The Book of Murdock [Hardcover]

Loren D. Estleman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2010

Page Murdock has been many things in his day: a cowhand, a saloonkeeper, a Comanche slave, and, lately, a deputy U.S. marshal. But the one thing the mean-faced, middle-aged gunman never expected to be was a man of the cloth.

Funny how things work out sometimes.

Posing as Brother Bernard Sebastian of the Church of Evangelical Truth, Murdock dons a clerical collar to worm his way into the good graces and confidences of the wary residents of Owen, Texas. Seems a gang of ruthless bandits is terrorizing the Texas panhandle, and all evidence points to the dusty cattle town as their base of operations. Murdock aims to unmask the gang, provided he can pass himself off as a preacher long enough to stay alive.

Imitating a minister troubles his conscience, almost driving him to the Good Book for comfort, and his prickly assignment grows even more complicated when he crosses paths with a shady lady from his past. With one hand on the Bible and the other on his revolver, Murdock navigates shoot-outs and Sunday sermons. He might not be well-versed in the Gospels, but one thing he knows for certain: avenging angels don’t get halos.

The Book of Murdock is an outstanding Western adventure by Page Murdock’s celebrated creator, Loren D. Estleman.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Prolific western and mystery writer Estleman (The Branch and the Scaffold) combines the best of both in his 43rd novel, an exciting western loaded with intrigue, suspense, and clever plot twists. Deputy U.S. Marshal Page Murdock is sent to Texas in 1884 to capture a gang of armed robbers. The wrinkle is that Murdock must go disguised as a traveling preacher, toting a Bible in one hand and a pistol in the other. Murdock gets a less than pious crash course of instruction from a defrocked priest and a wily evangelist, then assumes the role of Brother Bernard Sebastian of the Church of Evangelical Truth. Whiskey-drinking Murdock isn't exactly suited for the clergy, and his cover begins to unravel when he meets a former lady friend, a sheep rancher with a touchy history, and a stone-cold Texas Ranger. A series of ambushes and deaths build to a churchly gun battle where everybody is throwing lead and dropping dead. This is one of Estleman's best, a smart, tightly wrapped story about an honest lawman who drinks Old Forester and knows the difference between a Presbyterian and a Unitarian. (Jan.)
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From Booklist

Page Murdock is a deputy U.S. Marshall, not a preacher, but he’ll don a collar for an assignment in Owen, Texas. The Montana lawman heads south to infiltrate a gang of outlaws operating in the area. To have any credibility as a man of the cloth, he brushes up on his Bible knowledge, and armed with little but a pious façade—and a sidearm, of course—Murdock arrives in Owen, where he’s surprised to discover that Colleen Bower, a former lover with a shady past, is married to the biggest rancher in the area. He also amazes himself with his success at the lectern, where he soon becomes a favorite of the locals with his Sunday sermons. Meanwhile, his main duty—flushing out the bad guys—is complicated by the apparent involvement of Colleen and her husband. Estleman is best known for his mysteries, but he’s equally adept at westerns, as he demonstrates again here. His novels—regardless of type—are peppered with humor, irony, and melancholy, and as a narrator, Murdock delivers all three. A clever plot and a satisfying conclusion round out a very enjoyable read. --Wes Lukowsky

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (March 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765316005
• ISBN-13: 978-0765316004
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,334,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since the appearance of his first novel in 1976, Loren D. Estleman has written more than 65 books and hundreds of short stories and articles. Alone (Dec 2009, Forge Books) is the second in a new series about L.A. film detective Valentino, and features Greta Garbo.

To kick off the new decade, Estleman's The Book of Murdock (eighth in the U.S. Deputy Marshal Page Murdock series) will appear in March and, to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of Private Detective Amos Walker, The Left-Handed Dollar will publish in December. It's the 20th novel in the award-winning series.

An authority on both criminal history and the American West, Estleman has been called the most critically acclaimed author of his generation. He has been nominated for the National Book Award and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award.

He has received seventeen national writing awards: four Shamuses from the Private Eye Writers of America, five Spurs from the Western Writers of America, two American Mystery Awards from Mystery Scene Magazine, two Outstanding Mystery Writer of the Year awards from Popular Fiction Monthly, two Stirrup Awards for outstanding articles in the Western Writers of America magazine, The Roundup, and three Western Heritage Awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. In 1987, the Michigan Foundation of the Arts presented him with its award for literature. In 1997, the Michigan Library Association named him the recipient of the Michigan Author's Award. In 2007, Nicotine Kiss was named a Notable Book by the Library of Michigan.

