Three-Legged Horse

September 1, 2015
Hall follows the old rule of westerns: shoot somebody on the first page. Or a lot of somebodies, as Justin Bodean, who's only 15, witnesses when the stagecoach his father and he are traveling on is attacked by Comanches, outlaws, or maybe both. Justin loses his father, who admittedly wasn't worth much, but he carried a map to gold stashed in an abandoned fort. The map interests one Francis Gallagher, a foppish dime novelist who dogs young Justin until they reach his Aunt Sara, a tough cookie holding onto her farm despite pressure from two land barons. With the help of his aunt and Francis, Justin faces up to the land barons, who eventually wipe each other out. Francis maneuvers matters to secure Sara's farm. Justin, who had as much chance to survive in Texas as a three-legged horse, rides just such a horse on a vital mission right out of Zane Greyand saves the day. Hall fields too many characters for his brief space, but otherwise this is an entertaining romp, nicely leavened with the author's considerable wit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)