Muskrat Hill

by Easy Jackson

"Stranded in a tiny Texas hotel, Giselle Thibodeaux sees Kit Robertson, a fading country music star from her hometown. Overwhelmed with nostalgia, and hoping Kit might have answers to the secrets surrounding her parents, Giselle pretends to be a reporter seeking a story about his father, Pope Robertson, a one-time famous Texas Ranger. Although he doesn't recognize her, Kit is drawn to Giselle and opens up about the murders that shook the small western town they grew up in. Kit tells the story of playing near the river, when he and his best friend, Whitey, stumble upon the body of a young woman. As they race back to town, they meet Asa Jenkins, the town's half-Comanche marshal. Asa begs Kit's father, a former ranger, to help him solve the murder. Resentful that his father is so old, Kit nonetheless assists Pope and Asa as they struggle to uncover a killer who strikes again and again. Driven by fear, the townspeople lash out at every person they see as different. Pope must stand alone in defending Asa against a hysterical crowd gone mad. Kit and Whitey look death in the face, striving to overcome the hardships life has dealt them. And in the end, Giselle find what her heart has been looking for." “Texas writer Easy Jackson is a natural storyteller!” Stuart Rosebrook, Editor, True West magazine KIRKUS "... [S]urprisingly intricate murder plot... heartfelt evocation of the Texas town."

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 20, 2020

About the author

“I’ve done almost every kind of menial job
imaginable that was legal. In my fifties, I decided to go to college. I attended Sam Houston State University in East Texas and got my diploma from Angelo State University in West Texas. With a degree in journalism and history, I sallied forth into the publishing world only to find that talent without persistence is worthless.

Most of my inspiration comes from my hometown, considered one of the wildest of the Wild West Texas towns in the late 1800s. News of shootouts between
outlaws and vigilante groups reached newspapers as far away as St. Louis.
listening to those stories had a profound influence on me. It is my goal to use them
to entertain readers as much as they enthralled me.” Easy Jackson aka V.J. Rose

Reviews

[Julie Fetcho · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. I wasn't so sure about the book after reading the first chapter. I figured give it a shot. So I kept reading. Glad I did.

Great western, adventure and mystery. With a great ending.

[Guy Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a historical mystery, thrilling in a western setting. A classic “Who Done it,” set in the Old West. Despite the dark theme of murder, it is a charming tale, populated with likable and relatable characters. The author’s familiarity with southern, (or western) country attitudes and mannerisms is apparent in dozens of little comments and reactions. The characters and the world they inhabit are credible and make this such an enjoyable story.
Despite human failings, most of the characters (except for the actual villain) are likable. These are good people facing an evil situation. I would like to visit their town and meet some of them which is why I so much enjoyed reading about them. Their humanity left me with a warm feeling. I like this author’s view of humanity.
This is a true mystery, and the reader is given enough information to solve the crime along with the protagonist. About 2/3 of the way through I was pretty sure I knew “Who Done it.” I found myself breathlessly turning pages to see if I was right. I was pretty close, though there was a twist I didn’t see coming.
I very much enjoyed this read and highly recommend it. I’m looking forward to more fantastic tales from Easy Jackson.”

[G. Wayne Tilman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muskrat Hill hits all of my reading hot buttons: it is a Western; it is a well-crafted murder mystery; it has wonderfully portrayed characters and it speeds to a surprise ending.

Author Easy Jackson (also known by her real name Vicky Rose) has captured the essence of early 1900 small town Texas. The perspective of the adult drama is from the eyes of two young boys. One is the late life son of a famous Texas Ranger, now storekeep. He is called upon to help solve an increasing number of murders by the relatively inexperienced Indian town marshal.

The author does a brilliant job of crafting the cast of characters. The dialogue is so good I took notes on expressions to use them on friends. There are red herrings, twists and turns and action galore.

What a great movie this would make! Muskrat Hill is a highly recommended read! I loved it and hope there is a sequel.

[Carol Crigger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Jackson
MUSKRAT HILL
FiveStarCengage
ISBN:9781432866044

Easy Jackson has penned a winner.

