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Devil's Rim
When Concho Smith enters Devil's Rim, he assists Judith Van in hanging a tall pole gate and in return she offers him a position at their rapidly declining ranch, and he helps save the Van family from their ruthless and cruel neighbor, Bob Shiner
210 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 7, 2021
Many authors apparently think that it is easy to write a western novel. Take a self-sufficient cowboy; stir in a few bad guys; a girl in danger (or a dangerous lady); a misunderstanding; and, with an ending where good triumphs or we’re all wondering about where the stranger is going…it’s done.
Sam Brown isn’t one of those authors. He is going for a deeper authenticity and he usually finds it. This isn’t his best novel (see my other reviews for more about that). But, it is just fine.
Brown picks a venue in the Texas cattle country where a rancher and his new wife need a hand because the rancher has suffered a serious injury. Enter, Concho Smith, a guy on the way to Mexico who has cowboyed for his entire adult life (20+ years). Smith helps keep the ranch going but the bigger ranch next door now wants to add these acres into its spread….complications ensue.
There is plenty of authenticity in this novel. Those who enjoy the details of cattle ranching and daily life in those difficult times will soak it up. The yarn doesn’t provide too much that will surprise you, but I don’t believe that Brown intended to go in that direction. So if you are “into” advancing the plot by discussions of fence repair, cattle branding techniques, and water gappin’, you could do worse than reading this. 3.5*
Sam Brown isn’t one of those authors. He is going for a deeper authenticity and he usually finds it. This isn’t his best novel (see my other reviews for more about that). But, it is just fine.
Brown picks a venue in the Texas cattle country where a rancher and his new wife need a hand because the rancher has suffered a serious injury. Enter, Concho Smith, a guy on the way to Mexico who has cowboyed for his entire adult life (20+ years). Smith helps keep the ranch going but the bigger ranch next door now wants to add these acres into its spread….complications ensue.
There is plenty of authenticity in this novel. Those who enjoy the details of cattle ranching and daily life in those difficult times will soak it up. The yarn doesn’t provide too much that will surprise you, but I don’t believe that Brown intended to go in that direction. So if you are “into” advancing the plot by discussions of fence repair, cattle branding techniques, and water gappin’, you could do worse than reading this. 3.5*
May 19, 2019
Sam Brown is my favourite western author. His books are an irresistible mix of tragedy, romance, drama, humor and mystery. And all this against a background of authentic cowboy life. What a shame he only wrote 6 novels!
February 4, 2022
This was my first book read in a few weeks, good pic. First one read with this author and it was a good western read. Slow at times but again a good western read. I had heard this before and they were right, a lot of people think writing a western book is easy. Just because it seems a simple and not real complex, don’t let that full you. I Read enough to know the good authors and a bad one. This one is a good one.👍👍
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews