Christmas in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming.A man named Joseph and a pregnant girl named Maria. Three sheepmen and a star in east. The strangest priest who ever came to the frontier and his “daughter,” who used to be a whore named Angel.And Edge. A loner who became a part of this scenario for a miracle without understanding why.And whose presence inevitably triggered a chain reaction of violence that was to leave a ghastly trail of dead men’s blood on the snow.
Edge (61 books as George G. Gilman) Adam Steele (49 books as George G. Gilman) Edge Meets Adam Steele (3 books as George G. Gilman) The Undertaker (6 books as George G. Gilman)
A Christmas story in this ultra-violent Western series seems incongruent but Brit Terry Harknett, writing as George Gilman, pulls it off in this light-hearted short novel. The writer churns out plentiful coincidences in Edge’s adventure related to the birth of Christ that had me smiling. The story has to do with Edge accompanying a young couple, Joseph and Maria, to a stable before Maria gives birth. Harknett’s writing is solid and the Preacher and his “daughter” characters stand out. Edge is uncharacteristically less violent and more thoughtful than usual which I welcome. Sometimes his brutality is distasteful to me. Still a high body count and clearly the most violent Christmas story that I’ve ever read. An entertaining and fast moving read. I liked it. Three stars.
One of the weaker entries in the series. Not as much action. It was a kind of Christmas story with a twist, and I just happened to pick it up in December.