Jed Longmore’s an ex-lawman, taking his three sons and heading West after the death of his wife.  When Colonel Fremont, the leader of the wagon train talks him into taking along a passenger, Mrs. Laura Harris, a woman needing to be reunited with her husband, he isn’t too happy about it, but when Mrs. Harris helps him hide the fact that his youngest is ill, which would prevent them from joining the wagon train, he reluctantly brings her along. Mrs. Harris herself is something of a mystery.  Married to a British teacher, whom she is going to meet, she carries some very powerful and unusual firearms a woman generally doesn’t own.  She’s  also handy to have around when it comes to dressing wounds and doctoring, too.   Mrs. Harris soon fits right in, and before long, Jed’s three sons are looking forward to her mothering.

Wagon trains are difficult and dangerous enough, heading as they are into unknown and sometimes unexplored territory, and there’s more than enough hardship, what with traveling with a group of strangers who are more than a little suspicious of everyone and ready to show it.  Jed and his little family are soon the object of harassment and violence by Brookner, a bully and ringleader whenever there’s any problems.  Then, Jed discovers they’re being followed.  A band of horsemen are trailing the wagon trains, and they’re led by someone Jed never expected to see again, a someone who’s out for revenge and not caring if he kills everyone in the group to get it.

While Jed prepares to defend his children and attempts to rally the other members’ support, He’s unaware there’s someone within the wagon party who’s also got a score to settle, and he—and his sons—are bout to get caught right in the middle.

WHAT I THINK:  Think any Clint Eastwood-directed Western movie and you’ve got a good idea of Dead Man’s Fingers, and the fact that the author is a Brit doesn’t detract in the least.   This is a tough little Western(only 61 pages), as gritty and bloody as they come.  The descriptions are so realistic one can almost feel the arid heat and see the stark surroundings as the wagons push across the plains, and feel the splash of the water and see the mud being churned up as they ford the river.

Dead Man’s Fingers may be short, but it’s filled with plenty of narrative, description, and characterization.  Jed is a good man, a caring father but a man aware of how his past may catch up with him sooner or later.  The villains are a motley crew, and as bad a bunch as you can find, this side of a Rawhide episode.

What are the dead man’s fingers?  Something you’ve seen in hundreds of Westerns and probably never knew.  Read the story to find out.

RATING:  5 stars

Dead Man’s Fingers is available from Smashwords, http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Dead+Man%27s+Fingers

This novel was supplied by the author and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review