at a frenetic pace. He thrived on sensation. Whether it was courting Libbie in the midst of the Civil War, learning taxidermy during his first expedition in the northern plains, or writing his articles while surrounded by his dogs and listening to his band, he needed to be in the midst of an often self-created uproar. But by the night of June 21, at the age of thirty-six, Custer was finding it difficult to marshal the old enthusiasm.â€

May 3, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags:  Â· Posted in: Non-fiction, Reading Guide, US Frontier West, Wild West, y Award Winning Author