Review - Robert B. Parker's Revelation

Putnam; 336 pages; $27; Amazon

The western genre in books and movies have become almost extinct in recent years. Department stores, like Walmart, carry very few western titles, which are mostly written by bigger profile authors.

I fell in love with the genre while I was in my early twenties after reading a Matt Braun novel. (I don't recall the title.) Since then, I occasionally read a western or two, and no I'm not referring to romance westerns.

Now available from Putnam is the ninth novel in the Cole/Hitch western series, titled Revelation. The series began with 2005's Appaloosa written by the late author Robert B. Parker. The book was adapted into a feature film of the same name in 2008. Three sequel novels soon followed. After Mr. Parker's death, Robert Knott, who co-wrote the Appaloosa film script, took over writing additional sequels in the series.

Revelation marks the ninth book in the series and the fifth written by Robert Knott. Once again, the series focuses on the territorial marshals Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, who are  living in Appaloosa, New Mexico. After Augustus Noble Driggs and a few other convicts escape a stateside penitentiary just across the border from Mexico, Cole and Hitch lead a manhunt to find them. Of course such a mission sounds easy at first for the duo, but they quickly realize that there are more dangers in play here after one of the convicts kidnaps a woman.

As for Driggs, he's on his own mission to retrieve a stolen cache of gold and jewels and to get revenge on the men who betrayed him, but he'll have to outrun and outsmart the ruthless lawmen who are hot on his trail.

Final Thoughts: It took me a bit longer than what I had originally anticipated to read this book. I read the first 100 pages on the very day I received the review copy, but unfortunately a few things came up and I had to put aside the book for a few weeks. When I finally returned to reading it, I started from the very beginning and finished the book in two sittings (along with a few cups of coffee).

I was a little skeptical when Robert Knott took over the series, but with each new installment his writing skills have approved, especially when it comes to descriptions. The plot in Revelation is more fleshed out than the last few sequels. Actually, the plot is a lot darker this time around, with more violence and several f-bombs tossed about.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Robert B. Parker's Revelation. It has an intriguing plot with well-written returning characters,as well as a few new ones, and colorful dialogue.

*I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.




About the Authors: Robert B. Parker was the author of seventy books, including the legendary Spenser detective series, the novels featuring Police Chief Jesse Stone, and the acclaimed Virgil Cole–Everett Hitch westerns, as well as the Sunny Randall novels. Winner of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award and long considered the undisputed dean of American crime fiction, he died in January 2010.

Robert Knott is an actor, writer, and producer, as well as the author of Robert B. Parker’s Blackjack, Robert B. Parker’s The Bridge, Robert B. Parker’s Bull River, and Robert B. Parker’s Ironhorse. His extensive list of stage, television, and film credits include the feature film Appaloosa, based on the Robert B. Parker novel, which he adapted and produced with actor and producer Ed Harris.