106th out of 326 books
—
430 voters
Blue-Eyed Devil (Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch #4)
The extraordinary new Western from the New York Times- bestselling author, featuring itinerant lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch.
Law enforcement in Appaloosa had once been Virgil Cole and me. Now there was a chief of police and twelve policemen. Our third day back in town, the chief invited us to the office for a talk.
The new chief is Amos Callico: a tall, fat man in...more
Law enforcement in Appaloosa had once been Virgil Cole and me. Now there was a chief of police and twelve policemen. Our third day back in town, the chief invited us to the office for a talk.
The new chief is Amos Callico: a tall, fat man in...more
Hardcover, 276 pages
Published
May 4th 2010
by Putnam Adult
(first published 2010)
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I am so disappointed...that the series has ended! I started reading this on a whim, as I don't even like westerns a little bit. However I got several Parker rec's and somehow ended up bringing this series home...and loved it. I found out during this time that Parker had died as well, I wished I had discovered him sooner.
Hitch & Cole return to the begining by heading back to Appaloossa. Along the way they protect some wronged people and of course make some powerful enimies along the way. I en...more
Hitch & Cole return to the begining by heading back to Appaloossa. Along the way they protect some wronged people and of course make some powerful enimies along the way. I en...more
This is not a novel, though it pretends to be. Books in most novel series were once fairly independent from each other. Readers could join the series anywhere. Either the past did not matter, or if it did, the author would tell readers what they needed to know to understand the present. This seems to have changed.
In this book, perhaps best described as the later chapters of a serial despite the words “a novel,” on the cover, we meet a number of established characters. Parker does not bother to r...more
In this book, perhaps best described as the later chapters of a serial despite the words “a novel,” on the cover, we meet a number of established characters. Parker does not bother to r...more
Robert B. Parker writes like the kid who constantly shows up at art class without any of his own supplies – he relies on you to supply the pigments and pencils for color and shading. And that’s a good thing. In his sparse, economical way of writing, Parker more releases a story than tells it. It is left to our imaginations to dress and refine characters and settings. While this could lead to discontinuities and jarring transformations in the hands of a lesser writer, Parker’s narrative in “Blue-...more
I am grateful that this is Parker's LAST BOOK (barring the discovery of some unknown manuscript!)
First, the good-- Parker does manage to capture the FEEL of the Old West and old west tough guys. It isn't a lot different from his Spenser novels, but he's got it down pat.
Virgil and Everett are FANTASTIC characters, tough as nails, and have more brass than Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday. Everett's 8 gauge shotgun is an impressive street howitzer and adds to the reader's understanding of these two gun...more
First, the good-- Parker does manage to capture the FEEL of the Old West and old west tough guys. It isn't a lot different from his Spenser novels, but he's got it down pat.
Virgil and Everett are FANTASTIC characters, tough as nails, and have more brass than Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday. Everett's 8 gauge shotgun is an impressive street howitzer and adds to the reader's understanding of these two gun...more
Sometimes whan an author has churned-out as many books as the beloved late Robert B. Parker has written, we're a bit skeptical to crack-open the newest book fearing disappointment. Fortunately Parker's fans can rest easy. His new book BLUE-EYED DEVIL is a fun, quick-paced entertaining read. Those who have read the Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch series will recognize the book's setting——the old western town of Appaloosa. Once again Parker brings the characters alive with lots of old Wild West action b...more
This is the fourth, and last, installment in the western series of novels featuring gunslingers Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, written by Robert B. Parker. Parker, who wrote dozens of novels since 1973 until his death at age 77, tended to produce frequent, at least annual, installments in his various series of books, of which Cole/Hitch is the newest franchise. His Spenser detective series of books is his most famous. His Jesse Stone detective series is also very popular, thanks at least in part...more
I thoroughly enjoyed the first 3 books in the Cole and Hicks series of Westerns by Robert Parker, and this one was no exception. However, I must confess that I was a bit frustrated with this novel at first.
In his first novel featuring the cool and stoic gunslinger Virgil Cole and his philosophical side kick Everett Hicks, Parker surprised me with a fresh approach to the standard Western genre.
The description and dialogue were sparse and yet packed with meaning, much like the characters themselve...more
In his first novel featuring the cool and stoic gunslinger Virgil Cole and his philosophical side kick Everett Hicks, Parker surprised me with a fresh approach to the standard Western genre.
The description and dialogue were sparse and yet packed with meaning, much like the characters themselve...more
All the elements of a fast paced, quickly gripping Western!
