Review: Like a great western TV series in prose
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 26, 2011
The first Rancho Diablo book introduced the characters and setting for the series. This second short novel fleshes out the characters of rancher Sam Blaylock's family, who appeared only briefly in the first story. It also gives more insight into Sam's past, expanding on the hints from the first story of a more shady history. This is appreciated, because if there's one irritation with Sam's character, it's his expertise in everything, and his ability to succeed at everything he puts his hand to, whether it's geology, engineering, ranching, scouting, or fighting. There's nothing interesting about a perfect hero, so it's nice to see some cracks in Sam's character.This story has some echoes of the classic western, Shane, as one of Sam's sons finds himself bonding with a shady gunfighter figure from Sam's past. While it's not an unfamiliar western motif, it does allow author James Reasoner (writing as Colby Jackson) to create some nice character moments.Because of their length, the Rancho Diablo stories are perhaps more reminiscent of TV episodes than feature-length movies. The authors recognize that the shorter length doesn't lend itself to padded, overly-complicated stories, and Hangrope Law is no different. When the action comes, it's fast-paced and exciting, but not drawn out. Things come to a satisfying conclusion, but leave the reader looking forward to future installments in the series.