Western with a cover consisting of a desert color scheme (may have had 2 protagonists on cover).Story consisted of a young boy seeking revenge against another character, possibly for killing his father.

[Luis]

A few more points (spoilers):

- A character has his ear chewn off at one point; I think it was one of the two protagonists.
- The line "naked as a blue jay" appears at some point. The antagonist is walking around his house naked, and I believe his female partner is there as well.
-A character survives a dual near the end with a bulletproof jacket.
- Published before 2002 or so; I read the story in second grade, so it couldn't have been published after that.

Thank you for any help you can provide!

[Gerd]

Seeing the mention of bulletproof jacket, in what time was the novel set?

[Luis]

Gerd wrote: "Seeing the mention of bulletproof jacket, in what time was the novel set?"

Really wish I could say! All that I can tell you regarding the setting was that it was typical Wild West. A quick Google search shows me that true bulletproof vests were only invented around the 1960s-1970s, so I'd assume that true historical accuracy wasn't the author's intent here.

[Luis]

Hi, I am!

[Kris]

Luis, this is a historical western novel?

How old is the young boy? Does he have family? Can he shoot a gun accurately?

Is this book for kids, teens or older adults?

[Luis]

My memory's a little fuzzy since it was so many years ago, but I wouldn't call it historical; there was a character using a bulletproof jacket around 100 years before they were invented.

I'd say the boy was around 16 or so. I don't recall him having a family, but it's possible that he did. He can shoot a gun accurately (at least by the end of the story), as he successfully completes a duel with the antagonist towards the end of the story.

I'd say the book's target demographic is teen/young adult.