Clavin... knows Western history, but the story he tells here is inconclusive... and laying out the backstory for every person introduced slows the narrative repeatedly. Still, Clavin tells a good story.
The author doesn’t soft-pedal the racist ethos surrounding the Rangers, but neither does he paint a heroic portrait of the likes of Travis and Crockett or the free-shooting pacifiers of the borderlands ... Fans of the Wild West and its pistol-packin’ miscreants will enjoy Clavin’s latest.
Scrupulous if meandering ... Though there’s plenty of action, McNelly’s fascinating character often gets lost in historical minutiae and filler. This saga sags a little too often.
