Finished Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker. I read the sequel to this, Resolution, a few weeks ago and decided to read the first book. And hey, it’s a western. I love me some westerns. 😎

In this one, gunfighter Virgil Cole and his friend Everett Hitch are hired to be the law in the Old West town of Appaloosa and apprehend Randall Bragg, a ranch owner who killed the last marshal and his deputy. Along the way, there are shootouts, showdowns, and a tense skirmish with some Indians.

I thought Virgil and Everett waded through the bad guys a little too easily in Resolution, and I expected more of the same in Appaloosa. But I was pleasantly surprised. Appaloosa is a much better book than its sequel, and the two men are really challenged by Bragg and his various minions and machinations. But Virgil and Everett face everything with the stoic grit that’s the trademark of Parker’s characters.

The chapters are short, as always, and filled with Parker’s wry dialogue and bare-bones descriptions. But the story moves along at a fast clip, and the chapters where Virgil and Everett chase down the escaped Bragg are really terrific.

The only quibble I had was with Allie, the woman that Virgil falls for. To put it bluntly, Allie is a floozy who sleeps with whatever man can do the most for her at the present time. She takes up with Virgil, then makes a pass at Everett. She gets kidnapped by some men Bragg hired and sleeps with the leader. Then, near the end, Allie sleeps with Bragg after he regains control of the town from Virgil and Everett.

Virgil knows all about Allie’s affairs, but he just can’t seem to break away from her. People in dysfunctional relationships (particularly men in love with women like Allie) pop up quite often in Parker’s books. And I never understand why the men like Virgil don’t leave the women like Allie. But love is a powerful emotion that makes people do all sorts of interesting and crazy things. Which, I think, is Parker’s real point in the end.

So thumbs up.

Up next: Something from the TBR pile.

Books in my TBR pile: About 13.