Cole and Hitch are two former Lawmen turned warriors with guns. The twist is that they both have a firm code of ethics towards mankind.
They befriend working women from the red light district, Indians, survivors of Indian raids, even the gunslinger who is out to kill them.
Blue-eyed Devil runs the gamut of crooked sheriff's( Amos Calico),wealthy land owners, the poor and the misfits. This novel leads into the Battle between Good & Evil...more
Cole and Hitch are two former Lawmen turned warriors with guns. The twist is that they both have a firm code of ethics towards mankind.
They befriend working women from the red light district, Indians, survivors of Indian raids, even the gunslinger who is out to kill them.
Blue-eyed Devil runs the gamut of crooked sheriff's( Amos Calico),wealthy land owners, the poor and the misfits. This novel leads into the Battle between Good & Evil...more
I'm a big fan of Robert B. Parker's early Virgil & Everett westerns (APPALOOSA,RESOLUTION, etc.) but the latest, BLUE EYED DEVIL, is Parker at his worst. For starters, it's hardly a book at all, more like a long short story fattened up with large fonts, three-page chapters, and lots of white space.
Professional gun hands Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch return to Appaloosa, the setting for the first (and best) book in the series and spend most of their time sitting on one porch or another sippi...more
Professional gun hands Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch return to Appaloosa, the setting for the first (and best) book in the series and spend most of their time sitting on one porch or another sippi...more
Parker's workmanlike approach to writing produced over 60 volumes and a number of memorable characters. Private Eye Spenser was perhaps his most popular, but more recently the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall series were gaining followings as well.
Perhaps less known is the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch westerns of which this is the last.
Gunman and sometime lawman Cole is nearly superhuman in his sharp shooting ability, besting all opponents that dare challenge him. He seems nearly devoid of persona...more
Perhaps less known is the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch westerns of which this is the last.
Gunman and sometime lawman Cole is nearly superhuman in his sharp shooting ability, besting all opponents that dare challenge him. He seems nearly devoid of persona...more
It was an okay read...Robert Parker writes books that are easy to complete and 'digest'...However, with this series of books by him thre is something both easy and hard to like. Easy because the old west has a romantic quality and hard because I felt like I was reading Parker's ego the whole time. And it was off-putting. There is something very contradictory to his writing style; it is obvious he wants you to like his protagonists yet keeps them very one-dimensional. Except to the characters the...more
Robert Parker's books were always pleasant and enjoyable for me. One could not claim that they have great literary merit, but they provide entertainment and relaxation without much effort for the reader. This was, unfortunately, Parker's last book prior to his death. He is probably best known for his Spenser series.Some may be familiar with others, the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall novels.
Blue-Eyed Devil is the fourth adventure, with Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch as Western gunmen pals, often c...more
Blue-Eyed Devil is the fourth adventure, with Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch as Western gunmen pals, often c...more
This Everett Hitch and Virgil Cole story was Parker's last in this western series. Virgil the fastest gun in the West and his eight gauge wielding side kick Everett return to Appaloosa to find a new Chief of police in town with political ambitions, a dozen officers, and a shake down of the local merchants for protection money. Of course the merchants need help.
I finished this story while staying at a ranch in Montana. With Parker's brilliantly crisp and clever dialog and a plot full of surprise...more
I finished this story while staying at a ranch in Montana. With Parker's brilliantly crisp and clever dialog and a plot full of surprise...more
Jul 19, 2010
Ed
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Parker, Western and Thriller Fans
Shelves:
western-frontier,
reviewed
I am going to miss Robert Parker, big time. This is, I believe, the last bok he wrote and was published posthumously.
This book is deceptively short. It's themes of loyalty, integrity, honesty, love and friendship are brought to life through the dialogue of the various characters, mostly Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch.
The style reminds me of Ernest Hemingway's six word novels. One review I read slammed it as a poor example of Western Literature. Problem is it's not Western Literature. It's a conte...more
This book is deceptively short. It's themes of loyalty, integrity, honesty, love and friendship are brought to life through the dialogue of the various characters, mostly Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch.
The style reminds me of Ernest Hemingway's six word novels. One review I read slammed it as a poor example of Western Literature. Problem is it's not Western Literature. It's a conte...more
Toward the end of his life, Robert B. Parker's series novels had gotten a bit stale. Reading about Spenser and Hawk was sort of like old home week -- you knew what to expect, and RBP delivered it. No surprises.
