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Custer's Brother's Horse

by Edwin Shrake

Custer's Brother's Horse Cover

ISBN13: 9780971766785
ISBN10: 0971766789
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Synopses & Reviews

Review:

"It's 1865, the Civil War is just over, but some folks in Texas still settle Yank-Reb scores with bullets and nooses. Shrake's 10th novel, a fast-paced western, begins with Confederate captain Jerod Robin waiting to be hanged for murder in Austin. Also in the hoosegow waiting for the hangman is blustery English novelist Edmund Varney, who is accused of stealing the horse of Lt. Tom Custer, the famous general's younger brother. Their jailer and tormentor is Santana Leatherwood, leader of a cold-blooded family of misfits who want Robin dead because of a family feud — and Varney dead just for the fun of it. A wacky judge named Dingus sets both men free, but they and Flora Blowprie (a young black fortune teller also spared by Judge Dingus) end up fugitives again after Flora shoots a would-be rapist. En route to Robin's family plantation, they pick up Isabella Bushkin, the abandoned wife of a disgraced Yankee politician, and now all four must shoot their way through soldiers, outlaws and Leatherwoods. A mysterious letter in Robin's jacket, Flora's ominous predictions and the truth behind the Robin-Leatherwood feud add suspense to this action-packed yarn. The ending is delightfully unpredictable and provides a satisfying conclusion to this well-crafted western tale." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

Set in Texas at the end of the Civil War, Bud Shrake's novel brings together an odd collection of characters, thrown together by circumstance: a young Condederate office, an English writer and adventurer, a young French mulatto girl from New Orleans, an aristocratic Spanish lady, and Tom Custer, brother of the Custer of Little Big Horn fame. Custer's Brother's Horse, Athena, provides a unifying thread throughout the narrative. Shrake writes of a Texas filled with uncertainty and torn by violent conflict ? between Confederates and anti-secessionists, pro and anti-slavery groups, the people of Texas and the occupying military forces of the victorious North. This is a great Texas book from a great Texas writer. It is filled with adventure, romance, humor and mystery ? all in an authentic historical context.

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
glanca5555, November 28, 2007 (view all comments by glanca5555)
The the search for salvation, the pursuit of beauty, and revenge form the actions of the characters in this historical western. The Leatherwoods are repeatedly thwarted in their attempts to hang, shoot or otherwise destroy the scion of their arch rival, Jerod Robin. One of the most lackluster heroes I've ever encountered , I wonder how it is he manages to survive the beatings and explosions. Despite the weak hero, other the characters in the story are vivid and exciting, especially compelling is Horry Leatherwood, owner and preacher of the town of Gesthemane, Texas. Shrake is a natural storyteller, and if you can overlook certain aspects of the tale don't quite mesh, like what does Custer's Brother have to do with anything in particular, it's an enjoyable read.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780971766785
Author:
Shrake, Edwin
Publisher:
John M. Hardy
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Westerns - General
Subject:
Family
Subject:
History
Subject:
Historical fiction
Publication Date:
September 2007
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
297
Dimensions:
9.05x6.31x1.10 in. 1.30 lbs.

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