Robert B. Parker's Ironhorse

Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch #5

by Robert Knott

Bullets and buckshot fly in this New York Times bestselling Cole and Hitch novel from Robert B. Parker.

Newly appointed as Territorial Marshals, Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are traveling by train on a mission to escort Mexican prisoners to the border. But when the Governor of Texas climbs aboard with his wife, daughters, and $500,000 in tow, the journey becomes a lot more complicated. An old enemy—still carrying plenty of scars from the last time he saw Virgil—has hitched a ride. He’s not alone. And he’s got vengeance on his mind.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Adventure, Action

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 8, 2013

About the author

Chosen by the Estate of author Robert B. Parker to carry on the Cole and Hitch series of western novels.
Robert Knott is an actor, writer, and producer. His list of stage, television, and film credits include the feature film Appaloosa based on the Robert B. Parker novel which he adapted and produced with actor and producer Ed Harris. Also among his credits is the television mini-series The Stand based on the Stephen King novel. Longtime friend, co-writer and frequent co-star with Ed Harris.

Reviews

[Lee Goldberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Knott's IRONHORSE is not as good as Robert B. Parker's first two Virgil Cole novels, but it's better than his last one, which was truly awful on just about every level. Knott doesn't have Parker's characters down at all (Cole makes many uncharacteristic, dull expository speeches in this book), and there's quite a bit of repetition, with the characters telling one another what we already know (a rookie mistake for newbie authors), and he doesn't capture Parker's lean style. But taken on its own merits, IRONHORSE is an enjoyable western none-the-less, with a fast-moving, twisty plot and some strong action. Bottom line: it doesn't come close to Ace Atkins' brilliant Spenser novel, which perfectly captured Parker's voice, nor was it as bad as Michael Brandman's execrable Jesse Stone books.

[sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do NOT read this book. Please. Ask any Hemingway imitator, just cause the sentences are basic doesn't mean they are easy to write. Sometimes another writer can pick up the torch, Ace Atkins did very well by another Parker series, Mr. Parker himself with Raymond Chandler but that is not the case here. Since the author was involved with making the movie of the first book of the series, I assume he loves the series as much as I do but he can't do Parker patter justice. As Everitt Hitch is one of my literary crushes, I beg the estate of the late, great Mr.Parker to cease and desist.

[Daniel Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book written by Robert Knott after the passing of Robert Parker is much longer than Parker’s books. The plot is a little more complex. What I like about these books is the constant dialogue between Virgil and Everett. They support each other but aren’t afraid to disagree. And they are fearless lawmen.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was really nice to revisit two of my favorite gunslinging lawmen -- Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch -- the writing, while passable, was just not the same as when the late Robert B. Parker wrote the pair. Although this was, in fairness, completely to be expected, it was still mildly disappointing.

Robert Knott, the author that continues the series with this entry, is actually familiar to the characters, having written the screenplay to the film adaptation of Appaloosa, the first book in Parker's series.

Knott's experience as a screenwriter is apparent from the direction the series takes. The action is intensified and hits hard right from the beginning, with the book opening with a train heist gone wrong -- wrong for the robbers, that is, because Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch happened to be on the train at that time.

I won't say more about the plot for fear of spoilers, but will say this is definitely worth reading for fans of westerns, but only after reading the preceding four volumes written by the characters' creator first.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hummm...seems I should have read the "fine print" earlier. I've stated that I was disappointed because Mr. Parker only wrote 6 of these. Turns out he4 only wrote 4. This and the next are written by Robert Knott the man who wrote the screen play for Appaloosa.

So like other writers Robert B. Parker has become a franchise I suppose.

That's the sulfur now for the molasses. Mr. Knott does a very creditable job of following up the adventures of Virgil and Everett. I enjoyed the book.

Now I'll say here there were a few "false notes" a couple of times the voices didn't ring as true as they might have. Everett and Virgil are typical western characters. They are generally some taciturn and what humor there is is very, very dry...arid. In one case in an exchange where Everett is drawing Virgil out (something that has become a bit of a theme) I thought he drew it out too long for the characters.

So you can see, any objections I have are minor ones. I liked this, think Mr. Knott did a good job, plan to get the next and if it's this good I hope he stays with the series.

