Book Review: Devils in the Confessional by Channing Cornwall

 

Devils in the Confessional is the third installment of the Western Sins trilogy written by Channing Cornwall, who happens to be my friend. In this, the final book in the western genre series, we meet up with Joseph Abernathy from the second book in the series Breathed out by God who is in a pickle in the freshly dug mining town of Opelance, Oregon in the late 1800s. The Coffin Killers, led by one mean smooth talkin' sumbitch by the name of Coffin Kain, have taken over the town in an effort to extort money from its citizens and its founder Benjamin Fink. In an effort to rid the town of these wretched curs Joseph Abernathy and three other men ride out one night to find the men he thinks can help, the saviors of Serenity Ridge, Isaac Teller, and Kemal Hajara from Breathed out by God as well. 

Isaac is still a God-fearing man who denounced violence after his harrowing adventures in the previous tale and Kemal isn't the fastest gun in the Northwest so they then turn to the two most dangerous hombres they know; none other than Cullen Travers and Sadie Warner, who bested the entire Faceless Ghosts gang in book one of the series Hell Came with Her. Joseph Abernathy brings these two groups together, along with Isaac's brother Jacob and a couple others from Opulence in an effort to bring peace back to the mining town where men and women are being held hostage by the Coffin Killers and the unwitting gold baron Benjamin Fink.

There is a bit of setting up before we get to the altercation that ensues by the end of the story but the setup is worth it for the background needed to understand the new characters and the new stakes involved. Everyone has something to gain and something to lose from their decisions and the lives of dozens of people hang in the balance. Isaac and Kemal want to go back to their wives and children at their cozy inn and look forward to a move up north where they can be free from the racism that plagues their culture. Cullen wants to feel useful again doing the only thing he knows how to do, killing and Sadie just wants to make sure Cullen doesn't die being the stubborn bastard she can't contain that he is. The people of Opulence want their share of the golden cow. Fink wants his riches. Coffin Kain wants his retirement money and to make a name as the baddest gunslinger. Will they get what they want or just what's coming for them? 

The author, Channing Cornwall, has crafted a compelling finale to the tale of the characters we fell in love with during the previous Western Sins books where the harsh realities of the lawless west are splattered against the walls of our minds' proverbial silver screen in great relief. This world is dark and cruel. Channing makes us hate the bad guys who are fucking horrible while making us love the good guys who are as noble as they come, even with their unrelenting flaws. While Devils in the Confessional has all the makings of a classic western tale it offers fresh struggles, suspenseful intrigue, and emotional depth. 

I highly recommend finishing off your western sin with a confession of your own! Let me try again: No preacher can save you from the western sins in this confessional! Or: Even God won't pardon these western sinners, no matter how much they confess. Fuckin' nailed it!

Get Channing's books here: Amazon.com

Read my Review of Hell Came with Her Here

Read my review of Breathed out by God Here

Read more book reviews at joesnotesblog.com! 

Book Review: Deadwood by Pete Dexter

 

Deadwood doesn't rely on the usual stereotypical western tropes. You won't find main street duels, stampedes, or bounty hunters, although there are quite a few prostitutes. Deadwood does tell a down-to-earth story about a man living in pre-industrial America who happens to be friends with the most famous western hero, Wild Bill Hickock. This book is not about Wild Bill Hickock though, it's about Charley Utter. Charley is a successful business-man who accompanies Wild Bill in the twilight of his fame and as they settle into the untamed town of Deadwood they meet a host of memorable characters. 

Characters like the Bottle Fiend, who is a soft-brain who has attempted suicide more time than anyone can remember. Or Al Swearingen, who runs the brothel with relentless venom and violence. Or Charley's nephew Malcolm Nash, who, after a traumatic experience, becomes a vengeful priest. Bullock, the apathetic sheriff. The Langrishe's own the theater and have their own secrets. And of course, there is Calamity Jane, who falls in love with Wild Bill, thinks she was sent by God to save people and shrieks like an eagle. 

The detailed characters in this book are the grounding force that brings this tale into vivid relief. Pete Dexter doesn't shy away from the dark humanity that is often brushed over, exaggerated, or otherwise idealized in many western stories. He also doesn't shy away from the complexities of love, lust, and infatuation that entangle real relationships. 

