JAMES
D. BEST is a best-selling author who writes across genres. He tells me his second favourite
of his own novels is THE SHOPKEEPER because
‘it was so much fun to write.’
THE SHOPKEEPER is the first appearance of James’s hero Steve
Dancy, who leaves his New York shop in 1879 to travel the west, recording his
experiences in a journal he hopes to expand into a novel.
Dancy's infatuation with another man's wife soon embroils him
in a deadly feud with Sean Washburn, a Nevada silver baron. Pinkerton
detectives and hired assassins add to this exciting tale, which James salts
with playful humour.
The
writer out west theme reminded me of MARK TWAIN (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) who travelled in California and Nevada in the 1860s.
MARK
TWAIN in 1867
He was
depicted by Frederick March in THE ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN (1944.)
Twain in
Nevada features in no less than three episodes of BONANZA, including ‘Enter Mark Twain’ with Howard Duff.
And the
eastern ‘dude’ finding himself in rough, not to say dangerous, company out west
naturally brought to mind James Stewart in THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE.
Mining
camps in the Nevada remained rough ‘frontier’ places even into the early 20th
Century, when the Tonopah mining district was developed.
REVIEWS
of THE SHOPKEEPER:
‘One of
the best western books I've read in a long time.’
‘In structure, with short chapters,
crisp dialogue, and lots of movement, it's reminiscent of a thriller ... you'll
certainly find enough twists and turns to provide an entertaining and exciting
story.’
‘If you
are a fan of great westerns from authors like Louis L'Amour and Larry McMurtry,
then you need to get on board with James Best and the Steve Dancy series. Great
stories, interesting and diverse characters and plenty of action!’
‘The film
noir like writing provides plenty of unexpected twists and turns.’
‘Mr. Best
shatters the mold for western novels.... This is a western unlike
any I've ever read. The scenery and description of the towns, trails, people
and the trails they travel is exquisite and historically accurate.’
‘Not your
usual gun totin shoot-em-up bang bang western. Shopkeeper is a turn off the TV
compelling read that includes politics, gunplay, intrigue, and a hint of
unrequited adoration.’
Thank you for the post. I appreciate it and like your perspective. I would only ad that The Virginian was the inspiration for the story. After reading Owen Wister's book, I wanted to make the Easterner part of the action, not just a narrator. I like Westerns and fish-out-of-water stories and combined the two. P.S. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is my favorite Western film.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the post, James. Thanks for pointing out the link to THE VIRGINIAN. There's an episode of the old TV Western series WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE starring STEVE McQUEEN called THE TWAIN SHALL MEET you might enjoy - McQueen is partnered by an Eastern journalist. Meanwhile thanks for stopping by. I have another post about you scheduled!
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