Estleman graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Journalism. On April 27, 2002, EMU presented him with an honorary doctorate in letters. He left the job market in 1980 to write full time. He lives in Michigan and is married to writer Deborah Morgan. For more information, please visit his website: www.lorenestleman.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Man of the Cloth, Man of the Gun, June 21, 2010

By 

Mel Odom (Moore, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book of Murdock (Hardcover)

I've been reading Loren Estleman's books for years, and I always enjoy settling in with a new story about his iconic characters, Detroit PI Amos Walker or US Deputy Marshal Page Murdock. Estleman is one of those writers that effortlessly flits back and forth between tough guy detective fiction and Western fiction. He also does some wonderful purely historical driven stories based on real people and real events.

His latest Page Murdock novel is almost a self-serving pastiche of a narrow niche in Western fiction: the gun-toting Biblical preacher. This character has been seen in a number of novels and movies, and oral history of the Old West is peppered with legends about this kind of man. Of course, back in those days everyone in the West was someone else before they became who they were. That was one of the chief reasons people headed West.

In this novel, though, Page's boss Judge Harlan A. Blackthorne assigns the US deputy to travel to Texas to bring in a gang of masked robbers that have been labeled the "Blue Bandannas." Page, and the reader, don't buy the judge's reasoning that he would rather deal with the gang down in Texas than wait till they reach Montana, which would be at the other end of a long trail drive.

I'll admit, this conceit stretched credulity for me. I just wasn't a believer. Thankfully Blackthorne has reasons beneath the surface that come to light. But the reader is treated to a heck of a journey before getting to see that.

The book is divided into parts, and that slows the action a bit. I was anxious to get into the conflict between Page and the outlaws. I wanted the smell of gunsmoke and the threat of certain death.

However, Page has to first undergo an intensive training session with a defrocked priest that turns out to be one of the most interesting characters in the book. Estleman has obviously spent time around men of the cloth or done a lot of research on the subject. Several bits of what would be considered throwaway lines were great entertainment and information. I'd hoped Page would bump into the character again, but that's just not going to happen.

Events take an interesting twist down in Texas as well. He crosses paths with Colleen Bower, an old acquaintance from bedrooms and across pistols, that he's learned to respect and maybe fear.

The action in this one is slow, and when it comes at the end, it's over in almost a rush of gunplay. Everything gets sorted out satisfactorily. The thing that really held my attention throughout this novel is the smart and witty dialogue. Page can hold his own with the judge, a man of the cloth, and the hard-bitten Texas Ranger who knows he's undercover.

I wished there had been more to the church business, wished I could have seen more of Page dealing with his parishioners, but he did have his hands full with his assignment. I'm looking forward to the next entry in the series.

5.0 out of 5 stars Page Murdock hates Texas in "The Book of Murdock", December 31, 2010

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Book of Murdock (Hardcover)

Page Murdock is a deputy U.S. Marshall in Montana in 1884. He has done a lot of things over the years but not once has he gone undercover as a preacher. That is about to change as Judge Harlan A. Blackthorne wants him to do just that and to do it in Texas Panhandle town of Owen. By going undercover as a man of the cloth it should be easier for Murdock to track down a gang of bandits operating in the Texas panhandle who might eventually make their way Montana if left unchecked. The reason is flimsy at best and Murdock knows there has to be more at stake than just the vague possibility that the bandits might expand their operations all the way up to Montana. Still, one does not say no to Judge Blackthorne.

After a two week crash course in religion, Murdock is sent to Texas as Brother Bernard Sebastian of the Church of Evangelical Truth. A crash course in religion and wearing a clerical collar does not necessarily make him a good fit for an undercover job as a preacher. It does not change his natural inclinations or his responses when confronted. What it does do to Murdock is to make him reconsider the world and his role in it. That may not last too long thanks to be increasingly bold actions of the bandits, a shady woman from his past, and the plain fact that his notoriety that has followed him all the way to Texas. A place and a people he hates on every level.

Murdock is a caustic character and one that frequently makes comments about others in highly entertaining fashion. He does not pull his verbal punches and so readers are frequently entertained with laugh out loud moments as Murdock tells folks in public and in private exactly what he thinks. Not to mention the occasional zings in internal character dialogue. Humor is just as much a part of things here, as is the mystery of the bandits, a failed romance, and the meaning of god and faith, among other story elements. Murdock is just one of many real and interesting characters in this 271 page western novel. The result is a very good read from multi award winning writer Loren P. Estleman.




Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Public Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2010

4.0 out of 5 stars GOOD STORY, BAD SCANNING/PRODUCT QUALITY, November 27, 2010

By 

Gustav A. Schupmann - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Book of Murdock (Kindle Edition)

This was a typically great Estleman story that was marred by a pathetic scanning/OCR effort. There were so many typos that is often made it difficult to follow the exact story thread. Considering that the publisher set a price that was the same as a new, hard copy version, it's especially inexcusable. Part of the blame lies with Amazon because they apparently never review their offerings. I note that most of the other Estlemen titles that I have downloaded are equally rife with scanning/OCR typos.