Same with the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall stories. The characters had pretty much evolved all they were going to evolve, and you had to go into Parker's books understanding that you were going to get great writing, but not necessarily a great story, if that makes sense.
Enter Everett Hitc...more
Same with the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall stories. The characters had pretty much evolved all they were going to evolve, and you had to go into Parker's books understanding that you were going to get great writing, but not necessarily a great story, if that makes sense.
Enter Everett Hitc...more
Virgil and Everett are back in Appaloosa. There's a new police chief in town who has aspirations and he offers them jobs as deputies(where the two of them did the job before, Amos Callico has a dozen). When they refuse, he wants them out of town, he's enraged they won't be intimidated.
He gets further angry when they begin working as bouncers in saloons around town, cutting into his "protection" racket. Can't do anything about it though. As a would-be politician, he can't do anything that smacks...more
He gets further angry when they begin working as bouncers in saloons around town, cutting into his "protection" racket. Can't do anything about it though. As a would-be politician, he can't do anything that smacks...more
Hitch and Cole are back in Appaloosa, where we were first introduced to them. But this time they're not the law. That job is already taken by an over ambitious man who is dabbling a bit with running a protection racket but his real plans are to climb up the political ladder. Of course there is only room for one stallion in the herd and it’s a matter of time before there’s a confrontation that leaves gun-smoke floating in the air.
I was hooked on these guys when I saw the movie, Appaloosa and soo...more
I was hooked on these guys when I saw the movie, Appaloosa and soo...more
It is with sadness that I read this book after the author passed away earlier this year.
Virgil Cole and Everett Hatch return to Appaloosa where they had formerly enforced the law.
Currently, the town is run by Amos Callico, an ambitious, corrupt chief of police, and his twelve lawmen. Callico is always looking for personal gain and his method of providing justice is to demand kick-backs from the businessmen and town residents.
Virgil and Everett are hired to provide personal safety by Lamar Spec,...more
Virgil Cole and Everett Hatch return to Appaloosa where they had formerly enforced the law.
Currently, the town is run by Amos Callico, an ambitious, corrupt chief of police, and his twelve lawmen. Callico is always looking for personal gain and his method of providing justice is to demand kick-backs from the businessmen and town residents.
Virgil and Everett are hired to provide personal safety by Lamar Spec,...more
Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch remain as enjoyable a pair as always in this final chapter of Robert B. Parker's "Appaloosa" saga. But let's be honest -- Cole and Hitch are no Gus McRae and Woodrow Call, and Robert B. Parket is no Larry McMurtry.
That said, while no one will ever know if Parker had planned any further adventures for his erstwhile lawmen/gunfighters, this book in any case does a servicable -- if unspectacular -- job of wrapping up the four-book series, returning the boys to the tow...more
That said, while no one will ever know if Parker had planned any further adventures for his erstwhile lawmen/gunfighters, this book in any case does a servicable -- if unspectacular -- job of wrapping up the four-book series, returning the boys to the tow...more
Robert B. Parker's characters kill, but not without reason. Even with those living outside of the law, there's a code they follow. Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch were lawmen in Appaloosa, but aren't any longer and a new chief is installed. There's tension as the new chief is ambitious. The characters are fascinating and their development through the dialog is masterful. I had once thought that outlaws were the most interesting characters because they were certain in what they did and did it well....more
This book is typical of Parker's writing in that it could be best described as Spenser and Hawk in the old west. Typical of Parker, the dialog is crisp and spare, and focused on examining the personal code that Cole and Hitch live by. It also continues Parker's fixation on unfaithful wives - makes me wonder how Parker's own wife lived with him putting her own infidelities on display in every book he wrote for about 30 years. Perhaps the biggest weakness in this book is that it spends at least 25...more
I won this in a GoodReads giveaway. To be quite honest, I paid no attention to the details, I only entered because it was by Robert B. Parker, and I enjoy his books. I had no idea it was a Western! I've always said that I don't like Westerns, so I've never read one. Now I can say that I have. And you know what? It wasn't too bad.
The story moves rather quickly and, in Parker's style, is mostly dialogue-driven, with a lot of details left to the reader to fill in for him/herself. Although there was...more
The story moves rather quickly and, in Parker's style, is mostly dialogue-driven, with a lot of details left to the reader to fill in for him/herself. Although there was...more
Pretty similar to the other books in the series. It focuses on Virgil's idea of honor and duty.