From the moment we meet Kitterell Robertson engaged in a fist fight with another boy, to when he and his pal Whitey stumble over the mutilated body of a young prostitute, the action never slows. Asa Jenkins, the half-Comanche marshal of Muskrat Hill, calls on Pope Robertson⏤Kit’s father is a famous retired Texas Ranger turned grocery store owner⏤to help with the investigation.There seems to be no motive although the violence steadily grows. Mutilations on both human and animal stir the townfolk into a frenzy of fear. Suspicion falls on newcomers to town, when it isn’t picking on those with racial or status differences.

Kit is used to helping his father. Pope, called Pop by just about everybody in the small town, relies on his young son to do his footwork for him. Kit is an aware, observant child and, with Whitey to watch his back, prone to following leads on his own and reporting to Pop. This is a convoluted story of a terror-stricken small Texas town, when whorehouses proliferated and kids were often ignored.

The story is told to us from Kit’s viewpoint, and a finer voice for a narrator is impossible to imagine. We meet characters, great and small, fully fleshed and come alive. It’s almost possible to walk the streets of Muskrat Hill yourself. Highly recommended.

[Michael Zimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t write a lot of reviews, but this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The larger story is about a series of brutal murders that slowly fractures a small town’s self-image of peaceful tranquility. But at its heart is the exploration of a young boy’s relationship with his elderly father, a retired Texas Ranger who is asked to help a mixed-blood Comanche sheriff solve the killings.

Easy Jackson is a good writer, and it shows in the cast of well-developed characters that populate this taut mystery. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing at the killer’s identity until the end, but what really shines is the evolution of the townspeople as layers of propriety are delicately peeled back to reveal a harsh undercurrent of racism and dirty little secrets.

Jackson does an exceptionally fine job in her portrayal of the young son, Kit Robertson, who narrates the story. It is he who discovers the first victim, then brings the reader along as he witnesses the investigation through his father’s eyes. Kit is as authentic as a slingshot in a boy’s hip pocket; in many ways, the novel reminded me of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” in its depiction of a rural community from an earlier age, seen through the eyes of youth. If you’re looking for a good murder mystery set in horse-and-buggy days, check out Muskrat Hill. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Jackson has given us a “who-done-it” that will keep the reader’s fingers flipping page after page with no desire to stop. I can easily see people reading this book from cover to cover in one sitting—it’s that good! She has created for us the kind of characters that other writers envy—warts and all, from grown men who aren’t afraid to cry, too young boys who display wisdom and courage beyond their years.

I have no problem giving this book my highest recommendation, and I look forward to reading future books by Easy Jackson.

[Woodmark Publishing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I as Vern Wuensche who published a book thru Amazon as Woodmark Publishing 12 years ago received an advanced copy and as a Western buff who has artifacts from the period, I can say without any reservation it is a GREAT western novel. I am very visual and reading Easy Jackson's writing is like watching a movie.

[Marla Tripp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Easy Jackson's novels, and Muskrat Hill is an amazing story. It starts during the depression, then is told from the point of view of a 10-year old boy, forty years past. It is a great Western, with all the angst of today's mysteries.
My 4-stars is based on the fact that every time I remembered it was being told by a 10-year old, I had to think about the gruesome images that he saw when each body was discovered. He is constantly being bullied because his parents are older than most. There was a sex scene, by field workers, that I thought might have been even worse, because his Pop could have at least turned Kit's head away from the wham-bam, thank-you-mam sight. Kit, and his friend Whitey are treated as adults most of the time.
Pope Robertson is a retired Texas Ranger. He is in great demand by the townspeople to help solve all their problems, even though he and his wife, Dolly, are now storekeepers. He is a huge help to his friend, Marshal Asa Jenkins. Asa has his own problems with some of the townspeople, as he is half-Comanche. Pop and Asa face many hurdles throughout the story, but continue to work the case until its unexpected ending.
It is exciting all the way to the end, and I recommend it to all Western readers.

[S Tyty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muskrat Hill is a thrilling tale centered around the topic of murder and mystery. As soon as I opened it, the story caught me since the characters are so well-depicted that it is able to promptly involve readers.
This book is easy to follow, it is written for any type of readers and the writing is done so well that readers are given enough tools to try to solve a mystery, which is the main theme of the story.
Being the author herself from Texas, we can tell she is familiar with customs and attitudes for setting up a perfect Texan setting. The book contains vivid images and symbols of this southern state of the US and the narrative will keep you hooked since you will be anxious to know what happened. You will draw your own hypothesis and you would definitely like to prove whether you are right or not.
Easy Jackson is an amazing author, I can not wait to read another great novel as this one. Totally recommended.

