The Book of Murdock

November 30, 2009
Prolific western and mystery writer Estleman (The Branch and the Scaffold
) combines the best of both in his 43rd novel, an exciting western loaded with intrigue, suspense, and clever plot twists. Deputy U.S. Marshal Page Murdock is sent to Texas in 1884 to capture a gang of armed robbers. The wrinkle is that Murdock must go disguised as a traveling preacher, toting a Bible in one hand and a pistol in the other. Murdock gets a less than pious crash course of instruction from a defrocked priest and a wily evangelist, then assumes the role of Brother Bernard Sebastian of the Church of Evangelical Truth. Whiskey-drinking Murdock isn't exactly suited for the clergy, and his cover begins to unravel when he meets a former lady friend, a sheep rancher with a touchy history, and a stone-cold Texas Ranger. A series of ambushes and deaths build to a churchly gun battle where everybody is throwing lead and dropping dead. This is one of Estleman's best, a smart, tightly wrapped story about an honest lawman who drinks Old Forester and knows the difference between a Presbyterian and a Unitarian.

February 1, 2010
Page Murdock is a deputy U.S. Marshall, not a preacher, but hell don a collar for an assignment in Owen, Texas. The Montana lawman heads south to infiltrate a gang of outlaws operating in the area. To have any credibility as a man of the cloth, he brushes up on his Bible knowledge, and armed with little but a pious faadeand a sidearm, of courseMurdock arrives in Owen, where hes surprised to discover that Colleen Bower, a former lover with a shady past, is married to the biggest rancher in the area. He also amazes himself with his success at the lectern, where he soon becomes a favorite of the locals with his Sunday sermons. Meanwhile, his main dutyflushing out the bad guysis complicated by the apparent involvement of Colleen and her husband. Estleman is best known for his mysteries, but hes equally adept at westerns, as he demonstrates again here. His novelsregardless of typeare peppered with humor, irony, and melancholy, and as a narrator, Murdock delivers all three. A clever plot and a satisfying conclusion round out a very enjoyable read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)