My reading tastes run to the less traditional and offbeat western novels. A fellow member of Western Fictioneers recently recommended THE WHIP by Karen Kondazian. I read it, and thoroughly enjoyed the novel. I was unaware before I read the book that a stagecoach driver in the Old West was often called a “whip,” thus the book title.
The novel was inspired by Charley Parkhurst, a famous stagecoach whip on the West Coast, although the narrative appears to be a largely fictionalized version of the driver’s life. The twist is that upon Charley’s death the world learned that the great whip, unbeknownst to even the driver’s best friends, was a woman. The story essentially runs the span of the whip’s life, and it held my interest from beginning to end. It’s a dark tale, but if you like a novel that’s not just a shoot ‘em up western, you might find this book worth a visit. The novel won the Best Western 2013 International Book Award and earned other honors.
On a personal note, I’m pleased to announce that the first novel from my Law Wranglers series, DEAL WITH THE DEVIL, is now available on Kindle and should be available in trade paperback on Amazon and other retailers in a few weeks. Book two, MOUTH OF HELL, should be published in November. Santa Fe and the Southwest will be the setting of these books, and, as usual, I try to mix in a bit of history. The early books center on the last days of the Comanche and famed war chief, Quanah Parker.
Some of my readers have asked about the sequel to NIGHT OF THE COYOTE. I am working diligently on RETURN OF THE COYOTE and hope to see it released in early 2017
Ron