The action here (as you can tell) revolves around the rails in the old west. Virgil and Everett are wearing badges again and an old foe shows back up. Handled well, lots of action well written.

I like it, I recommend it. Enjoy.

[Corey Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will limit my comments to what I found was different and sometimes lacking in comparison to Parker's work.

1) Overly descriptive. Knott expends far too much verbiage on unneeded detail, and this slows down the story line. This story has 90 pages of needless fluff. Too much concentration on technology of 19th century railroading and telegraphy (obviously two of Knott's personal interests).
2) Despite the the fluff, we get no new insight into the personalities of the main characters. If one had not yet read the Parker books, one would not know the true nature of Cole and Hitch as Parker developed them. For example, Parker shows us that Hitch's 8 gauge shotgun is like his third arm. Yet, Knott separates them for the bulk of the story. He seems to miss the importance of it to the character. Likewise, one doesn't get the sense that Cole is much more than an ordinary lawman.
3) Virgil Cole is a man of few words. Knott gives Cole more dialog than Parker did in his four novels, combined (or so it seems). Oft times, less is actually more.
4) Parker's sense of wit and irony are missed, as well as the intangibles of his style.

To sum up my thoughts.... You could have begun reading the Cole/Hitch series with any of Parker's first four novels, and understood the characters. If you began the series with Iron Horse, you would not have that insight. Each of Parker's stories has the ability to stand on its own. Iron Horse does not accomplish this nearly as well. Again, if you began the series here, you would have no understanding of the relevance of Allie or Teagarden. If even mentioned, the writer must flesh them out enough to add the needed relevance.

[Steve Chaput · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently appointed Marshals, Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are escorting some prisoners to Mexico when the train they are on is taken over by bandits. They initially assume that it is a simple robbery and only later discover that the Governor of Texas and his family were aboard and they were the target. Cole & Hitch recognize some of the robbers from previous encounters and things go from bad to worse.

Knott does a great job of bringing new stories of Parker's western heroes. There's a lot more Deadwood style language and sexual suggestion than you'd find in your average L'Amour novel, but Knott, like Parker is writing for a different age.

I love the series and look forward to each addition.

[Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

About as good as I could expect for an author other than the great Parker to capture the essence of Cole & Hitch. Virgil talked a lot more than he usually does, not really like him. Everett questioned Virgil lots more than I normally would expect him too. The new characters in the book merit 5 stars though. Some visits by old adversaries. All in all a good shoot em up. Look forward to the next sequel.

I listened to the audiobook this time around (2019). Don’t remember reading this. It was read by Titus Welliver the actor who plays Harry Bosch in Amazion’s Prime Video series from the books authored by Michael Connelly. Took awhile getting use to him but a good reading nevertheless.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d only recommend if you’ve read the previous books in the series and want the characters to live on.
🐎
Knott carries the torch, picking up where Parker left off after his passing, but the pacing was slower and the descriptions and conversations more verbose & repetitive. Atkins was masterful in taking over the Spenser series so he set the bar for me.

[Carol Beggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book as a gift. I was a fan of Robert Parker and am now a fan of Robert Knott. Knott gives Parker's characters a real sense of place and mission while keeping the dialogue very much in Parker's style. For those readers who are fans of Western genre, tales of trains, or late 19th century (turn of the last century) history, you'll love this book. And, Knott is like Larry McMurtry in that he enlivens Parker's character with such a sense of place, that even those who don't normally gravitate to this "type" of book, will find this an enjoyable read. It will make a great gift and make you think of what Knott might do with this story on the big (or little?) screen. Knott and Ed Harris were the team behind making Robert B. Parker's Appaloosa into a movie.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story and reproduction of Virgil and Hitch. Caught the pace and tone perfectly. Of the 3 authors who have tried to capture Parkers characters Mr. Knott has done the best work
. Mr. Knott is to be commended. Looking forward to more Virgil and Hitch stories.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Robert Knott is not Robert B. Parker, but he did put in some effort. It's a very long book, close to 400 pages, but there's a lot of padding to tell what really turns out to be a very simple story.

Cole and Hitch come across as 2-dimensional gunslingers, so I was a bit disappointed.

