Customer Reviews

Devil's Rim (Walker Western)

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Any real cowboy will truely enjoy this book. As usual, Sam paints a vivid picture that is easy to follow.

Author Sam Brown, an ex-cowboy and now district manager for the Amarillo Globe News, has whipped up a winner with all the key ingredients: an old cowboy lamenting the end of the cattle drive era, a beautiful but lonely frontier woman and, of course, the old cowboy's sidekick--a position alternately held by the old cowboy's trusty horse, Drifter, and by another old boy who used to ride the trail. As you'd expect, the old cowboy has a strong western name, Concho Smith. And his human sidekick is Shorty. The year is 1898 and Concho is riding down to Mexico, hoping to find work there. He is waylaid, however, in New Mexico Territory when he happens upon a beautiful woman trying single-handedly to keep her ranch running. With the soft spot in his heart that every true cowboy must possess, he stays on for "just a few days, ma'am" to help repair fencing after a storm. The few days turn into weeks when Concho finds that Judith Van is married to a proud but bitter cripple, by the name of Sid. To make matters worse, Concho is falling for the young lady and seeing himself as her savior. Sid is no dummy; he quickly becomes aware of Concho's feelings for his wife. The web becomes more tangled when Judith and Sid's house burns down one night while Judith is visiting Concho, and Sid's body is found in the debris. At this point, the novel turns into a wonderful whodunnit. As an ex-cowboy, Brown knows the ranching business well, right down to notching ears, castrating young bulls and talking the talk of the cowboy. He is also a decent mystery writer. "Devil's Rim" is two novels in one: a fine Western and a grueling whodunit.

Sam Brown has to be the definitive novelist when it comes to writing about cowboy life. His cowboy characters are the real thing. Their way of life dictates certain expressions and certain attitudes which all cowboys understand. In Devil's Rim, Concho Smith lives to express himself the way cowboys even today do. His code is simple and unwavering. His friend Shorty Wayman sticks by his side because as friends and long-time acquaintances his code is the same as Concho's. This book is full of nostalgic descriptions of cowboy tack, medicines, and many other items which are necessary to ranch life. It is very descriptive as Concho rides pitchin' horses, works cattle, moves horses, fixes water gaps, has fights, falls in love, gets put in jail, and on and on.
If you have ever worked as a cowboy, as I have, you will more than appreciate this great book. It is well-written, well-researched, and it contains a great story as well. I strongly recommend it to all cowboys and even to those who would like to read a " real " western story.