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A review by bookishlibrarian
Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker
3.25
I read this for a western training/book group at the library. Most of the westerns I've previously dipped into were from the more literary variety (Cormac McCarthy), very modernized takes on the genre (Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey), or genre hybrids (Lone Women by Victor LaValle), so I wanted to read a more traditional western this time. I had read one of Parker's Spenser books a long time ago and remember liking it, so was interested in his take on the genre.
Virgil Cole and his sidekick Everett Hitch are hired by the town of Appaloosa as the new lawmen and specifically to deal with the rancher Bragg who has been terrorizing the town. Virgil is a man with a strong moral code and a man of action, not words. (Though his occasional incorrect usage of words he picked up from reading (vigilant/vigorous) was humorous and relatable). Everett, our narrator, is a gunman who operates more out of loyalty to his mentor Virgil than any conviction for what he does.
This one surprised me in some good ways, in both its pacing and its characters and especially the ending. I also enjoyed the dialogue and the humor. Where it lost me a little is in the character of Allie, Virgil's love interest. Still, I'd pick up another in the series, especially to see where it goes after how this one ends.
Virgil Cole and his sidekick Everett Hitch are hired by the town of Appaloosa as the new lawmen and specifically to deal with the rancher Bragg who has been terrorizing the town. Virgil is a man with a strong moral code and a man of action, not words. (Though his occasional incorrect usage of words he picked up from reading (vigilant/vigorous) was humorous and relatable). Everett, our narrator, is a gunman who operates more out of loyalty to his mentor Virgil than any conviction for what he does.
This one surprised me in some good ways, in both its pacing and its characters and especially the ending. I also enjoyed the dialogue and the humor. Where it lost me a little is in the character of Allie, Virgil's love interest. Still, I'd pick up another in the series, especially to see where it goes after how this one ends.