Through Charley Utter, we find that Deadwood is just a microcosm of any town where its inhabitants struggle to cooperate but somehow manage to survive, mostly. Personal prejudices, vices, and hopes are tested and weighed as characters balance their desires with the harsh realities of their environment, which illuminates the quintessential balance of human existence. As we fight to survive in the world we fight not only with the world and others but we must also fight with ourselves.  

The writing in this book is superb and while it isn't the most exciting book I have read I found it never the less enthralling. Deadwood is a meandering and methodical character study more than it is a typical western and I highly recommend it. 

Book Review: Comanche Moon by Larry McMurtry

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Comanche Moon is the second book in the Lonesome Dove series and continues the journey of  Texas Rangers Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae as they try to tame the west from a dwindling but wildly fierce number of hostile Comanche tribesman. Buffalo Hump continues to lead his people against the encroaching caucasian intruders and we follow his story to the end, and his tale becomes a symbol of the weakening state of the once proud and free native peoples. We also meet Blue Duck, the main antagonist in Lonesome Dove, who is Buffalo Hump's half Comanche half Mexican son. Blue Duck never got along with his father and his disrespect for the old ways leads to him being cast out by his father. 

On the other side of the fence, we get to meet the incomparable Captain Inish Scull and the eccentric Famous Shoes. Famous shoes is a Kickapoo tracker who never rides a horse and yet somehow is always ahead of the Rangers he is tracking for. He leaves for days on end but always comes back with interesting information. He knows the land and helps Inish Scull when his exceptionally large horse is stolen by the infamous horse thief Kicking Wolf. Inish finds out how harsh the frontier really is when he finally finds out what happened to his horse. 

The book mainly focuses on the perspective of the Comanche people while forwarding the character-driven work he started in the previous entry. Call, McCrae, Pea Eye, Deets, Newt, and many more characters are all there and we finally get to see the evolution of Call's relationship with Maggie, the whore whose son Call won't claim. We also find out about what happens to Long Bill Coleman, who made his way through the torment of the death march in Dead Man's Walk, and Clara Forsythe, who Gus will always pine for. 

The Lonesome Dove Series is a must-read for fans of the western genre and Comanche Moon acts as a tribute to the transition from the old ways to the new. Everyone gets older and people die. No matter how much you want to cling to the past things change and you can either change too or fade away into history. The characters are treated and developed with care and respect and we see things from their respective perspectives. Everyone has their own motivations for what they do and no one's perfect. In summary, this book is fun, easy to read, well-paced, and well written and you should read it. 

*I haven't seen the movie based on it but I'm sure it makes a good companion to the book. 

Read my other reviews from Larry McMurtry Novels:

Dead Man's Walk

https://joesnotesblog.com/blog/book-review-dead-mans-walk-by-larry-mcmurtry?rq=mcmurtry%20

Lonesome Dove

https://joesnotesblog.com/blog/book-review-lonesome-dove-by-larry-mcmurtry?rq=mcmurtry

Book Review: The Daybreakers by Louis L'Amour

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You know you're into a book when after reading every few chapters you find yourself thinking, "That's so good," or "I really like this book." My internal commentary is always a good guide to whether or not I would recommend a book or would read more from the author and this book delivered the goods. This is the first Louis L'Amour book I have read even though I've known about the author for most of my life.

Louis L'Amour is one of the most prolific and popular American writers and while most of his titles feature the settling of the American frontier he has written historical fiction, science fiction, nonfiction, and poetry collections as well. Many of his novels are quite short and "The Daybreakers" is only 204 pages long which makes it a breeze to get through. This is just one in a series of books centered around The Sackets. The Sackets are a family from the blue mountains from which strong men a bred. In this installment, we learn about Tyrel and Orrin Sacket. These brothers leave their home in the mountains to join a group of cow rustlers. For the next few years, the boys meet new lifelong friends and find some lifelong enemies too.

As the Sacket brothers try to settle down and find a home for their mother in the open and wildlands of New Mexico they find out what kind of men they really are. They find that the world is full of immoral actors but they stay steadfast to their values to the constant chagrin of bad cowpokes. Tyrel is the mean one with a quickdraw that everyman would learn to fear and Orrin is the well-spoken rock that instills trust and loyalty wherever he goes. Both men are quintessential good guys and with their new friends, they find that taking on evil is worth the risks. The new world wants law and order and its men like the Sackets that will stop at nothing to make that happen. 

