Man on a Red Horse

Jesse Wilder #1

by Fred Grove

Hired for a dangerous scouting mission in Mexico, a former Union officer turned mercenary discovers that he will also have a chance to avenge his wife's death while working undercover in Mexico. Reprint.

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

Fred Grove (born Frederick Herridge (July 4, 1913 – September 2008) was a Native American author and winner of five prestigious "Spur Awards" from Western Writers of America for his western novels.

Reviews

[Andrew McBride · Rating 3 out of 5]

The late Fred Grove was one of the western novelists who inspired me to become one. Grove was unusual among his peers in that his style was quite flowery, not terse and laconic, yet he still wrote books that were gripping and pacy, with expert action scenes. Refreshingly, he dealt with unfamiliar aspects of the Old West such as the buffalo hunters of 1870s Texas. I particularly enjoyed ‘The Buffalo Runners’ and ‘Buffalo Spring.’ I decided to revisit Grove’s work with one of his later efforts, ‘Man on a Red Horse.’ This tells of an attempt by U.S. Cavalry, working undercover, to rescue someone kidnapped by Mexican bandits. Sadly, I was disappointed. The writing is perfunctory and the story over-familiar (I thought of the movie ‘The Professionals.’) Grove used to be skilful in interweaving esoterica into his books to add to their authenticity, but here he puts in far too much detail and exposition, slowing things down considerably. A below par effort from a great writer.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An FG Western About Troop of Men Sent To Rescue a Governor's Daughter

FG has penned a western about a man Whitehaven from Mexico after seeing his Mexican friends and wife murdered by Mexican soldiers. He leaves Mexico and while searching gr8 a place to be becomes a Calvary scout. He leads a troop of volunteers to rescue a woman. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and I enjoyed very much.