Worse Than a Lie  ---  5-stars  *****

This book, “Worse Than a Lie,” by Ben Crum is reminiscent of “To Kill a Mockingbird” in many ways. The story begins with a young African American kid who is enamored by the biography of Justice Thurgood Marshall and his appointment as the first African American appointed to the US Supreme Court. He has read the biography many, many times!!

Fast forward to 2008 and our first Black President is being elected. Maybe the racism that has been around is over – but not so fast. A black Metra cop named Hollis Montrose who is also a former Chicago cop was driving late at night and was homeward bound when the infamous flashing blue lights appear behind him. He pulls over and then his hell begins.

He is drug from his car and ultimately shot multiple times. He is being charged with a crime even though he identifies himself as an officer. That young kid who read and reread Marshall’s biography has now grown up and practices law. He and his law partner also a college fraternity brother, Nelson Rivers, get involved in civil rights cases and this case seems a ripe one for the taking.

Beau Lee Cooper is relentless, but the blue wall is formidable; including even prosecuting attorneys.. The story is fast paced, and lays bare the racial divide that in 2008 was still a deep chasm. The book explores this divide and how law can be a moderating influence – sometimes.

An excellent read and one that was hard to put down. Highly recommended and likely to become at least a made-for-TV movie. Too bad I can only give it 5-stars!!

 "Preacher's Hell" -- 5star review *****

Grab your reading glasses and get ready for another in the "Preacher" series of books from the Johnstone syndicate.  This particular one has Preacher and his two main sidekicks-Nighthawk and Audie getting involved in finding and then protecting a set of twins.  This protection involved a gang of really bad people who have enlisted or coerced a native tribe of Salish to help.  

As the twins add an enlivening twist with the trail-hardened group, several other characters pop up including the twins' mother, Annie Collins and a friendly Salish teen called Little Bear.  Their assistance and actions play into the story as the gang of robbers and murders led by Mack Ozark along with a collaborating nefarious Salish warrior.  Of course Preacher also had the help of his trusted companions of the 4-legged variety that he called "Dog" and "Horse"! Imaginative.

As we move across the wilderness, there is lots of adventure that comes to a climax when there is treasure discovered in a cave.  As might be expected a terrific battle takes place and who wins is up in the air for a while.

A fun and quick read and for those Preacher fans, just another installment of the Preacher-stories.  I recommend this book for any Western reader--it is fun to read and full of adventure and action.

 The Best of Enemies ---*****--5 stars

When two opposing soldiers in the Civil War meet in a one-on-one battle near the end of the War, each is seriously injured by the other; but necessity to survive causes them to be pulled together.  Their previous beliefs get strained through the sieve of friendship and melded into a mixture of a deep, true, and enduring friendship.  These friends do a lot of traveling post-War and work together on various odd jobs.  They are always good naturedly poking fun at each other about being a Reb or a Yank or about how they talk, sleep, etc. They've come to admire and overlook things from each other -- just as brothers often do. Sometimes they want to get closer to the same woman and this has the potential to cause conflict.

These quips do not deter from their deep affection and a feeling stronger than mere brotherly love.  The storyline in this novel "The Best of Enemies" is about helping a widow keep her shipping business and serving a group of miners who are struggling against the moneyed interests from back East.  Lots of rights and wrongs in this story line but their determination and a little luck might be able to help the Widow survive.

This latest battle over shipping to the miners is just as bloody and deadly as that last Civil War Battle of Deadeye Gap and Private Chaw (Reb) and Private Trace (Yank) are deeply involved. Just fewer overall people involved. Will their attraction to the Widow cause a split or will their deep affection for each other overcome?

Definitely recommend this book.  It is a quick read and one that keeps the reader's attention.  

 Finding the North Wind -- 5 stars --*****

Mr. Hammond has a winner here for any reader who loves dogs and seeing their devotion to their human as well as Boo's ability to sense and track.  The handler of Boo is Nate, a Wyoming deputy.  The deputy has gotten attached to a young boy named Caleb, who he met on another adventure.  Together the trio helps to right a wrong that occurred to a young Native woman whose Native name is Kwayah, meaning "The North Wind,"  Kwayah escapes from a bad situation a women's prison in Wyoming and is determined to get back to her grandmother and her young daughter in Utah.

