A Wolf In the Fold

by David Robbins, Ralph Compton

EVEN BAD MEN CAN DO GOOD.

Lucius Stark is just about the meanest mongrel in West Texas. But when Stark grows too fond of a woman he is hired to kill in a range war, his client shoots him in the back. He is saved by the very ranchers he was paid to eliminate. But when they end up slaughtered, Stark finds himself out to deliver his own brand of vengeance-free of charge.

Genres: Westerns

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2007

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_L....

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book so much I’m sad that I didn’t buy other books by this author! You can definitely tell that the author knows what he’s doing and knows how to keep readers engaged. He’s like John Grisham for westerns, you hang on every word and you’re entertained the whole way through. I haven’t read any westerns before so I may not know much about tropes and such but I found the story very unique and enjoyable! There’s some talk of morality but not enough that it becomes annoying. There’s also way less romance than I thought there would be which I’m a fan of, I’m not really into romance books personally. The action descriptions are vibrant, the characters pop off the page and a lot of chapters end with a cliffhanger that makes you want to keep reading. The writing also transports you into the Wild West and makes you feel like you’re there in that world. If you want to get into westerns or just adventure books in general this is a good place to start!

[Jim Robertson]

An engaging and creative story always builds a character that is transformed in some and we are better for reading it. The main character in this story does not change, but I kept wanting him to. He is a cold heartless killer in the beginning and through out the story—very depressing. He is also sexually attracted to a very young women, which the author builds as his only supposed virtue? He deceives people into believing he follows the Bible in order take advantage of good people without conscience. The book is a complete waste of time as described above.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written story moves right along, which I really like. This guy is a superman when it comes to killing people. He does have a few twinges of conscience but not for long when he is betrayed by the lady who hired him and then has to fight for his life. It's not often that one roots for a bad guy but in this case, he gets our sympathy and all ends well.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucius Stark is a hired killer. $500 before the job and $500 after. One doesn’t pay him the last 500 after the job they are the ones who die also. He is hired to kill family. Kills a couple of them, some lawmen, some town people. Not a nice guy. He ends up going up against a woman who is as bad as he is. A fight to the end. This is a different type of western I haven’t read before.

[Dan Panke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read a western like this where the main character is so vicious. Rather a unique idea which earns bonus points from me.

[Dustin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I expected going in, but I definitely didn’t expect it to be this damn good.

[Skjam! · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book appears to be one of those "dead author's notes ransacked by publisher" things; which is not to say it's bad, but it's unclear how much of this story is the big-name author and how much is fill-in by the substitute.

The book itself is more from the "spaghetti western" morally grey school of Westerns than the classic good vs. evil, or at least decent vs. unscrupulous style of older stories. Lucius Stark is a thoroughly unlikable protagonist, and most of the people in the book, regardless of their behavior, wind up dead by the end.

Rape happens off-page, and turns out to be one of the few things Lucius Stark doesn't stoop to.

For more Western reviews, see http://www.skjam.com/tag/western/

[Daddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good when you need to read but want to put your brain on hold an easy read with a plot that does not bore you