AUTHOR FAVOURITES: TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT by LORRIE FARRELLY

 Lorrie Farrelly is the award-winning author of not only westerns but romance, time travel, suspense and paranormal books. She tells me a favourite of her books is TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT.

Lorrie is a finalist for the Orange Rose Award in romantic fiction. Her novels have been awarded Readers' Favorite 5-Stars. TERMS OF SURRENDER is a MEDALIST in the 2014 READERS' FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS and a FIRST PLACE WINNER in the 2014 LARAMIE AWARDS for Western and Civil War fiction. TIMELAPSE is also a 2014 READERS' FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS honoree, as well as a GOLD MEDALIST in the 2014 AUTHOR'S CAVE BOOK AWARDS. It is the TIME-TRAVEL NOVEL WINNER in the 2014 CYGNUS AWARDS for Sci Fi and Speculative Fiction. Her short story THE LONGEST WAY HOME from A COWBOY CELEBRATION is a Western Fictioneers 2015 PEACEMAKER AWARD winner.

TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT is the second book in the ‘Terms’ trilogy. In book one, TERMS OF SURRENDER, we meet former Confederate Army officer MICHAEL CANTRELL. In an attempt to find himself after the Civil War Michael journeys to Wyoming Territory and marries ANNIE, becoming the stepfather to her son ROBERT.

We flash forward almost 20 years and ENGAGEMENT shows us Robert in 1885, now a doctor with a practice in Colorado, a widower with a small daughter. He stumbles across a damaged woman, TESS RUTLEDGE, and her small son. Taking them under his wing, he brings them back to the Cantrell family ranch. But Tess’s cruel and abusive husband pursues, and he’s hired a professional killer to ensure that, if he can’t have Tess, nobody can… Meanwhile Robert has an unlikely guardian angel: the ghost of Michael’s dead brother, killed in the Civil War.   

The most celebrated ‘doctor’ in the Old West was DOCTOR JOHN HOLLIDAY, (1851-1887) who, as ‘DOC’ HOLLIDAY, was the famous/ infamous associate of WYATT EARP. Holliday wasn’t even a doctor, of course, he was a dentist!

I was going to incorporate an overview of medical practitioners in the Old West into this blog but decided it’s such a big subject it requires a blog entirely of its own. In the meantime I would refer you to KEITH SOUTER, who is a part time doctor and medical writer and also novelist. He has written non-fiction (health and medical guides) thrillers and also westerns under the pen-name CLAY MORE. Keith regularly posts and blogs about the practice of medicine in the Old West on Internet Forums such as Western Fictioneers. Keith also writes as KEITH MORAY and you can find out about him, in his various writing incarnations, here: https://keithmorayauthor.com

REVIEWS:

Among many reviews acclaiming TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT:

‘A powerful story. It incorporates love, danger, and excitement, with a soupcon of the paranormal.’

‘A fast paced romantic thriller!’

‘A historical romance that provides plenty of suspense and drama, along with a twist of supernatural flair makes for a page-turning read. … there is a richness in detail. The author is a true wordsmith…it can easily be read as a stand-alone work.’

‘Lorrie Farrelly has created characters that are so real and a story that captured me from the very first page. TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT has so much - suspense, drama, historical romance.’

‘Wonderful romance with a paranormal element.’‘I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and in fact found myself shedding a few tears in a couple instances!’

‘This is a great book to sit in front of a fire with a cup of hot chocolate.’

‘It is a refreshing story of a couple of good people meeting in a bad situation and doing what they can to rise above it.’

‘A treasure of a read.’

‘A good historical romance that promotes the values of love, family and courage.’

‘Enchanting.’

‘Stimulating Reading.’

‘A beautiful story!’

 

OTHER LORRIE FARRELLY NOVELS:

Here’s an AUTHOR FAVOURITES BLOG I wrote about TERMS OF SURRENDER: https://andrewmcbrideauthor.blogspot.com/2020/03/review-of-terms-of-surrender-by-lorrie.html 

From my review of TERMS OF SURRENDER:

‘Perhaps the best aspect of this excellent novel is how the trio of brother, sister and damaged stranger bond against their enemies, while Farrelly’s writing skills provide the necessary edge. Recommended.’