If you enjoy the Western genre then I can't imagine you wouldn't enjoy this book. I found myself wanting to get back to it time and time again until soon it was over and in a wonderfully Western way. I can see where writers such as Larry McMurtry must have gotten some inspiration and I'm glad that such good Western books are out there. I can't wait to get into more of Louis L'Amour's books. 

More Western Related Content:

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Book Review: Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry

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After reading "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry and finding out that it was just one in a series of Western books written around the characters of Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call I went out and immediately purchased "Dead Man's Walk". For my review of "Lonesome Dove" check the link below. I was so impressed and enthralled with the storytelling in "Lonesome Dove" that I knew that I would enjoy another adventure and this book does not disappoint.

"Dead Man's Walk" is a prequel to "Lonesome Dove" and offers up the story of Call and Gus as they begin their careers as Texas Rangers. Where "Lonesome Dove" shows the two characters in their wizened forms, "Dead Man's Walk" shows them as real greenhorns poised to be molded into the hardened leaders of men they would become. Knowing that they will survive all the ordeals in "Dead Man's Walk" does not take away from the excitement and intrigue the book delivers but instead opens the characters up for a more intimate and raw examination.

The book begins with the two new recruits on an expedition into the baren American frontier in hopes of discovering a usable road west of San Antonio along the Rio Grande river but what they find on the trail is only their own ineptitude. This is when we are introduced to the main characters that will accompany Gus and Call for the bulk of the book. We meet Matilda Roberts, also known as "The Great Western", who is the only woman on the journey but as she is larger than most men and braver and more surly than most as well she doesn't take a side role in the ensemble. We also meet Bigfoot Wallace and Shadrach, who are the most experienced frontiersmen of the group and provide Gus and Call with mentorship throughout their hard journeys. Along with about twenty others, they make their way along the Mexican border.

Not far into this, their first rangering expedition, the group runs head-on into a small group of Comanche warriors and discover that the native people are not to be fucked with. One of the groups' members is killed within spitting distance and they don't even notice. Then they watch as one of their friends is scalped while running away from the Comanche Chief named Buffalo Hump. This wouldn't be the last time they see Buffalo Hump either. Not by a long shot.

Not long after our main characters return to the relative peace of civilization they find that another expedition is preparing to leave and this one would be an even better opportunity to find fame, fortune and whatever it is that Call's after. The new expedition is from San Antonio to Santa Fe and is headed up by an ex-pirate with a pension for pomposity and violence named Caleb Cobb. The expedition starts with over one hundred members but within just a few weeks dwindles steadily down as many simply turn back. The men that are left end up running directly into the wrath of the Comanches lead by Buffalo Hump, who does everything he can to terrorize the soldiers.

Soon the men split up only to find that they are well into Mexican territory and that the Mexican army knows they are there. With no water and no food, the soldiers have to decide whether to fight the superior Mexican army or surrender. The decision would be another in a long line of circumstances that lead to pain and suffering, which is really the main event featured in this book. It could have entitled "The Ordeals of the Ignorant" or "A series of horrible yet avoidable events". The hardships that the characters endure are seemingly never-ending and as a reader, it was never boring. 

I am not sure what I would think about this book had I not read "Lonesome Dove" first. I might think that it is a bit one dimensional as there is not much under the surface of the text. The plain language of the narrator and characters does not leave much room for mystery or suspense but the whole thing seems like it is plucked out of a 19th-century western frontier campfire story. Because I have read "Lonesome Dove" I was excited to read about what made Call and Gus the hardened cowboys they became. I was even more enticed getting to know the accompanying characters Matilda, Bigfoot, and Shadrach.  I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes westerns even if they have not read any of the other Lonesome Dove series books before but if possible I think reading "Lonesome Dove" first is ideal. It is a deeper book that explores more of the emotional side of the characters as they reach retirement age. Also, below is a link to the very long movie based on "Dead Man's Walk" and I highly recommend watching it as a supplement to the book. The story and dialogue are essentially right out of the book and might be the most accurate adaptation I have seen. If you like westerns or want to try something new please check out these books. 

