In Rod Thompson’s debut novel "The Black Hills," Cormac Lynch's life is defined by the senseless killing of his family. Gun wielding becomes lifestyle, but a tender love tempers brutality in a sweet love story floating just beneath the surface.
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PRLog (Press Release) - Jan 26, 2012 - Rod Thompson’s debut novel The Black Hills is a tale taking the stance that killing “in self-defense or the defense of others” was necessary and defendable in the old west. At least that is the conclusion that young Cormac Lynch comes to following the brutal and senseless killing of his entire family at the age of fourteen. However, almost immediately Cormac’s conclusion is challenged by a feisty redhead, Lainey Nayle. Though Cormac defends the girl and actually saves her life, Lainey is clearly disgusted by men killing men. Thus the opening pages of the book establish the question Cormac will wrestle with as he travels wide and far—from the Dakotas to Texas and from Colorado to Wyoming—with his guns and two trusty mounts, Lop Ear and Horse.
Thompson takes Cormac on many adventures and introduces him to many colorful characters on his long journey, and yes, Cormac kills many men and at least one woman as he attempts to figure out if “Lainey’s attitude was right?” But he always comes up with the same answer. “What else could he have done?” All the while, Cormac’s reputation as a fast gun is growing, just as Thompson’s sure-footed command of the Western genre is confirmed. His main character is likeable and every situation warrants the defensive action he takes. This guy is so congenial and good natured that it’s hard to even question his contention that it’s better to shoot to kill than to wound.
The language is homespun and never harsh. Cormac learned to make a good cup of coffee from his pa who said to “throw a handful of coffee into some water and boil it a good while, and then throw in a horseshoe. If the horseshoe sinks add some more coffee and boil longer.” When Cormac confronts a group of outlaws and tells them to lay their guns down, one of them responds, “Well, that’s not likely gonna happen. There’s four of usn’s and only one of you, and you’re just a pipsqueak kid.” One might expect something raunchy given the baseness of the hoodlums Cormac is facing. But that’s not the tone of this tale. This isn’t Deadwood or Lonesome Dove. It’s more in the vein of Have Gun Will Travel or Gunsmoke—stories in which you like the good guy for his goodness and you aren’t confused by his ambiguities. Sometimes Thompson posits a surprisingly fresh turn of phrase such as when he mentions the “sound of a grumpy camp waking up from a bad night.” And his description of the terrain Cormac travels makes you want to be out there on horse with him, “crossing Laramie Plains in eastern Wyoming, the weather warm . . . the spring grasses making everything green and plenty of wildflowers blooming” making for “a soft and lazy day.”
If you are a fan of Westerns and you really want your good guys good, and especially if you need a sweet love story floating just beneath the surface of a killing tale, then you will like The Black Hills. The climax is tense and suspenseful and will have you leaning into the story turning pages as fast as you can and might just make you hope for a sequel.
The book, “The Black Hills” by Rod Thompson, may be purchased online as a paperback or an eBook from Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com. The paperback is available in most book stores.
Additional information on the book, “The Black Hills” by Rod Thompson, is available at: http://www.RodThompsonWesternAuthor.com
Rod Thompson is represented by International Transactions, Inc. at: http://www.IntlTrans.com
Thompson takes Cormac on many adventures and introduces him to many colorful characters on his long journey, and yes, Cormac kills many men and at least one woman as he attempts to figure out if “Lainey’s attitude was right?” But he always comes up with the same answer. “What else could he have done?” All the while, Cormac’s reputation as a fast gun is growing, just as Thompson’s sure-footed command of the Western genre is confirmed. His main character is likeable and every situation warrants the defensive action he takes. This guy is so congenial and good natured that it’s hard to even question his contention that it’s better to shoot to kill than to wound.
The language is homespun and never harsh. Cormac learned to make a good cup of coffee from his pa who said to “throw a handful of coffee into some water and boil it a good while, and then throw in a horseshoe. If the horseshoe sinks add some more coffee and boil longer.” When Cormac confronts a group of outlaws and tells them to lay their guns down, one of them responds, “Well, that’s not likely gonna happen. There’s four of usn’s and only one of you, and you’re just a pipsqueak kid.” One might expect something raunchy given the baseness of the hoodlums Cormac is facing. But that’s not the tone of this tale. This isn’t Deadwood or Lonesome Dove. It’s more in the vein of Have Gun Will Travel or Gunsmoke—stories in which you like the good guy for his goodness and you aren’t confused by his ambiguities. Sometimes Thompson posits a surprisingly fresh turn of phrase such as when he mentions the “sound of a grumpy camp waking up from a bad night.” And his description of the terrain Cormac travels makes you want to be out there on horse with him, “crossing Laramie Plains in eastern Wyoming, the weather warm . . . the spring grasses making everything green and plenty of wildflowers blooming” making for “a soft and lazy day.”
If you are a fan of Westerns and you really want your good guys good, and especially if you need a sweet love story floating just beneath the surface of a killing tale, then you will like The Black Hills. The climax is tense and suspenseful and will have you leaning into the story turning pages as fast as you can and might just make you hope for a sequel.
The book, “The Black Hills” by Rod Thompson, may be purchased online as a paperback or an eBook from Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com. The paperback is available in most book stores.
Additional information on the book, “The Black Hills” by Rod Thompson, is available at: http://www.RodThompsonWesternAuthor.com
Rod Thompson is represented by International Transactions, Inc. at: http://www.IntlTrans.com
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| Contact Email | : | ***@specialguests.com  | |
| Issued By | : | Special Guests for Rod Thompson | |
| Phone | : | 630-548-9300 | |
| Country | : | United States | |
| Industry | : | Books, Literature, Publishing | |
| Tags | : | Black Hills, book, Cormac Lynch, Rod Thompson | |
| Last Updated | : | Jan 26, 2012 | |
| Shortcut | : | http://prlog.org/11783081 |
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