City of Widows (Page Murdock, US Deputy Marshall, Book 5)

City of Widows (Page Murdock, US Deputy Marshall, Book 5)

Page Murdoch, the hero of The High Rocks, sent by a judge to Mexico to kill a man, starts losing his bearings in an unfamiliar land where he cannot depend on anyone, not even the woman he loves. In an act of personal vengeance, Judge Harlan Blackthorne of Montana Territory sends deputy U.S. Marshal Page Murdock to San Sabado, New Mexico, to bring to justice murderers Ross and Frank Baronet. As a cover for his activities, Murdock, reprised from Estleman's The Stranglers (Doubleday, 1984), buys into a friend's saloon. His task is complicated by the fact that Ross is reputed to be dead in Mexico, and Frank is the sheriff of Socorro County, where Murdock's saloon is located. Estleman, famed as much for his crime novels (e.g., Motown, LJ 6/15/91) as he is for Westerns, has crafted an excellent tale with believable dialog and complex characters. His research is meticulous, and his writing wastes no words. Highly recommended for all public libraries. - Robert Jordan, Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. A lawman looking to settle down, Page Murdock buys a half-interest in the Apache Princess, a saloon in San Sabado, with partner Junior Harper. Looking for capital to buy the fixtures of a bankrupt bar up north, they enlist the financial support of County Sheriff Frank Baronet, who possesses a self-serving stance on the law and has previously locked horns with Murdock. But Murdock insists this deal is strictly business. Gradually, though, Murdock's real agenda is revealed. He's doing a personal favor for federal judge Harlan Blackthorne, whose life was once saved by a man named Uriah Spooner. Spooner's son and daughter-in-law were recently killed in the Lincoln County Wars by a band of renegades including Baronet and his brother Ross. Before Congress can pass a law granting amnesty for all acts committed in the wars, Blackthorne wants to avenge his savior's offspring. Of the federal marshals who worked for Blackthorne, Murdock is the least likely to bring 'em back alive. Master storyteller Estleman--who mines both western and mystery genres and is the author of the popular Amos Walker private-eye series--weaves a complex plot and populates it with three-dimensional characters whose actions are always slightly unexpected. This is a real treat for western fans who need a break from the same old same old. Wes Lukowsky A somber, businesslike portrait of the 1880s American Southwest from the prolific Estleman (Whiskey River, 1990; etc.). Known to many as ``Satan's Sixgun,'' US Deputy Marshall Page Murdock is sent to New Mexico by Judge Harlan A. Blackthorne on the trail of the brothers Baronet--Frank, the corrupt but effective sheriff of Socorro county, and Ross, who is presumed dead. It seems that, in addition to running crooked games and robbing rivals, the Baronets also killed the man who saved the good judge's life during the Civil War. Murdock is the Fed likeliest to ``bring 'em back dead'' and thereby avoid messy trials. Frank, however, isn't one to go along peacefully, so Murdock must travel in the guise of a retired gunman turned part-owner of a saloon in nearby San Sabado- -or as the locals call it, Ciudad de Las Viudas, City of Widows. Subplots spring up like locoweed as Murdock discovers that his new partner is Colleen Bower, aka ``Poker Annie,'' a woman from out of his past. Further complicating matters is a robbery by a gang whose leader looks suspiciously like the late Ross. The stage is set for a showdown during which Murdock, naturally, learns a great deal about himself, Colleen, and Frank. Atmospheric and bleak, Estleman's story evokes the brutality and heat of the Southwest through the efficient actions and dialogue of its characters. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.