[Rajish Maharaj · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating of 2.25.
Not a bad read but it wasnt the best either.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Knott does a decent enough job of emulating Parker's style, this particular novel really misses the mark, at least for me, the mark being a story that makes sense, and is more than just an excuse for Virgil and Everett shooting like a jillion bad guys. Honestly, this one is played out sort of like an extreme action movie, with lots of violence, but even that violence isn't terribly well described.

The author tends to understate battle\action sequences. Here's an exaggerated version of an action scene.

I finished counting and then kicked in the door. On the other side of the building, Virgil was coming in the door. The fellow reached for his gun and Virgil shot him. Another fellow was reaching for a rifle and I shot him.

Okay, that's slightly exaggerated, but the action is bang bang-- done! Perhaps the author was trying to give the reader a sense of the action happening so very quickly in the Old West, but instead, this one reads like a Western Version of an 80's action flick... without the machine guns, but with lots and lots of deaths.

Other sequences (train car freewheeling down a long slope) just get almost completely ridiculous.

Finally, the author continues the series' creators overuse of the "F" word. Once again, I'm certain it was used in the old west by some rough and tumble men, and most of the characters in this book are indeed rough-and-tumble types. But-- I just don't think we would see usage like calling someone a f---, instead of a f----r. That's a much more modern usage. In some places, that language fits-- in others it is so out of place as to be distracting. The author did make an effort to use period slang for female sexual company, which at list felt as if it fit the period.. though some of it might have been better suited to the Roaring 20's.. To be fair, I didn't live back in the old west, nor do I claim to have done an etymological study of vulgar and obscene language on the Western Frontier... but Charles Portis was able to write a very realistic western (TRUE GRIT) that very much captured the speech patterns (at least those we have in print and letters written) of the period... Parker should have and Knott really should read some period stuff or perhaps Mr. Portis wonderful novel for hints at the manner in which people on the frontier really spoke.

The book is worth reading, but only in the sense of pulp western material that never rises to a level of real quality. In fact, I couldn't wait to be done with it.

Other fans of the series may feel differently, however.

[Rob Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a fan of the movie Appaloosa and thus its screenplay, I have been anxiously waiting for this book. I must say I was not disappointed.It's as if the flinty natured Virgil Cole turned in for the evening at the close of Appaloosa... arose the following morning to leap off the pages of IronHorse as recounted in Everett Hitch’s familiar voice. Knott seamlessly transcends the depth of Parker's original cast into the new adventure while ushering in an ensemble of fresh, captivating and flavorful new players. As I read my imagination painted visuals of Burton Berkley, Sam, Jimmy John, Halfmoon Junction, Sleepwalkin Cindy's and of course Bloody Bob in a movie sequel. IronHorse kidnapped my attention from the first page and left me wanting more. Robert B. Parker would be proud and fans will want more. Well done! RW

[Wayland Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book and series. I was very worried when I heard Parker's various series were being taken over, and so far every replacement has been worthy.

This continues the adventures of Cole and Hitch, very clearly in Parker's voice for the characters. Memorable new friends show up, and there's a lot of good action. I found this very enjoyable.

The Western is not dead, it's doing quite well under Mr. Knott's pen. I'm glad he is taking up for the late, great Robert B Parker, who I still miss.

[Jason Laipply · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first of the Virgil Cole / Everett Hitch series to be written by Robert Knott after Robert B Parker’s death.

I know some have felt that the series lost something after Parker’s death, but I found Knott to be true to the essence of the characters, and to have done a fine job of replicating Parker’s voice. While no two authors will write exactly the same, I found this continuation of the series enjoyable and worth the effort.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best stories in the series! The audiobook narration is great.

[David Freas · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s hard to duplicate the work of a master. Just ask Leonardo DaVinci’s students if they could duplicate his.

The same is true here. Robert Knott’s stab at keeping Robert B. Parker’s Hitch and Cole alive in Ironhorse delivers Parker’s style but not the spark that made Parker’s writing so special.

Parker could set a stage in two short sentences. Knott uses six to set the same stage. Parker gave his readers enough detail to let their imaginations fill in the rest. Knott lays it all out for us. Parker wrote short, sharp dialog. Knott nailed the short part but not the sharp and too much of it is repetitive, resulting in twice as much dialog as is needed. Parker’s characters could deliver a complex idea in three tight sentences. Knott needs nine along with three responses from another character. And there are too many scenes in this book where nothing happens. The result is a 371 page book that could have been told in 100 less pages with tighter writing.

