Review: Buzzard's Bluff - 5 star

The Texas Ranger’s have been recognized as a well-disciplined police-military force for a number of years.  This book, Buzzard’s Bluff, by William Johnstone helps preserve this fabled goodness.  But this book goes a bit further in which additional issues come into play.  The protagonist, Ben Savage, brings all the best of the Rangers into clear focus.  He is a prime example of the traditional “good guys wearing white hats” ideal.

Savage has been a Ranger for a number of years, but an unexpected inheritance causes him to have to make a decision to continue or to change.  Fortunately, his boss is willing to give him the time to explore the new situation that he finds himself thrust into. He goes to the developing town of Buzzard’s Bluff, which is near Austin to check on his inheritance.

While in the developing town, he is exposed to a variety of  characters from a ranch owner who thinks he can run the town to a well-prepared and lovely female saloon manager. Along the way there is the normal cast of bad actors who are all trying to have everything their own way. These characters range from the owner of the Double-D ranch to a less than honorable young Ranger.

Ben’s dilemma is based on his basic good nature and deciding how to best deal with the nefarious characters in the area where he went to check on his inheritance.  Go or stay; be involved or ignore; these questions and more are the crux of the story.

This novel is a traditional western story—good guys and bad guys.  The characters that Johnstone has created have more depth than many of the traditional westerns.  The book is a great read if you like reading western novels set in the time of the old west.  A worthwhile read that is so good that you’ll not want to put it down once you start.