 

Other reviews of TERMS OF SURRENDER:

‘Descriptions are evocative and compelling... Readers can expect to find humor, violence, gritty action, and exquisitely-wrought tension throughout… (This) is for readers who seek more depth and layers in their stories.’

‘Another beautifully crafted tale by Lorrie Farrelly… a mixture of passion and nail-biting suspense.’

‘From the first chapter, I was captivated by Ms. Farrelly’s wordsmith skills, as well as the verisimilitude and historical accuracy she brought to the narratives and dialogue about the War, the soldiers and their language.’

‘I remained captivated by superb characterization and narrative.’

And here’s an AUTHOR FAVOURITES BLOG I wrote about TIMELAPSE: https://andrewmcbrideauthor.blogspot.com/2017/09/author-favourites-timelapse-by-lorrie.html

TIMELAPSE is an alternate-reality, time-travel romantic thriller about how an event in 1902 created a nightmarish future for the 21^st Century United States – which the main protagonists have to go back through to a time warp to correct.

Here’s part of my review:

‘Lorrie Farrelly creates vulnerable and damaged but still likable characters you can care about, and plunges them into one perilous adventure after another. An ingenious plot fuels a gripping, fast-paced tale, dystopian sci-fi that also manages to reflect our own troubled times.'

Other reviewers of TIMELAPSE: 

‘Lorrie Farrelly is an incredible writer. This is such a remarkable novel… This novel greatly moved me.’

‘Lorrie Farrelly… has done a marvellous job of describing a world gone crazy.’

"Engaging and engrossing... (TIMELAPSE is) a great read for those who love romance, science fiction, and time travel!"

Find TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT here: https://www.amazon.com/Terms-Engagement-Western-historical-romance-ebook/dp/B006NFFKWO/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

and here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terms-Engagement-Western-historical-romance-ebook/dp/B006NFFKWO/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1UPQ0GEJPUROL&keywords=terms+of+engagement+lorrie+farrelly&qid=1667825760&s=books&sprefix=terms+of+engagement+lorrie+farrelly%2Cstripbooks%2C152&sr=1-1

REVIEW: BLAKE’S RULE by J. R. LINDERMUTH

John Lindermuth (writing as J. R.) writes across genres, from thrillers to period mysteries to westerns. Like me he has written westerns for Sundown Press.

Here’s my 4 Star review of BLAKE’S RULE, one of the westerns he wrote for Sundown.

To begin with, here’s the blurb:

Blake’s rule has always been to do what’s right…not what’s easy.

Range detective Sam Blake is after cattle rustlers—but when a beautiful woman is accused of murdering her employer, he has to step in and see justice done. Miriam had her reasons for the brutal killing, and though she’s not talking, Blake understands there’s more to this crime than meets the eye.

When the local sheriff, James Fremont, asks Blake to spirit Miriam and her two children out of town before a lynch mob comes for her, he agrees. But Cyrus Diebler, the influential rancher who is intent on seeing her pay for her crime, is not about to be stopped. He will go to whatever lengths he must to see her dead, though it means putting his own family in harm’s way.

As Blake and Miriam stay one step ahead of the relentless Diebler and his deadly henchmen, a relationship begins to build between them. When Blake learns the real story behind the murder, and the dark secrets of Diebler’s motivation to see Miriam dead, he vows he will protect her and her children at all costs—even if it means his own life.

And here’s my review:

One reason J. R. Lindermuth’s westerns are worth reading is that he always provides unusual twists to what is a very familiar form. Detective Sam Blake arrives in a Colorado mountain town on the trail of a wanted rustler. Unexpectedly he is caught up in the affairs of Miriam, a mulatto women charged with murder and pursued by a racist lynch mob. Given that ‘Blake’s Rule’ is do what’s right, not what’s easy, he comes to her aid. Out-of-the-blue twists – the intervention of a swarm of bees, a train wreck – keep things surprising in a brisk, entertaining novel. Recommended.