Virgil and Everett end up back in a Appaloosa and take jobs as bouncers in a saloon. They quickly come to the realization that the current sheriff, Amos Callico, is dishonest and power hungry. A dispute arises between the sheriff and the area's largest land owner and Virgil and Everett choose sides. Big gunfight at the end... ya da ya da ya da...
It was a good book although it was so short it could be c...more
Virgil and Everett end up back in a Appaloosa and take jobs as bouncers in a saloon. They quickly come to the realization that the current sheriff, Amos Callico, is dishonest and power hungry. A dispute arises between the sheriff and the area's largest land owner and Virgil and Everett choose sides. Big gunfight at the end... ya da ya da ya da...
It was a good book although it was so short it could be c...more
Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch return to Appaloosa where they used to be the law. That's no longer the case, and the sheriff plans to take over the town. That doesn't happen. Cole and Hitch side with a gunman hired to kill Virgil as things come to a head. That's just one of the bumps that come along, making this a winner of a novel. What glistens is Parker's mastery of the crisp, clean dialogue where the characters are defined by what they say rather than by some authorial narrative. Parker and E...more
Came across this book at a library book sale. Didn't know that Parker had written a fourth book in the Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch series. I note that rather than Robert B. Parker being listed as the
Copyright entity, it is the Estate of Robert B. Parker. I'll miss the characters he has given life
to.
All of the books in this series are fun reads. I wish that Ed Harris and Vigo Mortensen would get together and film the other three movies. The Jesse Stone series has been a huge success. Perhaps
Mr. Har...more
Copyright entity, it is the Estate of Robert B. Parker. I'll miss the characters he has given life
to.
All of the books in this series are fun reads. I wish that Ed Harris and Vigo Mortensen would get together and film the other three movies. The Jesse Stone series has been a huge success. Perhaps
Mr. Har...more
A lot of people have been critical of this book - it is VERY short, it builds up slowly to a climax and then ends within a few pages, the characters are a bit over-the-top, etc. What I loved about this book was spending one final evening with my good friends Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. I started grinning from page 1 - and nothing had even happened yet. Few people write dialogue as masterfully as Parker - and these characters come across so strongly with only the smallest amounts of exposition...more
Fun buddy western. When I grabbed the back of this book I didn't realize that the movie Appaloosa was based on a book. It was great to read a sequel to a book I didn't know about. Fun and easy story that re-embraced old characters and added some new. I'll go back and read the series from the start and read ongoing books as well.
Notion that struck me: So often it's the woman who's chooses to stick with a man even when he isn't good for her. Here it's the main character who loves a woman who is t...more
Notion that struck me: So often it's the woman who's chooses to stick with a man even when he isn't good for her. Here it's the main character who loves a woman who is t...more
The last Robert B Parker book! It was so sad knowing he isn't around to write another Jessie Stone or Spencer mystery. This one is in the Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch cowboy series. I love his dialog. Of course, it's less sophisticated and more is left unsaid than in his contemporary novels.
I always loved that he put out several books per year by stretching what is essentially a long short story into novel length by using a narrow book, very heavy, thick paper, and creative use of spacing. But, I...more
I always loved that he put out several books per year by stretching what is essentially a long short story into novel length by using a narrow book, very heavy, thick paper, and creative use of spacing. But, I...more
My beloved Mr. Parker please forgive me for not liking this book at all. This was a Western and I usually don't read those but I put this CD in my car and by the time I figured it out (I never read the back since it gives away too much) I was like ughhhhh a Western! The story was not great either and there was a lot of conversations that does not translate well in audio when the reader has to keep saying A said blah blah blah, B said blah blah blah, A said blah blah blah. It was a rough 4 CD's b...more
This is the second in Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch westerns by Parker-- Just let me say this is relaxed reading--just lean back and enjoy-- no complex characters-- no spinning plot-- no twist--nor turns-- just an easy relaxing read-- sort of like the old L'Amour books of days gone by-- If you like the simple albeit rough times of life of the old west-- and don't want to keep notes on a complicated plot-- this series is for you ( and me)-- for a quick and relaxing summer read -- I have ordered a...more
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Robert B. Parker.
Robert Brown Parker was an American crime writer. His most famous works were the novels about the private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the late 1980s; a series of TV movies based on the character were also produced....more
More about Robert B. Parker...
Robert Brown Parker was an American crime writer. His most famous works were the novels about the private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the late 1980s; a series of TV movies based on the character were also produced....more
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Aug 03, 2012 07:37pm