“It has never been my
habit to write about the good and decent folks” – Greg Barth
It
was with some apprehension I tackled Greg Barth’s new release, TheBloodletting. Being that he has become one of my favorite authors due to my
relenting love of the Selena series, I was nervous this new one might feel like
a letdown. You know, the whole “I’m not into westerns” things? Well I am
pleased to report The Bloodletting is not a western. Sure it takes place in a
western setting during the Civil War and some might argue with me it is a
western by pure definition, but I am here to tell you, in my eyes, this is
really a tale of atrocities, revenge, family bonds, and the coming-of-age of a
gunslinger. And it is one hell of a worthy book for Barth to showcase his
talents in a new genre (Okay, I admit it, it is a western).
This
great piece of western-noir opens with a band of thieves taking refuge at the
home of the O’Brien family. Looking to tend to a wounded partner, the thieves
find a homestead without the presence of parents; just 2 young girls reside
here after their parents have dies and been killed. The men take liberties with
the girls and leave the home with the fresh murder of two young girls on their
conscious.
Word
gets to Lew Younger, cousin to the girls who resides a state away, his help is
needed. Being unaware of the atrocities committed upon them and being a young
man who understands the obligations being family creates, he sets off to offer
his support to his cousins. Riding with him two women; Ghose, a young hellion
with a reputation of unchecked violence and penchant for whiskey, and Abetzi, a
Comanche squaw who has fierce bonds of loyalty to the Younger clan.
When
Younger arrives at his cousin’s farm and learns of their fate, he swears
revenge and sets out to find the hell-raisers who committed the sins against
his family. Along the way he learns to sharpen his gun fighting skills, let his
thirst for revenge drive him through periods of self-doubt, and also how to use
his desire for retribution to go to any lengths to defeat men who have no
qualms about killing women, children, and anyone else who gets in their way.
I
loved how Barth uses 3 different points of view in this book. We see the story
unfold through the eyes on Lamar, semi-leader of the band of thieves, Rylee,
the oldest of Lew’s cousins, and finally Lew himself who drives this story
forward with his black and white view of the word around him. Barth switches
into each point-of-view seamlessly and his strong ability to write from both
the male and female perspectives allow each character to be fully fleshed out
and jump off the page.
I
found this to be one hell of a page turner and it has perhaps the most gruesome
torture scenes I have read in a long while. The violence the scene displays is
unparalleled in the sense of its outright brutality and unflinching delivery.
Being that Barth delivered us the Selena series, this statement should hold
serious weight with you.
This
book is going to knock you down like a shot of buckshot to the face. Barth
proves beyond a shadow of a doubt he can tackle any genre and leave the reader
gasping for breath. This is a serious piece of literature and leaves the reader
hungering for the next adventure of Lew Younger.
Highly
Recommended.