According to Wikipedia, the first official private detective agency was set up in 1833 in Paris by ex-soldier and one-time criminal EUGENE FRANCOIS VIDOCQ. He set up a business that involved hiring ex-convicts and criminals to carry out operations that the police wouldn’t undertake.

I thought John had made up the THIEL DETECTIVE AGENCY that Blake works for, but no, they existed. This private detective agency was formed by GEORGE H. THIEL, a former employee of the PINKERTON DETECTIVE AGENCY. He set up Thiel to rival the Pinkertons but never equalled their fame or prestige.

The Thiel Agency was involved in infiltrating and breaking a number of labour union strikes in the United States and Canada, as were the Pinkertons. One of the company's first employees was JOHN F. FARLEY, a former U.S. Cavalry trooper. In 1885, Farley was appointed manager of Thiel's Denver office, which Blake operates out of.

I’ve blogged about the Pinkerton Agency elsewhere. To briefly highlight a few aspects about them:

They were established in the U. S. A. by Scotsman ALLAN PINKERTON in 1850. At their peak ‘The Pinks’ were the largest private law enforcement organisation in the world.

ALLAN PINKERTON with PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

Notably, they hired women and minorities, a practice uncommon at the time. They hired KATE WARNE, the first female detective we have record of. By 1860 Pinkerton was so impressed by her abilities he placed Warne in charge of his new Female Detective Bureau.

Her most famous role was in the so-called ‘Baltimore Plot’ in February 1861, just before the outbreak of the American Civil War. Warne posed as a rich southern lady visiting Baltimore in order to infiltrate social gatherings of secessionist sympathisers. She discovered there was a plot to assassinate President-elect ABRAHAM LINCOLN as his train passed through Baltimore. To escape, Lincoln was forced to disguise himself as an invalid. Kate posed as his brother and helped smuggle him off the train before the assassins struck.  It is said that Kate Warne didn’t sleep while providing a bodyguard role for Lincoln, thus inspiring the Pinkertons motto: ‘we never sleep.'

Suitably impressed, Lincoln hired ‘The Pinks’ for his personal security during the Civil War.

In the 1870s they were hired to deal with the MOLLY MAGUIRES, a secret society some view as working to improve the lot of oppressed Irish coal miners and some damn as a terrorist organization. Detective JAMES McPARLAND went undercover against the Mollies in Pennsylvania. Partly as a result of his investigations, twenty suspected members of the Mollies were convicted of murder and other crimes and were hung in 1877 and 1878.

JAMES McPARLAND 

In a western context, from 1874 onwards ‘The Pinks’ began to pursue the so-called James–Younger Gang in their home territory of Missouri. Dangerous work: JOSEPH WHICHER, an agent who attempted to infiltrate the gang, was soon found killed. Another agent, CAPTAIN LOUIS J. LULL was killed by two of the Youngers in a roadside gunfight on March 17, 1874. Before he died, Lull fatally shot JOHN YOUNGER.

ALLAN PINKERTON himself took on the case as a personal vendetta. On the night of January 25, 1875, he staged a raid on the home of JESSE JAMES that ended in tragedy. Detectives threw an incendiary device into the house. It exploded, killing James's 8-year-old half-brother ARCHIE. It also seriously injured Jesse’s mother, blowing off one of her arms. This raid caused outrage and increased sympathy for the outlaws.  

Also out west some of the ‘Range Detectives’ the Pinkerton Agency hired included famed man-hunters TOM HORN and CHARLIE SIRINGO.

CHARLIE SIRINGO

SIRINGO, a Texas cowboy and author, joined ‘the Pinks’ in 1891. He began operating undercover, a relatively new technique at the time, and infiltrated gangs of robbers and rustlers, making more than 100 arrests. In the late 1890s, posing as a gunman on the run from the law for murder, he infiltrated BUTCH CASSIDY’s Wild Bunch.

Several members of the gang were captured or killed as a result of the information he gathered, including KID CURRY, eventually killed in a shoot-out in 1904.

KID CURRY

Detectives in the Old West have been represented by – amongst others – the heroes of the TV series ‘THE WILD WILD WEST.’

