Review: Best in the series to date
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 26, 2011
As my other reviews indicate, the first three Rancho Diablo novels made me a die-hard fan of the series. However, this fourth novel, the second written by Mel Odom, is almost in a whole different league. For the first time, the spotlight moves away from rancher Sam Blaylock, and onto his wife, Jenny, and ranch hand/gunfighter with a mysterious past Mike Tucker. Jenny doesn't approve of Tucker's almost supernatural skill with weapons. She believes that that skill, coupled with an uncaring attitude towards killing, makes Tucker a trouble magnet, and that's something she doesn't want anywhere around her children. Then, suddenly, Miriam Blaylock is kidnapped while Sam is away on business, and Jenny is forced to call on Tucker to help bring her back.Obviously, the series title is Rancho Diablo, not The Adventures of Sam Blaylock. The three men writing under the name Colby Jackson have built up an interesting cast of characters, and it's great to see two previously supporting characters taking center stage. In earlier stories, Tucker had been a fairly typical Enigmatic Gunman with a Mysterious Past, and Jenny had been the Doting Wife and Mother who Brings Her Wild Family Down to Earth. This story truly fleshes out their characters, allowing both the reader and each other to learn that each has some surprising depths.Like most Rancho Diablo novels to date, the story is fairly straightforward. The storytelling is tight and economical, without unnecessary twists and complications layered on just to expand the story. Having said that, this is the longest Rancho Diablo story to date. The extra length allows Jackson/Odom to give Jenny and Tucker time to learn about each other. It's a fairly straightforward chase story, but the characters and action (which, as usual, comes fast and furious) is what makes this story stand out.We also learn more about town founder Shooter York, with some interesting hints being dropped. Knowing that the Rancho Diablo team plan on launching a spin-off series about York this fall, this could smack of a cynical marketing ploy. Instead, it serves to whet the appetite, giving hints of colorful adventures to come. It's pretty unobtrusive, and helps deepen the world the authors are creating here.Once again, while Hell on Wheels builds on the books that came before, it can be read completely independently. Also like the others, while the story is self-contained, the character relationships build on what's come before, and change things for the future. It's a very traditional western, but the quality of the writing is what keeps me coming back. The "Colby Jackson" team aren't just churning out installments to fill slots on a publisher's schedule. They are definitely writing from the heart, and that love shows through.