The latest novel from critically acclaimed novelist Ivy Pochoda starts promisingly, in a women’s correctional facility in Arizona. One of our narrators, Kace, has voices in her head. She seems to understand unerringly what’s going on in the world around her, however: courtesy, she claims, of the plaintive dead that only she can hear. Her…
This novel is billed as a revisionist Western, and it’s certainly a far cry from the typical romance of lone gunmen fighting off savage bandits to the swooning gratitude of defenseless frontier towns. But as historical fiction, it’s not at all far off from the reality of the Western United States during the turn of…
It’s hard to fathom the confusion of an old west gunfight until you’ve seen a firearm loaded with a full black powder charge spit a round downrange. It’s a full-body experience—shockwaves from the controlled explosion punch your chest, ears ring from the weapon’s report, and billowing thick smoke obscures everything. Only when this haze clears…
Yip Tolroy was born mute, but even before his speechlessness was discerned, the pale, hairless baby was not thought to be long for this world. His father, already in a state of high emotion at the birth of his first child, went outside to get some air after the doctor expressed his doubts as to…
When asked about my Caitlin Strong series, I always describe them as modern-day westerns. And, in fact, the thriller form itself owes a great deal of its heritage to that genre. Having grown up with the films of Audie Murphy and Roy Rogers—not to mention classics like Shane, The Magnificent Seven, and High Noon along…
This bit of dialogue started everything: Deputy Wendell: This is turnin’ into a hell of a mess, ain’t it, Sheriff? Sheriff Ed Tom Bell: If it isn’t, it’ll do until the mess gets here. It’s from the film version of No Country For Old Men by the Cohen brothers. One of my all-time favorite…
Westerns is a movie genre historically dominated by male characters. Think of these films and what image immediately comes to mind? John Wayne in a ten-gallon hat and some kind of cowboy neckwear? Clint Eastwood smoking a cigarillo while donning a poncho? Maybe Kevin Costner sporting the Marlboro Man look? It’s probably a dude, right?…
Shotguns and Stagecoaches by John Boessenecker details the true stories of the Wild West heroes who guarded the iconic Wells Fargo stagecoaches and trains, battling colorful thieves, vicious highwaymen, and robbers armed with explosives. From 1852 to 1918, Wells Fargo & Company’s Express was an integral part of American society. It was the perfect equivalent…
