Commitment is a big western story, over 300 pages long, and I thought it was a bit wordy, but I didn't let that take away anything from the story. It is the story of the Superman of the West, Matthew "Blade" Holmes, who was the subject of pulp novels because he was so fast with a revolver and a knife and a rifle. He was also an expert tracker and he was on the trail of a dumb like a fox or just lucky outlaw named Luke Templeton. Templeton had been killing men and women indiscriminately while he was hunting for Holmes. He came close more than once in his attempts on Holmes, but was unsuccessful.
Holmes was spending some time with his girlfriend, Emma Marja Fick when he up and left for the West and didn't say a word to her. And didn't return until the end of the story. Holmes was born in Ohio and left home when he turned 16 years old, always planning to return, but hadn't got around to it. In school he made a particular enemy of one of his classmates who was envious of the skills of Holmes, Red Tibbs. Unbeknownst to Blade, Tibbs, a Pinkerton man, had been hired by Big Ed to kill Holmes for arresting him earlier. Luke Templeton was Big Ed's nephew and was hunting Holmes himself. They travel around Wyoming, mainly Cheyenne and Fort Laramie, trying to find each other and the Army gets involved when Templeton steals from them. And there are a couple of Sheriffs/Marshals also chasing Templeton for the murders he committed.
There is much daydreaming and night dreaming by Holmes about his situation and Emma, his friends, and others in his life, like John Ryan the Mountain Man, and other lawmen and military men which I thought was a little overdone. Overall I give Commitment four stars, being a first western novel by the author and an exciting story with plenty of suspense..
Neil Waring is a former high school history teacher now retired and writing both fiction and non-fiction and lives in Guernsey Wyoming. I wish him good luck.
Thanks for reading and reviewing Oscar. I like the story too, and am just about finished with my second Blade Holmes adventure. I struggle with trying to get everything in that I want and not making the book too long. And the old, author falling in love with his own words syndrome. Hope I have got there with book #2 which is only 2/3 the size of the first, but still with a good story. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteNeil
You're welcome and I'm looking forward to the new one.
DeleteOscar, I love Westerns and I'm partial to heroes who are fast on the draw, thanks to the influence of Sudden by Oliver Strange. Matthew "Blade" Holmes sounds like a solid character in a story that seems like a classical Western. I have enjoyed reading a couple of stories set in mining towns in Wyoming.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll like this one, Prashant. Very good descriptions of the Wyoming countryside.
DeleteSounds interesting. but wow, that is a long one
ReplyDeleteIt is, Charles, interesting and long, too, but I liked it.
DeleteI know from experience that it's easy to get carried away when we like the characters and the story and write what's perhaps too much - but that's better than having nothing to say, I think.
ReplyDeleteYou can always go back and delete the extra words, too.
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