Follow the tracking trek across Wyoming and Utah, as the trio gets help from numerous others who care about justice and not just power.  Meet bad weather, crooked law enforcers, and drug dealers as the search unfolds.  Find out how the judicial system can be manipulated for either evil or good.

The characters seem to jump off the pages and can give the reader both warm fuzzy feelings as well high degrees of anger at the actions of some officials.  It is fun to see the maturing of young Caleb (13 yo) as he accompanies his friends, Nate and Boo,  on this supposed, non-hazardous tracking adventure. 

Definitely a full 5-star.  Too bad I cannot give more stars for a book that I found to be a delightful story,  as well as just a fun read. There are some emotional parts and some sad ones, but the book, to me, was fabulous!!

 The Man from Blood Gulch  -----   5 *****

This new series by the Johnstone syndicate has a good character in Garret McCoy. An orphaned boy who becomes a bounty hunter and gets to relive his observation of his family being killed and looks for revenge.  In this story, McCoy collects bounties and comes face-to-face with a town with two opposing oligarchs.  The saloon in the town is neutral territory.

McCoy whose nickname is "Ghost" has his work cut out for him as he tries to right previous wrongs and keep future wrongs from happening.  All is not  roses as there are folks he cares about who are wounded and even killed.  But in typical Western fashion the basic goodness wins in the end but it is a rocky road filled with bumps.

I enjoyed the fast read and would tell other readers of Westerns they probably will like it too.  The characters are not too shallow as sometimes happens in Western stories with the stereotyping.

 The Hanging Party----5 stars  *****

The Johnstone group has another good series going with this one about Jon Gage aka Texas Lightening.  He grew up in a trying situation living with an alcoholic father after his mother had gone.  He was a sensitive boy and not one that his father understood.  One of the things that Gage got good at was wielding a gun.

It wasn't that he liked doing it but it seemed to come his way even when he tried to avoid it.  He developed a wide-ranging reputation as the Texas Lightening, which is where he hailed from. After being on his own he got rid of the family farm since there was little equity left in it and moved on.  But that pesky reputation followed him and there was always someone who thought they were faster on the draw...not!!

It came to a head in one of the dusty trail towns when once again he was called out and then after he was the faster draw, he was forced into a killing to save his own life.  The set Jon on a different path and he tried to hide from his past as he never wanted to kill again.

Enter a drying up mining town, a crooked freighter, some hired guns, and an evil wanna-be business tycoon and you find Jon in the next chapter of his life.  He has been successful in not wearing or drawing a gun for several years but here the evil was so strong, and he was determined to help right some wrongs.  This is the thrust of this story: the clash of his desire to help versus his self-imposed restrictions on using his gun.  Which part of Jon will win and what will be the consequences for whichever course of action he takes?  Herein lies the story and it is a good one and one I definitely recommend very highly.  I look forward to reading more about Jon Gage and he struggles with his past and his future.

 Purgatory Crossing --  4 stars * * * * 

Having some history with hostile natives, Nathan Stark has made it his job to try to help prevent marauders from killing innocents; the way they did with his family.  His experience in the American Civil War has made him a hard man but one who seems to be interested in justice...but that is sometimes conflicted.

He joins with a member of the Crow tribe, Moses Red Buffalo, to hunt down marauders and deal frontier justice to those who would hurt innocents.  But he also has some background where all natives as well as people of color are not well trusted.  This inner conflict is seen again and again in his dealings along the trail.  But he would be the first to tell you that Moses Red Buffalo is his best friend.  Something that might not be expected given his background.

Stark and Red Buffalo are excellent trackers and are tasked with a tracking and retrieval job for some kidnapped Navajo children, a brother and sister, being held by one of the Geronimo Apache bands in frontier Arizona.  As might be expected the Apache will not take kindly to this rescue.  But others also come into play including scalp hinters and Mexican cavalry. The rescue is a key in limiting the Apache-problem but the Navajo chief, father of the kidnapped children, will not join the hunt for the Apache until the children are found.

The book is an adventure and a fun read.