Book Review - A Bullet For Two

About the Book

Many images come to mind when confronted with the Wild, Wild West. In most cases, it’s anything from saloons and gold rush towns to the western-style duels with showdowns full of spectacular gunfire.  Though the fight is glorified, the end result is often the same: death.  In Robert Strzalko’s A Bullet For Two, the complex landscape of the Wild, Wild West, following the Civil War, is full of lawlessness and chaos.

A Bullet For Two is the perfect book for American History and western buffs.  In fact, the audience will encounter scenes ranging from public hangings and bounty hunters to vengeance-laden goose chases and colossal shootouts shifting from the mountains to the desert under starry, moonlit skies.  
Whether you’re reading about a bar fight spawning from a fit of drunken rage, or a public hanging, Robert Strazalko puts you right into the scene with his powerful descriptions and action sequences. Conjure the image of a public hanging that turns into a celebration, even a family day.  The narrator states that for many civilians “it was the most exciting thing they would ever witness.”
In the spirit of a good western drama, the author presents Jeb, the male protagonist, and half-breed, fourteen-year-old Sara, as characters with which to sympathize—even though the good guys in this story are labeled the “outlaws.”  With a hefty reward for their heads, dead or alive, they are on the run, as for much of the book, they are one stop ahead of their pursuers.  As with any classic western novel, however, there comes a time when both sides pull their pistols out of their holsters and declare, “It’s showtime.”
In a western, the good guy doesn’t always win.  The man that doesn’t take the bullet is the winner.  Can Jeb and Sara maneuver and escape to Mexico, where freedom awaits, or will their pursuers catch them?  What starts out as an honest rescue effort, with Jeb shooting three rapists—the town sheriff and mayor—quickly evolves into a widespread search-and-kill mission.  
The bullet speaks and the bullet silences in America’s Wild, Wild West.  Whose name will be on the bullets that fly freely in A Bullet for Two? This relenting adventure is a must-read for all American history and Western buffs!


My Take on the BookI had not read anything from this author before, and hearding about this novel I was intrigued to read and find out more. In researching the author a bit more I came to find that in the past he wrote much poetry. This book, takes poetry to the next level and he turns his words into a novel that he should be proud of.


In this book the author does a superb job at developing the plot and characters and as a reader you are able to easily see early in the story that this will be a tale of good versus evil. The author deftly allows the reader to see and identify the innate evil that can exist in every human and the innate good that is also there, it all comes down to human nature and what the person does with his/her nature that separates them from others.


The book also does a great job at tying in history of the civil war and west into the novel. Though the book is quite short, the context and plot within is thick and laden with great dialogue and intrigue.




So let this book take you back in time, to read and reflect and find ways in which you can identify your true human nature along with the characters!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

 

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