 ROSS MARTIN and ROBERT CONRAD in 'The Wild Wild West'

Kate Warne was played by MARTHA MacISAAC in the Canadian TV series ‘The Pinkertons.’

The character played by KATHERINE WARREN in the excellent train-bound 1951 thriller ‘The Tall Target’ (about ‘The Baltimore Plot’) is clearly based on Kate Warne.

OTHER REVIEWERS of ‘BLAKE’S RULE’:

‘A good western, a romance, and a mystery. The book is a short read, not heavy, but very interesting.’

‘This latest work from John Lindermuth is a fine Western in the traditional mold, but with some intriguing twists and distinctions that make it a high cut above average… there is plenty of violent action, tragedy, betrayal and retribution, more than a few surprises, and some nice touches of romance. The characters… are colorfully drawn and given genuine depth. Lindermuth's effortlessly smooth prose moves along at a perfect pace, rich with historically accurate details yet never at the cost of interfering with a riveting tale.’

Find ‘BLAKE’S RULE’ here: https://www.amazon.com/Blakes-Rule-J-R-Lindermuth-ebook/dp/B07FKWBY19/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=blake%27s+rule+j.+r.+lindermuth&qid=1588170331&sr=8-1 and here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blakes-Rule-J-R-Lindermuth-ebook/dp/B07FKWBY19/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=blake%27s+rule+j.+r.+lindermuth&qid=1588170435&sr=8-1

AUTHOR FAVOURITES BLOG: FURY AT BENT FORK by B.S. DUNN (BRENT TOWNS)

Brent Towns (who also writes as B. S. Dunn, Jake Henry, and Sam Clancy) tells me a favourite of his own novels is his first Black Horse Western FURY AT BENT FORK – credited to B.S. Dunn - ‘because I felt a great sense of achievement.’ (Something I’m sure all us published novelists feel about their debut novel.)

Four big ranchers, known as the Committee, seek to dominate their section of Colorado. They hire a pack of gunmen under Slade Johnson, but smaller ranchers resist – led by young Chad Hunter. Chad’s also being pursued by a cold-blooded murderer just escaped from prison.

‘It became known as the Stone Creek Valley War and for a time, the valley ran red with the blood of innocents and killers alike.’

Range Wars are a popular feature of western fiction but they’re rooted firmly in the history of the Old West. Here I’m referring to conflicts between large-scale cattle owners versus small cattlemen or homesteaders. I’ve dealt with clashes between cattlemen and sheep herders in an earlier blog: https://andrewmcbrideauthor.blogspot.com/2017/12/author-favourites-return-to-silver.html 

Probably the two most famous of these Range Wars were the ‘Lincoln County War’ and the ‘Johnson County War.’ I’ll blog about the latter another day.

Actually the Lincoln County War in New Mexico of the late 1870s saw small ranchers such as JOHN TUNSTALL, an Englishman originally from London,

aligned with cattle baron JOHN CHISUM

and local lawyer ALEXANDER McSWEEN.

Their main beef (pardon the pun) was against two businessmen running a powerful conglomerate based in the town of Lincoln. This pair of Irishmen – J. J. DOLAN and JOHN RILEY – owned a big general store called ‘The House.’  They also controlled most government contracts for supplying beef to army posts and Indian reservations. On top of that they had the law, fronted by Lincoln County Sheriff WILLIAM BRADY, in their pocket.

William Brady in 1872

The other faction didn’t see why Dolan and Riley should have a monopoly on either trade in Lincoln or beef contracts.

Tension between the two sides exploded into violence in February 1878. Brady sent a posse to seize some of Tunstall’s horses as payment for an outstanding debt. They encountered Tunstall out on the range. When Tunstall refused to hand the horses over, Deputy Sheriff WILLIAM MORTON shot him in the head.

Men in the employ of Tunstall and Chisum formed a posse of their own – nicknamed The Regulators – and set out to get their revenge. Which is when The Lincoln County War enters the realms of legend: one of these ‘Regulators’ was a slight young man – probably in his early 20s - called HENRY ANTRIM or HENRY McCARTY. It’s wrongly claimed he was born William Bonney, but history remembers him as BILLY THE KID.

