Review: The Mysterious Stranger Rides Into Town....
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 25, 2013
The reason I keep coming back to Van Holt's novels are the pure fun I get from reading well-crafted Westerns. Sure, there are some stereotypes, but the entire genre is based on archetypes. Van Holt is talented enough to draw from that traditional well of ideas and tropes, yet still create unique characters and situations that seem fresh and relevant to fans of the genre, both old and new. Brandon's Law might have been my favorite Van Holt novella that I've read yet. It showed a different side to his writing, in my opinion, and while there was plenty of shooting, violence, and long, meaningful looks between characters, there was a great deal of heart and passion between the lines. Some of his other novellas have reminded me of spaghetti westerns, slightly cheesy or predictable, but this one hit me right between the eyes. His powers of description have always impressed me, but he took it to another level in this story. The classic theme of a mysterious stranger loping into town to cause a ruckus was definitely on display here, and I enjoyed every page of watching this intricate plot play out. Good guys win, bad guys lose, Westerns are just a heck of a lot of fun to read....Van Holt is one of the best!