Shalom On The Range [Hardcover]

Michael S. Katz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2007

Shalom on the Range portrays the romantic Wild West with historical accuracy, realistic action, and irreverent humor. David Goldstein is a railroad detective investigating a train robbery near Denver, Colorado in 1870. His journey exposes him to different forms of anti-Semitism and makes him question his preconceived notions of what it means to be a Jew and a human being.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... A must read round-up classic. Katz delivers with guns blazing and yarmulkes soaring." -- Jimmy Palmiotti, writer of Jonah Hex, Painkiller Jane, and Beautiful Killer

"... A well-written, tight presentation, not afraid to be politically incorrect, and full of interesting, realistic cultural viewpoints." -- Michael A. Smerconish, Philadelphia Daily News columnist and author of Muzzled and Flying Blind

"A wild and woolly Western yarn ... with authentic Old West details, plenty of humor and `edge of the seat' action." -- William "La Vista Bill" Bell, Guns of the Old West magazine

"Think Louis L'Amour meets Jerry Seinfeld. ... An irreverent, quirky and fast-paced non-traditional Western read." -- Johnny D. Boggs, Spur Award-winning author of Camp Ford and East of the Border

[A] fresh and interesting take on the hunt-down-the-baddies story. ... Katz has a very laid-back, matter-of-fact storytelling style. -- Louis Fowler, Bookgasm, September 14, 2007

[A]n amusing yet clear eyed look at the stereotypes and prejudice that permeated the Old West. -- Sybil Downing, The Denver Post, July 29, 2007

[D]evelopments in the book catch the reader off guard, keeping interest high and giving the book a multi-layered feel. ... This reviewer found the book refreshingly different and fun. -- Maayan Jafe, The Jewish Times, September 20, 2007

About the Author

Michael S. Katz, an attorney and former history teacher, has been writing and editing since 2002. Shalom On The Range represents the first in a series.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Strider Nolan Publishing; First Edition edition (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932045694
• ISBN-13: 978-1932045697
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,983,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good family-friendly read, September 21, 2007

By 

Ashley (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shalom On The Range (Hardcover)

My husband talked me into trying the book out. He thought I might like it because of the humor, although the western aspect didn't sound like my cup of tea. Plus, my husband is Jewish and I'm not, so that aspect was more important to him, not me. But he was right, it was a lot of fun and I read the book in about three days. The historical detail wasn't too interesting for me, I admit I'm not a western fan, but the characters were so well written that I couldn't help but care about them. I had flashbacks to the Frisco Kid, where the western setting didn't matter because you fell in love with Gene Wilder's and Harrison Ford's characters. Same with David Goldstein, Red Parker, and the rest. It was also nice to read a relatively clean book, with very little in the way of bad language (not at all like Deadwood). I heard there will be a sequel, and I can't wait to see these heroes again.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unlikely Hero, March 9, 2008

By 

Jack Shakely (Palm Springs) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shalom On The Range (Hardcover)

In the summer of 1870 one of the most brutal train robberies in history takes place on the Kansas Pacific Railroad as it makes its way toward Denver. Interestingly, nobody seems to give much of a damn- not the US Army, even though one of its officers is involved, not the hastily-formed posse that turns back because of rain after only a few hours search, not the poisonously anti-Semetic owner of the railroad James Byrne, not even the businessman who lost all the money.

With twenty people dead and an untold fortune up in smoke, who does Byrne turn to to solve the crime? Why, a lone, virtually untested Eastern Jew with a bum knee who can't ride a horse or shoot a gun, of course.

Meet David Goldstein, railroad detective. Whip-smart and with the deductive skills of a Sherlock Holmes, Goldstein trots gingerly through this highly imaginative adventure novel being misjudged and under-valued by everyone.

David doesn't even place a high value on himself in such unusual surroundings and spends $2,000 of his own money to hire two bounty hunters, the highly skilled and cynical Red Parker and Jake Beckett, whose golden tresses remind folks of George Custer and whose powers of reason remind them of Custer's horse. They soon pick up the taciturn stone killer Ute Indian Harvey White Crow, who may or may not have been adopted into a Jewish family when he was a boy, and the beautiful and mysterious Pinkerton agent Elizabeth, who refuses to reveal her last name. This is the Unlikely Bunch that sets off across the prairie to capture the train robbers.

Michael Katz's "Shalom on the Range" is a historically-correct adventure tale made even more enjoyable by his enormous powers of observation. His precise description of the saloons, with their faro tables and four-card monte games, puts the reader in the middle of the action. Katz has a keen eye for the clothes, weapons and horses of the Old West, an eye that often reveals the humor that ripples through the book just under the surface. For example, the dark-haired David runs into more blonds than an Abba concert in Stockholm. Two of the robbers are blond, the Army lieutenant is blond, David gets thumped by a blond giant at a saloon, Elizabeth is blond and so is Jake. Even Jake's horse is a Palomino.

The book has a serious side as well, especially when David and Red get into discussions of the life of the eternal outsider, the Jew in the 19th century American West. It also has moments of extreme violence, especially when White Crow is around, that might make the reader want to think twice before reading the book out loud as a bedtime story.

"Shalom on the Range" is a great read with enough off-kilter and likeable characters to make you turn the pages and care very much what happens. Will we see David and Red again? Sure hope so.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shoot-em up page turner, October 6, 2007

By 

S. Scott "Oby-"BookIsMyAmbrosia"" (Upper Darby, P.A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shalom On The Range (Hardcover)

Wow, talk about a rollercoaster ride. I had my doubts with the first

few chapters, because there was a little too much information about the

old west and it dragged at times. But the characters seemed interesting

and pretty realistic, so I wanted to give it a chance. I'm glad I

did, because around chapter four or five the book takes off like a

rollercoaster and literally doesn't let up until the end. A lot of twists

and turns keep the surprise level high, the action is described

cinematically, almost like you're watching a movie, and the humor never

stops. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale should have been starring in THIS

movie.