Customer Reviews

The Man from Brazos

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

 

 

When abolitionists and slavers clash for control of the Kansas territory just before it was to achieve statehood, Matt Jorgenson found himself caught up in their bloody, brutal conflict. Matt was fast and fatal when handling a pistol, but being an accomplished gunhand with a widening reputation is no defense against falling in love with another man's woman or being able to stop the murder of his best friend in a time when pre-Civil War politics was setting neighbor against neighbor. Highly recommended for all western buffs, The Man From The Brazos is an entertaining and vivid read.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Ermal Williamson's historical Western novels. These days good Westerns are difficult to find. I'm speaking of story only in this review (others have mentioned things with punctuation and syntax). This is a wonderful series written by an author who lives the West and has cowboy blood racing through his veins. If you don't know Ermal -- check out his website, and see one of his John Wayne shows in Branson. You'll be hooked! Western novel lovers -- get this book!

In the year 1858, Matt is assumed dead in a bank robbery attempt in Montana where his brother and another man thought to be him were killed (see the movie The Cowboys). Matt heads south with no other purpose, beside getting to Texas, when he makes an acquaintance: Toothless, a mangy old farm hand who follows Matt because he is a quick draw. Arriving in Mud Creek, Kansas, Matt is shot in the shoulder and has his money stolen. He soon recovers his health and finds work at a nearby farm. After getting his money back, well, at least part of it, he takes a job for the US government as a spy for the US Marshals. His job is to infiltrate Montgomery's camp and join the fight to keep Kansas a free state (no slavery). Montgomery's nemesis is a man called Hamilton. Both are using the slave trade for their own means: money and power. Matt finds himself hired on as a gun for Montgomery and soon figures out that he doesn't really want to be a spy anymore, as he has started to really like Montgomery and his men. The only question is, how can he get out of it with his skin intact?

This is a western story taking place in and outside of Mud Creek (soon to be known as "Abilene"), Kansas in the year 1878. It is a sequel based on the William Dale Jennings' book and screenplay The Cowboys and is also a prequel to the book Across the Brazos. This is the second published book for Ermal Walden Williamson, a John Wayne impersonator.

Having been very pleased with Mr. Williamson's first novel, I found myself eager to start reading this book. Before I started, I figured this book would pick up right where Across the Brazos left off. Boy, was I wrong. Imaging my surprise when I found myself reading about how Matt was making his way down to Texas, twenty years before the previous book, but directly after the movie ended. At first I was a little disappointed, but I quickly changed my opinion. I found I really liked reading about the younger version of Matt Jorgenson and how he became known as a quick draw. It is obvious that Mr. Williamson is more comfortable with the pen in this story as it flows along quite well and the story always keeps the reader interested in what is going to happen next. The characterization is wonderful and the evolution of Matt into a quick draw is a pleasure to absorb. A lot of westerns don't really delve into much historical relevance, but The Man from the Brazos is rich with historical importance. I don't know much about Kansas and how they dealt with the slave trade. And I don't know if the characters used in this story (like Montgomery and Hamilton) are based on actual persons. But from all the references that are listed in the front of the book, I presume that the author has inserted his main character in the middle of something that actually occurred in American History. I became very interested in how Kansas avoided becoming a slave state and the battle to preserve her freedom. Overall, I thought that this was a great story and very well written. Like the previous book, and I presume this is not the author's fault, there are quite a few minor punctuation issues and a couple of repeated paragraphs. But don't let that sway you away from a wonderfully told story of the old west. You won't regret picking up this book and letting it take you back Kansas almost 150 years ago.

I rated this book an 8½ out of 10.