WESTERN NOVELS—DEATH WAITS AT YELLOWSTONE

WESTERN NOVELS

DEATH WAITS AT YELLOWSTONE

GUNS OF LEGENDE #2

BRODY WEATHERFORD

REVIEWED BY

TIM DEFOREST

Another excellent entry in the Guns of Legende series...This one starts with two separate story lines. In one of these, two agents of Alistair Legende are assigned to find a party of VIPs who are apparently lost in the Yellowstone area (which has only recently been made a park by the federal government). 

I don't want to give too much away, because the mystery behind this unfolds in a very satisfying manner, but the reason for the party's disappearance has to do with a haven for outlaws hidden in a remote section of the park. 

Another agent looks into a group of apparent bad guys (called the Scarlet Rogues because they wear red shirts) that has taken an interest in Legende's supposedly secret Society of Buckhorn and Bison. Both story lines include a solid mystery to solve, great action and strong characterizations. 

Eventually, the two story lines join together, unexpected alliances are formed, and the book is brought to a violent and exciting conclusion. The entire story is expertly constructed, with the several plot threads and the actions of the various characters all getting tied together in the climax. 

The two main protagonists, Frank Landry and Emily O'Conner, worked separately in the first novel. In this one, they work together. Because they were once married, but now claim to dislike one another, this allows for some fun interactions between them. 

Some of my favorite highlights from the book include: an encounter in a back alley in Denver that unfolds in an unexpected and very entertaining manner; a truly exciting gun fight in the streets of a small town; a scene in which two sets of protagonists simultaneously outsmart one of the villains in two different ways; and a brutal hand-to-hand fight between Frank Landry and a very dangerous opponent. 

I also learned about the Gardner Machine Gun--a real-life weapon developed in the 1870s that plays an imporant role in the novel. It's always fun when a bit of obscure history gets included in a Western. Like Front Range Rebellion, Death Waits at Yellowstone is a wonderful example of expert storytelling. The Guns of Legende series is two-for-two so far.