by Robert B. ParkerHitch and Cole together again.
After the bloody confrontation in Appaloosa, Everett Hitch heads into the afternoon sun and ends up in Resolution, an Old West town so new the dust has yet to settle. It's the kind of town that doesn't have much in the way of commerce, except for a handful of saloons and some houses of ill repute. Hitch takes a job as lookout at Amos Wolfson's Blackfoot Saloon and quickly establishes his position as protector of the ladies who work the backrooms--as well as a man unafraid to stand up to the enforcer sent down from the O'Malley copper mine.
Though Hitch makes short work of hired gun Koy Wickman, tensions continue to mount, so that even the self-assured Hitch is relieved by the arrival in town of his friend Virgil Cole. When greedy mine owner Eamon O'Malley threatens the loose coalition of local ranchers and starts buying up Resolution's few businesses, Hitch and Cole find themselves in the middle of a makeshift war between O'Malley's men and the ranchers. In a place where law and order don't exist, Hitch and Cole must make their own, guided by their sense of duty, honor, and friendship. A bit of a cheesy plot but Parker makes it work by keeping Hitch and Cole human; warts and all.
Personally, I don't care much for Westerns but this one is done by exploring the implications of a world without law, a world with shifting rules and shifting borders, a world defined by the men and women who find themselves there and must somehow create a livable civilization (or hell) by themselves. That is the vibrato of Resolution and Parker plays the tune well.
Parker seems to be at his best when he is stretched and his occasional forays into this genre stretch him. The result is a tight albeit shallow plot, engaging characters, and the opportunity to reflect, very economically, on the nature of man and the nature of law. The dialogue is terse, as is the tone and the texture. Bottom line: Quick read that is interesting but only for fun on a lazy afternoon. A person doesn't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to browse through this one.
Though Hitch makes short work of hired gun Koy Wickman, tensions continue to mount, so that even the self-assured Hitch is relieved by the arrival in town of his friend Virgil Cole. When greedy mine owner Eamon O'Malley threatens the loose coalition of local ranchers and starts buying up Resolution's few businesses, Hitch and Cole find themselves in the middle of a makeshift war between O'Malley's men and the ranchers. In a place where law and order don't exist, Hitch and Cole must make their own, guided by their sense of duty, honor, and friendship. A bit of a cheesy plot but Parker makes it work by keeping Hitch and Cole human; warts and all.
Personally, I don't care much for Westerns but this one is done by exploring the implications of a world without law, a world with shifting rules and shifting borders, a world defined by the men and women who find themselves there and must somehow create a livable civilization (or hell) by themselves. That is the vibrato of Resolution and Parker plays the tune well.
Parker seems to be at his best when he is stretched and his occasional forays into this genre stretch him. The result is a tight albeit shallow plot, engaging characters, and the opportunity to reflect, very economically, on the nature of man and the nature of law. The dialogue is terse, as is the tone and the texture. Bottom line: Quick read that is interesting but only for fun on a lazy afternoon. A person doesn't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to browse through this one.
Reviewed by Nan Sevic
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