Review: Impressive Addition to an Already Impressive Body of Work
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 16, 2014
This is James Reasoner's 300th novel.That, in and of itself, is impressive. Making it even more so is the consistent quality of his work --- up to and certainly including number 300.Now I can't claim to have read all of James's books --- but I've sure read a heck of a lot of 'em over the years, and I've never once been disappointed.DANCING WITH DEAD MEN is a good example why. Its clean, straightforward prose tells a traditional Western yarn with all the excitement and gunplay and colorful characters anyone could want, yet with psychological introspection, character depth, and plot elements that give it a distinction elevating it well above standard "shoot-'em-up" status.The mental and physical transformations of protagonist Logan Handley from gunslinger to illness victim to reluctant hero is masterfully done. Other than that, I won't say a lot here about the storyline, as that is covered sufficiently in the book description and other reviews.I bought this book immediately when it came out on Kindle last summer, but kept it on my TBR list until just the other day. I urge others not to make the same mistake --- if you don't have yet, grab it immediately; if you have it and have been saving it for dessert, like me, don't waste any more time! Treat yourself to one of the best Westerns you're likely to read in a long while.Strongly recommended!