Customer Reviews

Longarm 329: Longarm and the Restless Redhead

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is a real pleasure to read a Longarm western that was written by an author who clearly knows his character. I have been a Longarm fan for a long time and I have reviewed numerous western novels. I did not like some of the ghost writers who have written Longarm novels because they failed to really know and understand the intricate western lingo, the habits, the likes and dislikes of Custis Long. However, this book was not only well written, but had a great story line and interesting characters. The language and habits of Custis Long, United States Deputy Marshal, working for Billy Vail out of Denver, Colorado are clearly understood by this author.

From the beginning chapter, when Custis finds himself in bed with a dead woman. We all know our hero's fondness for the ladies but to his knowledge he has never killed any woman while making love the them. I never give away too much because it spoils it for the readers. However, this story flows beautifully. Not only is a dead woman in his bed, he can't remember who she is or what he is doing in this town.

Needless to say, it all comes together at the end of this western saga. This novel gets my highest rating because it is a darn good story and a real page turner. The author clearly understands the Longarm formula.

Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Monadnock Defensive Tactics System)

Marshall Custis Long continues to catch the bad guys and love the more-than-willing ladies. This is #329 in the Longarm series and held my attention as did many of the others. Don't expect great thought-provoking literature here...what you get is good old entertainment and adventures, and the "man" that can handle anything as it comes along - one moment a gunfight or a barroom brawl, and the next to loving a gorgeous woman. In this one, he finds himself waking up in Arizona next to a very dead redhead, and all his identification papers are gone. Because he is Longarm, he will prevail. A good yarn for a fun romp through the Old West (if it ever existed).

Custis Long wakes up in Medallion, Arizona, with a head full of pain, no memory of how he got there, and a dead redhead sharing his bed. Worse, someone has made off with his U.S. Marshal badge and papers. Set up for murder, Long knows he's got to find the real killer, but to do that he's got to remember what he came to town to do and find out who wants to stop him - before he ends up the guest of honour at a lynching party...

Tabor Evans comes up with a great plot that had me hooked from beginning to end. The first six chapters throwing up many questions that had me as confused as Longarm.

As more and more characters are introduced, all that seem to know Long, the harder it becomes to put this book down as the twist and turns combine in a story filled with action, intriguing characters of both sexes, and mystery.

It's also good to see Tabor Evans making references to events and people, such as Jessica Starbuck, from Longarm's past and including some of his old sayings such as "eating the apple one bite at a time."

This is definately a Longarm book worth your time. Recommended.

And just a comment on the other review which states that the book reads more like a detective novel, then why not? After all Longarm is a lawman who investigates criminal activities.

This is the April 2006 episode in the long running popular Western Series,Longarm. Too bad though,that it is much more of a "whodunit" murder mystery than a real western like the series is all about.Normally, it doesn't take Longarm long to find out who the "bad guys" are;and then we get a good ,action-packed saga of Longarm hunting down the bad guys and bringing them to justice--dead or alive.Also included ,is some pretty good history of the Old West,some real feel of the surrounding country and on top of that,some interesting and well developed characters.

That is not what this epidode is. Here we get our hero Longarm turned into a Detective, such as you find in a Detective story or a Murder mystery.Most of the book has Longarm wandering around trying to figure what happened to him,who did it to him,and posing as an undercover sleuth to two different groups at the same time. Suspects and motives abound and around and around we go ;till nearly the end of the story;when the mystery is solved. The last chapter is taken up with an explanation of all the whys and wherefores of who did what and what were the motives.

So,if a Murder Mystery is your preference,you may enjoy this;but if you're into action-packed Old West Westerns of the Longarm style--forget it!

My title is a quote from page 179 and expresses my sentiments to a tee!