Here is another one in the boxed set by Western Fictioneers Western Bestsellers: Wade's War by Chet Cunningham, the writer of many books, fiction and non-fiction.
Wade Tretter was only fourteen when both his parents were killed by Rebel raiders near the end of the Civil War in Missouri, and he makes it a life-long search to track down the four killers and bring them to justice one way or another.
I thought the story was exciting enough to complete the reading in a couple of sittings because I wanted to know what was coming next when he knew he was on the trail of the killers. It took him two or three years to earn his living, learn to shoot a .44 fast and accurately, and find that for which he was looking. The story picks up when he finally had enough hints to put him on the trail of one of the killers and goes from there on to the final result.
There are some twists and romance as he gathers up steam, and a few errors in the manuscript that didn't make sense to me, like getting the names of towns mixed up. All in all I think it earned a four-star rating in my book, for the excitement and action that the author puts Wade through while looking for the murderers.
I have read a bit of Cunningham, pretty good story teller.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first.
DeleteI like these kinds of stories. A lot of westerns set against the backdrop of Civil War era violence.
ReplyDeleteAnd there was a fair amount of violence in this one, Charles.
DeleteIt's a shame when errors like that slip through as they break the spell of a good story.
ReplyDeleteI try to overlook them and get back into the story, but sometimes it takes a while.
ReplyDelete