APPALOOSA by Robert B. Parker
Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch don’t just enforce the law. They are the law. When they pass through a town that’s been having problems, they take over the justice system and clean the town up as sheriff and deputy. They’ve done it again and again. It’s a clean, easy system for Cole and Everett. When they come to Appaloosa to take care of a renegade rancher, they assume it will be the same. But they didn’t count on Allie French.
Gunfights, bandits, love triangles, kidnappings, and betrayals add adventure to a book that is, at its heart, a study of honor and friendship. This was my first time reading a Western, and I have to say, I loved every minute of it! Parker creates a sense of atmosphere and place through spare language and deliberate punctuation. The pace is slow and laid-back and the tension of verbal confrontations leaps off the page. If you like fast-paced books, this will probably frustrate you. But if you like Westerns, or would like to try a Western, this one is really well written and a fun read. I highly recommend it. It is the first in a series.
Susan the Librarian 