The main plot is an interesting one – a train carrying the Texas governor, his family, and a half million dollars in cash is hijacked (train-napped?) – that would have been a dynamite story in Parker’s hands but is only a so-so one in Knott’s.

Still this book was good enough to make me pick up Knott’s next effort.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alas, the late great Robert Parker is no more. Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped his wife from contracting with other authors to continue the Spenser, Jessie Stone, and with Ironhorse - the Virgil Cole westerns.

Virgil Cole and sidekick Everett Hitch are new federal marshals heading back home from Mexico when they are caught up in a train robbery involving the Texas Governor and some old enemies. It has all the trappings of a generic western, and that's all the story ends up being - enjoyable but mostly forgettable by the end.

Knott knows his trains and weaves in some interesting tidbits about telegraph operation, but that doesn't help the formulaic plot and stock characters. Even Virgil and Everett seem to be playing their parts in a routine script.

The last Cole/Hitch book written by Parker hinted at new directions for the the main characters and the promise of new adventures. This entry disappoints, and I think it's time to let Virgil and Everett ride off into the sunset one last time.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three writers have contracted to continue Robert B. Parker's series of novels: Michael Brandman (a reasonably good job of replicating the fairly undemanding Jesse Stone novels), Ace Atkins (a solid job of capturing the voice of Spenser, especially early Spenser, though not as tough as when Parker first wrote about him), and Robert Knott (who pretty much captures the tone of the Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch westerns, which are the most repetitive of the three series). The laconic patter between Cole and Hitch works, though it gets a little old by the end. The description of how railroads and telegraphs work is fairly interesting, even if it slows the plot. The plot itself is serviceable, though the gunplay does get to be pretty consistently lopsided in favor of Virgil and Everett. Some of the side characters (Uncle Ted, Berkeley, and the women who work as telegraphers or station masters) are interesting enough that they don't seem like just local color.

[Jill Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad that other writers are taking up the reins and continuing the tradition of Robert B. Parker characters. With Parker's death, I grieved for the books he had yet to write. Now, other talented writers are filling that void. This is Knott's first novel, but he was involved with the production of the film version of "Appaloosa". He seems to have channelled Parker, staying true to the writing style as well as the personalities of Cole and Hitch. Clearly, Knott researched this book thoroughly; the details about steam locomotives, telegraph equipment and weapons feel authentic and lend credence to the story. I was skeptical at first, trying to find fault with Knott's style and/or his vision of Cole and Hitch, but was soon won over. It may not be as good as one actually written by Parker, but it's close enough to be thoroughly entertaining.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to see another Virgil Cole installment. I didn't know how this author would do with Robert Parker's book but I didn't see that much difference in writing style. I finished the book in 2 days and enjoyed it. I didn't figure out the "Yankee" so that was a nice surprise. From what I remember of the other books which I read many years ago, this book takes place after Appoloosa but before the next one in the series.

[Lynette Barfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is Robert Knott's first book. Even if it isn't he had to fill some big shoes which, I think, he did admirably well. It was good enough for me and I am hard to please. I love the Hitch and Cole characters and was excited to see that someone was commissioned to carry the series forward. My only critique is about the difference in education between Hitch and Cole. I felt Parker's books referred to that more often. I can live with it. I can't wait for the next one.

[Ken Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit worried the style and character of the story of Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch would feel different in Mr. Knot's hands but he captured the world Parker created quite well. If I have a gripe it is that this book focused on one event while earlier novels felt a bit broader in scope. That doesn't really hurt anything it's just a bit of a change.

[John Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having enjoyed all of the late Robert B, Parker's Hutch and Cole series, I came into this book by Robert Knott concerned that I would be disappointed. My fears were happily proven wrong, What a great return for Cole and Hitch, whom I thought I'd never read again. I will be waiting for the next novel.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written and while you could tell it was not written by Robert B Parker. The new author captured the spirit of the first four books well. I was suprised that the story focused simply on one story that did not jump around as previous books. If you liked the previous books in the series you should like this one.

Good Stuff.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and awful. Mr. Knott is nowhere near the class of the late Robert B. Parker. 0 of 10 stars

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

where is the real Virgil Cole??

[Milt Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fake Robert Parker. Knott up to Robert's standards.