The Six-Gun Tarot
Keep an eye on Belcher because if this, his first novel, is any indication, he will be a must-read. The Six-Gun Tarot is nothing short of fantastic: a complex page-turner with philosophical, metaphysical, and mystical underpinnings. Placing his tale in Nevada in 1869, Belcher deftly describes a complex cast of characters and a setting so sharp you can feel the dust in your mouth. Beyond 40-Mile Desert lies Golgotha, a small town that draws its inhabitants from the unnatural: a store owner who talks to the head of his deceased wife, who answers back; a sheriff with the scars of a noose around his neck; a boy with a magical jade eye; and a townswoman who is a member of a group of female assassins. Besides the peculiar townsfolk, there is an evil brewing, and unless the undead Sheriff can defeat it, Golgotha will be no more. --Alison Downs