The Shotgun Wedding by William and J. A. Johnstone is
an enjoyable book. It is set in an old western town, Silverhill, NM, that is
making the sometime painful transition to more modern ways. Two grizzled old friends, Bo Creel and Scratch
Morton have come to be here in a roundabout way.
They were hired by another old friend to provide safe
passage to a group of five mail order brides who were traveling there looking
for their future husbands. But as often happened in real life the expected
husbands did not readily materialize.
These young women were not the expected hapless females, as
the town and both Bo and Scratch were to discover. However, the two old friends felt an
obligation to the ladies than transcended just getting them to their destination.
Positions of town marshal and deputy were available and
seemed perfect to wile away some time waiting on the right man to marry the
female charges. As you might guess there
are a lot of adventures awaiting everyone concerned.
Following the adventures from well-off rancher, miners,
cowhands, Mexican bandits, a murderous doctor, stagecoach jehu, and more, they
are on their way to one of the young women having a real shotgun wedding. But the story is different in a number of
ways including a kidnapping, a pregnancy; but in true Western novel fashion the
good guys win in the end. These women are breaking the norm of the times and
while it might seem a little scandalous it makes the book hard to put down.
Definitely encourage this read as it paints a different
picture of the west in New Mexico during this late 1800s time. Another well done story using the ideas of
the late William Johnstone.
No comments:
Post a Comment