As the three Darby brothers hang from the gallows, the townspeople of Kosoma are relieved. Nothing and no one had been safe while those three were breathing. Now that the execution has taken place, U.S. Marshall Trusty Dawson's job is to take Judge Hadesworth back home. Just before the two men head out, the dead outlaws' sister, Amelia, persuades the judge to take her along with them. With her brothers' reputations there in town, there's no way she's going to get a fair shake from anyone. Trusty really wanted to leave her behind, sensing that she's trouble, but the judge overrules him.
And trouble is exactly what she turns out to be. Bedding down for the night at Lost Mountain Pass, the three are ambushed. The judge is killed, Trusty wounded, and Amelia vanishes, leading Trusty to believe that she led them straight into a trap.
To find Amelia, Trusty is going to have to put his faith in the fourth Darby brother, Michael, a man who's recently left the priesthood, but as their search for Michael's sister turns deadlier by the day, Trusty has good reason to distrust Michael as well.
~
I'm finding that I'm in the midst of another mini-reading binge of books set in the American West, and one of the best authors to read is Spur Award-winning Larry D. Sweazy. This first Trusty Dawson book, Lost Mountain Pass, takes us from 1860s St. Louis and Trusty's youth to 1880s Indian Territory where U.S. Marshall Sam Dawson has earned the nickname everyone calls him by being utterly trustworthy and dependable.
Sweazy's setting has you slapping off the trail dust, hearing the jingle of spurs, and knowing that your life may very well depend on how observant you are of people and your surroundings. There's more going on than a simple manhunt to put Trusty's life in danger, and as his backstory is woven into the story, the danger he's in becomes palpable. There are two very dangerous men after Dawson, and the shadowy Michael Darby with his reluctance to talk makes you wonder if there's a third. And as far as characters are concerned, Sweazy introduces a female Apache scout named Woman's Clothes that I definitely would love to see more of.
With its fast pace, authentic setting, very real sense of danger, and amusing turns of phrase ("...took to wearing suits like a lizard dancing on ice" and "...face that looked like it had been used to rake gravel"), Lost Mountain Pass is an extremely satisfying read. In the next book in the series, Trusty will be heading to North Dakota, and I think I'll just mosey right along with him.
Lost Mountain Pass by Larry D. Sweazy
eISBN: 9780786046782
Pinnacle Books © 2021
eBook, 320 pages
Historical Fiction/Western, #1 Trusty Dawson
Rating: B+
Source: Net Galley
I'm not surprised you're enjoying a literary trip to the West, Cathy. Books set there can be excellent, and there's something about that setting and the cultures. I wonder if it's the lifestyle, or the wild beauty, or something else? This one's got an interesting premise, and characters. Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't really surprise me that I enjoyed it, I have yet to read a book by Larry Sweazy that I didn't like.
DeleteI used to read quite a lot of Westerns, but honestly I've been over them for a while. Nevertheless, this does sound like an interesting series. It might just tempt me back in.
ReplyDeleteWhile I never have read many out 'n' out Westerns and have just begun to dabble in them a bit
DeleteI love those turns of phrase! They can really keep the story moving along and keep it from being too heavy.
ReplyDeleteI always wish I could come up with witty turns of phrase like these!
DeleteThanks, Cathy, I'm glad you liked Trusty's story.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the next one!
DeleteThat does sound good! It has me thinking it might be an historical sidekick for my Longmire fixes. Adding this to the ever-growing list.
ReplyDeleteWhere would we be without extremely healthy lists? ;-)
DeleteI must be in the same Western binge. For the last year or so, I've read more Westerns (with the exception of the Longmire books which are always so darn good) than I usually do. I did read this one recently, but don't think I liked it as much as you did. The Apache scout would have been a good start to a series, maybe Sweazey will decide to reminisce a bit more about her role since that is the only way she is likely to appear again.
ReplyDeleteThere's no reason why he couldn't have a trilogy about her before she ever met up with these folks. I'm trying to send brain waves in Sweazy's direction to get him to do this...
DeleteShe was my favorite character, and we really didn't learn much about her! I'll add my brain waves to yours!
Delete