[Mia C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Muskrat Hill” is a book written by Easy Jackson, pseudonym for Vicky J Rose, who also writes under VJ Rose. At first sight, the cover caught my attention and I decided to read this middle length book that has almost two hundred and fifty pages of pure enjoyment.

The story is set in Texas and as the writing is very descriptive, I felt as if I was there. There are many twists and turns that make this story very enjoyable and difficult to put down. What I liked the most about it is the suspense it contains. As soon as I finished a page, I was eager to keep on reading and know what would happen next.

All in all, it is a very good read and perfect to enjoy during this quarantine. I would certainly recommend reading Muskrat Hill to everyone who enjoys suspenseful novels.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muskrat Hill by Easy Jackson, AKA Vicky Rose

If you want that classic murder mystery with a Western twist, Muskrat Hill is a novel you might enjoy. Not for nothing but there's also some romantic and sexual tension woven throughout for those of you who like a side of melodrama. The murders though, they are nothing if not vicious! If you like your crime gritty, this should whet your appetite quite nicely. Suspects range from religious nuts to prostitutes, a misogynist mayor, a child-molesting butcher... more red herrings than you might imagine. That doesn't take anything away from the plot at all. And that plot, holy twists, Batman! If you saw it all coming, you're the author.

I found the changes in point of view necessary for telling the story so well but those transitions felt somewhat abrupt. The time period and place in which Muskrat Hill happens should be considered if things like racism and sexism trigger you.

[Phyllis Walt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great West Texas Story Teller

My mom's family all grew up in West Texas and the tales by Easy Jackson sounds just like the tales my granddad told us when we got to spend time with them when I was growing up. The characters are authentic Texans as I knew them. Made me miss them! This author is new to me but I will be searching out the rest of her works. She's a great storyteller!

[Ray Ratliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Jackson brought a book with twists and turns in it. It is written about in a time of the late years of the West. One heck of a great mystery that has you guessing about the real culprit.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun read. Aged Texas ranger with youngish son solves grisly murder... eventually with a lot of meandering along the way. Entertaining characters and events.

[Phil Mills, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Easy Jackson wastes no time involving the reader in the psychological underbelly of the small Texas town of Muskrat Hill. Told from the viewpoint of Kittrell "Kit" Robertson whose had several years to mature and reflect back on his own personal involvement, this story is a page turner of the highest magnitude. From the moment a young Kit Robertson and his friend Whitey stumble onto the body of a mutilated young woman, the action never stops. The town's half-breed Comanche Marshall Asa Jenkins asks Kit's father Pope "Pop" Robertson to help solve the murder. The elder Robertson was once a highly respected Texas Ranger, now satisfied with being a simple Muskrat Hill storekeeper. When additional mutilations to both humans and animals follow, citizens of the town are sent into frenzied turmoil. They demand answers. The young Robertson is helping with the investigation but there are no clear-cut motives nor suspects. Finger pointing, racial suspicions and outright unfounded blame only add to the problem of neighbor fearing neighbor. As concerns grow some of town's long untold and ugly secrets come to light and a list of suspects takes shape. This well-written story is more than a murder mystery. It's also a complex coming-of-age story between a young boy and his aging father. And while the characters are strikingly flawed, they're also real which gives this book depth and substance. A highly recommended read. Easy Jackson has a winner.

[Rod Miller]

This page-turner not only keeps you engaged, it keeps you wondering. A series of brutal murders in a small town call a crotchety retired Texas Ranger, now a storekeeper, into service to help the local sheriff, a mixed-breed Indian under suspicion himself, catch the killer.
The author tells the story through the eyes of a boy, the son of the storekeeper. The words, thoughts, attitudes, wonders, and uncertainties of the growing boy are well-rendered and believable, and offer a fresh perspective on fear, violence, and coming of age. Particularly well told are his descriptions of members of the community. The boy often accompanies his father in his investigations, exposing him to a side of life he had not seen before, or even suspected, offering an education not found in a small-town classroom.
As the mystery unfolds, the reader may well solve it several times, based on clues scattered along the way like bread crumbs, but in the end the capture of the killer and the motive for the crimes will likely surprise—as will several other revelations involving characters and events.