I’ve already blogged about Billy the Kid here:  
https://andrewmcbrideauthor.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-arizona-kid-by-andrew-mcbride.html

To briefly summarise the violence that ensued: The Regulators captured Morton and another of his posse and shot them. In an even more audacious move they ambushed Sheriff Brady as he walked the streets of Lincoln. Brady and another deputy were felled by a hail of bullets from cover.

Events culminated in a 5-day siege (the so-called ‘Battle of Lincoln’) in July 1878. The Regulators were cornered in McSween’s home in Lincoln by supporters of ‘The House.’ Despite desultory exchanges of gunfire there were no casualties until the fifth day, when McSween’s house was fired. The besieged fled the burning building, braving a blizzard of gunfire that cut down McSween. In total perhaps seven men (two of the ‘House’ faction, and five Regulators) were killed. The remaining Regulators scattered.

The Lincoln County Cattle War was over and ‘Billy the Kid’s’ side had convincingly lost.  

Legend attributes the prominent role in these actions to Billy and claims he did most of the killing. In reality he was only one of a number of participants. He only seems to have taken over as leader during the ‘Battle of Lincoln.’

Most fictional depictions of the Lincoln County War show teenage Billy as looking up to Tunstall as a wise elder, a kindly uncle if not father figure. As it happens Tunstall at the time of his death was 24, possibly only two years older than Billy.

The FURY AT BENT FORK scenario of small ranchers/homesteaders versus big ranchers naturally brings to mind SHANE.

Alan Ladd in ‘Shane’ (1953)

The hero being unjustly convicted of cattle rustling, when his real crime was standing up to a powerful conglomerate, made me think of BROKEN LANCE.

Richard Widmark, Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner in ‘Broken Lance’ (1954)

Reviewer for FURY AT BENT FORK: ‘Wow! Great book.’

https://www.amazon.com/Fury-Bent-Piccadilly-Publishing-Western-ebook/dp/B01LXBBJN6 and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fury-Bent-Black-Horse-Western/dp/0719819245

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fury-Bent-Black-Horse-Western/dp/0719819245

AUTHOR FAVOURITES: LAST STAND by DUANE BOEHM

Duane Boehm is the author of the highly successful Gideon Johann western series, running to 7 books now. He tells me the first of them, LAST STAND is his favourite, something I often find with authors. It’s his favourite story and Duane likes it particularly because the protagonist goes through the most change in it. Readers seem to agree as, the last time I looked, it had a staggering 223 5 star reviews!

Gideon Johann had been long gone from Last Stand, Colorado, seeming to have vanished after the Civil War. 

Colorado

He's a man running from his conscience, leaving both the girl he left behind and his best friend with a chapter of their lives unresolved. But one day in the early 1880s, a stranger is found shot and near death near Last Stand. The realization that this is Gideon, back after 18 years, sets in motion old grudges, love, and a chance for redemption.

The very grabby beginning of LAST STAND, where a wounded man is found, reminded me of THE TALL STRANGER (1957.)

Naturally the scenario of a mysterious stranger appearing in the home of a settler family (man, wife, son) reminded me of SHANE.

But it’s also about someone returning home after many years to find redemption, rather like the Gregory Peck character in THE GUNFIGHTER.

REVIEWS:

‘The stories are a mix of adventure, surprises and human family interaction, very well written.’

‘The humor and excitement of a great western! Read straight through!’

‘A very good author who keeps you in suspense.’
‘A really good story of redemption. Characters are great and it has the drama that you love in a good western.’

‘One of the best western adventures I have read. Plot was very well thought out, action was realistic and plentiful without being over the top. Just the right mix of romance as well, and I loved the way it ended.’

‘This is an AWESOME book. I couldn't wait to turn the pages…a passion-filled love story that touched my heart. I CANNOT wait to read Duane Boehms' next book.’
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Stand-Gideon-Johann-Western-ebook/dp/B00K60LAH6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1483695179&sr=1-1&keywords=duane+boehm+last+stand