Review of "Robert B. Parker’s Ironhorse," by Robert Knott

 Review of

Robert B. Parker’s  Ironhorse, by Robert Knott ISBN 9780399158117

Five out of five stars

Cole and Hitch fight really bad guys

 Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are now territorial marshals and are aboard a train. They are engaged in their first action as marshals, and it appears to be very tame compared to what they have done in the past. Their job is to escort some prisoners to the Mexican border.

 However, the scene is set for a dramatic change when the Governor of Texas and his family board the train along with their bodyguards and a significant cache of money. As marshals, the authority of Cole and Hitch extends throughout the United States, so they immediately have to accept some responsibility for the governor’s entourage and assets.

 The train is attacked by a group of bandits led by an unknown mastermind and a ruthless killer called Bloody Bob Brandice. Cole and Brandice have a violent history, Cole once put two bullets in Brandice. As the danger becomes apparent and increases, Cole and Hitch must become very resourceful as they battle both known and unknown adversaries. Not only do they have to fight off and defeat the bandits, they also have to do all they can to keep the governor and other innocent bystanders from being injured or killed. At all times they have to concern themselves with trying to determine which bystanders are in fact innocent.

 The action is an excellent combination of thoughtful violence so well done in the Parker characters. The reader finds themselves trying to predict the next move, a few times it is clear but most times the plot misses their mental target. Knott hits a home run in this continuation of the great Robert B. Parker legacy.

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