Hard Trail to Follow

December 31, 2007
Prolific Spur Award\x96winner Kelton knocks out the seventh western in his Texas Ranger series, following 2005\x92s Jericho\x92s Road. In the 1870s, former Texas Ranger Andy Pickard, now a restless farmer, drops his plow and straps on his guns when the local sheriff is murdered during a jailbreak. The dead sheriff, Tom Blessing, had been a father figure to Andy, who vows revenge for his killing. The escaped outlaw is Luther Cordell, a dangerous bank robber and leader of a small gang of desperate owlhoots. The search is long and arduous, and the posse Andy has assembled melts away until only Andy, now a fully reinstated Ranger, remains in solo pursuit. Cordell, meanwhile, is trying to recover the stolen bank loot he\x92d hidden when captured. Add in Cordell\x92s disgusting relatives, two unlucky saloon stick-up artists, some kindly travelers, fancy gunplay and a remarkably surprising conclusion, and Kelton once again turns in an exciting and satisfying western tale.

Jonathan Davis offers a slow-paced, natural-sounding reading of Kelton's Western. The "Hard Trail" becomes ruthless outlaw Luther Cordell's path to redemption as he rediscovers his compassion, humanity, and even kindness. When Sheriff Tom Blessing is killed during a jailbreak, ex-Texas Ranger Andy Pickard pursues Luther as the killer. Along the way, Andy is perplexed by the enigma of Luther's kindness to strangers. Davis portrays a wide variety of characters of the era and gives them unique identities. As Davis depicts the conflicts--internal and external--of both men, listeners will gain insights into nineteenth-century Texans. S.C.A. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine