A Tale Out of Luck: A Novel [Hardcover]

Willie Nelson (Author), Mike Blakely (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2008

Retired Texas Ranger Captain Hank Tomlinson intends to spend the rest of his days raising cattle on his Broken Arrow Ranch, and nurturing his frontier town of Luck, Texas. But when the brutal murder and scalping of a mysterious drifter leads to a clash between cavalry soldiers and a band of Comanche Indians suspected of the killing, a full-scale Indian uprising seems likely. Worse yet, the murder of the drifter bears a disturbing resemblance to a string of killings Hank remembers from his distant and violent past as a Texas Ranger.


Meanwhile, Hank's twenty-year-old son, Jay Blue, and his adoptive brother, Skeeter, find themselves on the trail of a valuable Kentucky mare who vanished under their watch. The trail leads them into the dangerous haunts of outlaws and vengeful Comanche warriors. Now Hank must attempt to keep his sons safe while trying to catch a murderer who he knows will soon strike again. His ace-in-the-hole is beautiful Flora Barlow, the tavern owner with a knack for detective work.


Though rival lawman, Matt Kenyon, and competing rancher, Jack Brennan, complicate Hank's investigation, he and Flora slowly begin to uncover a crooked web of crime, deception, and murder. Dark secrets emerge, and everyone must choose sides as lawmen, outlaws, soldiers, and Indian warriors converge for a final, bloody confrontation. (2008)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Country music legend Nelson and novelist Blakely (Come Sundown) collaborate for this predictable western. When a rustler's body turns up on the open range outside Luck, Tex., with ghost arrows embedded in his chest, local rancher and retired Texas Ranger Hank Tomlinson's past returns to haunt him. Years earlier, three Rangers were killed by similar arrows, and many suspected Tomlinson at the time. News of the rustler's murder brings the son of one of the late Rangers, now a state police investigator, to Luck with an eye to avenging his father's death. Staying one step ahead of the law, Tomlinson races to solve the mystery and cheat the hangman. There's a wagonload of subplots (an Indian war, a prized mare's disappearance, an orphan searching out his parents, a barmaid's love story), and while rookie novelist Nelson and veteran Blakely write convincingly of the Old West, the plotting is cumbersome, the characters familiar and the dialogue strained. Nelson's legions of fans probably won't mind, though. (Sept.) ""
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Review

"Willie Nelson, arguably the best thing ever to have come out of the Lone Star State, gives a tip of the hat to fellow Texan Larry McMurtry with his debut novel. . . . Nelson's fans--and there are countless numbers of them--should enjoy his literary foray into the Wild West." (Kirkus )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Center Street; 1ST edition (September 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599957329
• ISBN-13: 978-1599957326
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,010,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Endearing characters make "A Tale Out of Luck" a good read, September 2, 2008

By 

Anita Porterfield (Boerne, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Tale Out of Luck: A Novel (Hardcover)

Nelson and Blakely deliver an action-packed page-turner with far more substance than the average Western novel. While the mix of intrigue and suspense will keep readers on the trail, the enduring qualities of the characters are what set this novel apart.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Willie does writing, October 6, 2008

By 

Jack Roberts (Tuscaloosa, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Tale Out of Luck: A Novel (Hardcover)

Not bad... not bad at all. Willie Nelson and Mike Blakely give more than a tip of their hats to Larry McMurtry here -- but that's all right. The world could use a few more "Lonesome Dove" caliber books, in my opinion. This book isn't perfect. But it's fun and it draws you in. The main sticking point I feel is character development... several of the heroes in the book seem interchangable at times. The plot moves along nicely, even if it ties up rather neatly at the end and we need to suspend disbelief a bit on the way there. But all in all a fine, fun first effort.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Tale, A Good Review, November 20, 2008

By 

Hurt (Chattanooga, TN.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Tale Out of Luck: A Novel (Hardcover)

First off, I will say I thoroughly enjoyed this book by both Willie Nelson AND Mike Blakely. This exciting page-turner doesn't trot, it rages at high speed. You will NOT get bored with the story Willie came up with and Mike penned. While there are a few plot twists in this one it was not difficult to keep up with. If all of Blakely's stories are this good, I have got to read them, and we know just how well Willie can spin his web of storytelling (Red Headed Stranger, and his gigantic song catalog, etc.), so in my honest opinion, it would be worth your while to take a trip to Luck yourself. The only wish I have about this tale is I would have liked to have had more background information on some of the characters. I felt the book, in it's entirety, was so well written and the characters were so easily made into heroes and villains for me that I was sad I had come to the end so soon. True, there are bits of character background information, but I feel if there would have been more, it would have only added to the already entertaining tale. It is almost like having mashed potatoes without the gravy. Sure, it is good the way it is and satisfying at the same time, but man that gravy would have made it lip-licking good. So I will end on that note, I'm getting hungry. Hey Beto, fix me some of that fried chicken to go with those potatoes! (After you've read the tale you'll know what I'm speaking of.)