Retribution Rails

August 15, 2017
In the Arizona Territory in 1887 a mining heiress meets an outlaw during a train robbery; violence, redemption, and romance ensue.Narration alternates between Charlotte, who's 16 and sheltered but dreams of becoming a reporter, and Reece, a reluctant, 18-year-old outlaw with a deadly reputation. He's more compelling as a character, having been forcefully adopted into the murderous Rose Riders three years earlier because he can identify the man who killed the gang leader's brother in the companion novel, Vengeance Road (2015). Reece regrets the horrible things he's done with the gang, remaining with them mainly because Luther Rose, the leader, threatens Reece's mother's life should he run but also because he's strangely attached to Rose, who is violent and threatening but also seems to have some affection for Reece, calling him "son" and imagining he will someday inherit gang leadership. Reece's realization that freeing himself ultimately requires killing all the gang members comes with its own moral price tag. Meanwhile, he's accidentally abducted Charlotte, who has her own melodramatic set of family problems but whose primary purpose seems to be learning to love the promise of a reformed Reece. Very conveniently they're assisted in their quests for freedom by the couple who killed Rose's brother 10 years earlier. Though Reece is biracial, with a Mexican mother and white father, his heritage is not plumbed, and most other characters are, like Charlotte, white. Occasionally contrived but entertaining. (Western romance. 14-18)

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October 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Reece Murphy "The Rose Kid" longs for freedom from the Rose Riders, a violent group of bandits who aren't afraid to use dirty tactics to get their hands on valuables. He was forced into the Rose Riders because of a mysterious coin. Now, to gain his freedom, he has to help Luther Rose, the Boss, find out who killed his brother. Sixteen-year-old Charlotte Vaughn is determined to be a female reporter like Nellie Bly. She is heading to Prescott to chronicle the opening of the Prescott and Arizona Central rail line. The recent death of her father has made it imperative that Charlotte find a way to help her mother keep the family mining business together and away from the greedy hands of her uncle. Unfortunately, her plans change abruptly when the Rose Riders take the train hostage. Reece and Charlotte's world collide. While there is action on every page, the pace remains slow. The tension between Reece and the Rose Riders feels artificial and melodramatic despite the constant threat of violence from Luther. Charlotte's dedication to getting the facts is an admirable quality, as is her persistent personality. She clashes with Reece at every turn and theirs proves to be an intriguing and complex friendship, a highlight of the story. Bowman does the Arizona Territory justice, making this desolate and tough landscape the perfect setting for a train robbery gone wrong. VERDICT This is for die-hard readers of the Western genre. Purchase where the first title remains popular.-Sarah Wethern, Douglas County Library, MN

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