Customer Reviews

Longarm and Maximilian's Gold (Longarm #299)

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Denver, Colorado
Gros Teton,
Texas and New Mexico

Longarm 299 is one of the better books I've read in this series. True, not a lot happens as compared to many others in the series, yet this book was a very pleasant read. The characters are all of interest, and the descriptions of the background and activities are all very believable. Good plot with somewhat of an unexpected ending to it.

Longarm is asked to accompany and protect a French representative attempting to locate chests of gold left over from the French government's support of Maximilian's reign in Mexico. Longarm thinks that nothing adds up and that there is something not right. How correct he is will only become evident by the end of the story. We have the usual kidnap attempts, outright assassination attempts, with more lead being found than gold, and Longarm even finds a new brandy-cured crook cigar, "best of the lot. Penny apiece" (page 119). Being a cigar smoker hope he saves one for me.

One of the better sections of the book concerns Mama Jones' 'house' in Chapters 17 and 19. Good cigars, food, baths, female company and excellent writing all add up to two very enjoyable chapters. So good that Longarm "... he would have crawled except it would have been so undignified..." out of Mama's house the next morning.

This book is a real treat to read. What it lacks in action it makes up for in enjoyment. If you read the Longarm series don't miss this one.

See you soon, amigos. (The Cisco Kid)

A rather different slant on the Longarm series.Longarm gets an assignment to escort an arrogant, French, Marquis de Sant Cerre in his search for Maximillian's Gold.The story has some very interesting characters and is sprinkled with lots of history about the early days of the American Southwest,The Louisiana Purchase,French and British involvement and support of the Confederacy during the Civil War.Now, throw in some involvement of the struggle for land with Mexico,and a hunt for treasure,of what kind who knows ,and whether it is supposed to be in Gros Teton,Texas or Gros Teton,New Mexico;has Longarm as baffled as he seldom becomes.Add to that, lots of people trying to eliminate our hero;and with some very close results;we are treated to a great fast- action episode with many interesting twists and turns.Included throughout, are many well written lines lines such as,"Longarm reloaded before he walked forward.That one was dead,but if you find a rat in a corn crib,you shouldn't assume it is the only one there," or,"She went out like a candle in a windstorm. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed ,out cold."