Lonesome Dove Review Here:

https://joesnotesblog.com/blog/book-review-lonesome-dove-by-larry-mcmurtry

The Movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta3yLM2m5Ho

Book Review: Breathed out By God by Channing Cornwall

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          All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.2 Timothy 3:16-17

Breathed out by God is Channing Cornwall's sixth novel and the second in a series following the book Hell Came With Her, whose characters show up in this entry but are not the main characters here. This new entry into the series shows a different side of the author. A side that is conflicted yet organized, and maybe, just a little preachy. 

The story is centered around Isaac Teller, an ex-preacher whose soul was shattered by a violent act, leaving his belief system naked and torn. In an effort to find God he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, all the while encountering increasingly difficult moral conundrums amid a cutthroat frontier Oregon landscape. Cora Reid is a reformed whore who hopes that Isaac might be the shepherd she needs to stay off her back and accompanies Isaac into the wild. They form an unlikely bond that borders on the romantic with Cora's playful banter creating a tension that tests Isaac's more puritanical ideals.   

Channing's uncompromising portrayal of a barbaric 19th century can be shocking at times as he does not shy away from taboo words and language. This just adds to the significance of the story as the author takes you into a world many would step on eggshells to navigate but he seems to find solid ground easily enough. The tale is so full of thoughtful moral challenges that heavy topics seem to be the order of the day and Channing rides waves of uncertainty deftly. Moral juxtapositions shift up and down on a see-saw of Western-style travel adventures consistently creating suspense, intrigue, and momentum. Where Hell Came With Her is about the unwavering drive for revenge, Breathed out by God is what happens when you slow down and start to question the world around you.

Breathed out by God delivers a moral rollercoaster with stints of steadfast resolve that offer a brief reprieve and I really enjoyed the ride. There is a bigger point to this book than that of a simple western with its duels and violence. Beliefs have the power to cripple the mind and bolster the heart.  But no matter how hard you try we learn that change is inevitable.

Channing is a friend of mine and I am very fond of his work. I can't wait for the next one.


Read my other reviews of Channing's books:

Hell Came With Her

The World Carried On

Book Review: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

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Lonesome Dove is an engulfing western tale about more than just a cattle drive to Montana, which is one of the driving forces for the plot, by the way, but it is really about loneliness and regret. Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae are two retired Texas Rangers that take the advice their old rangering buddy, Jake Spoon, tells them of the riches they could make as the first cattle ranchers in Montana, which is only three thousand miles away from their small ranch in Texas. Captain Call, as they call him, decides to take Jake's advice and amasses a three thousand-headed herd of cattle and horses and a dozen or so green cowboys, and, along with the non-stop communicator Gus, they all make their way across almost three thousand miles of a mostly unsettled and completely wild frontier. None of the men had previously been that far north and none knew of the dangers that were waiting for them.

From snakes and lightning to Indians and stampedes the group discovers a plethora of life-threatening opportunities on their path to Montana. Jake Spoon takes up with a whore from Lonesome Dove named Lorena who pays a heavy price for her fare across the desert wastelands to somewhere better. Along with such environmental hazards, we soon find that Jake Spoon is being tracked by a lawman from Arkansas named July Johnson, who has his own demons to contend with. Namely, his wife Elmira, who decides to seek out an old flame while July is gone with her son Joe tracking down the outlaw with a utensil for a last name. Unfortunately, July's story is not riddled with the kind of success and glory he was after. This book is filled with surprises that challenge the expectations of the reader as well as the characters within it. Failed expectations all around. 

I love the writing style in this book. The narrator speaks in a way that exudes period-specific authenticity and it is if they are the best storyteller in the old west. The narrator is smart and witty. They really pay attention to what's important in the world and tells the story as if they really care about the characters. The narrator knows the characters' histories, thoughts, and feelings and represents them in a way that straddles the line between intimate and detached. The inner turmoil that accompanies the human condition, especially the harsh life one would experience in the 19th century American West is displayed with vivid exposition. 

Over the course of the book, the main characters are methodically massaged into existence and soon they are as real as your closest friends. The dialogue also seems very authentic and captures a time when people spoke plainly but not without style. Augustus McCrae is well known to be quite the talker and to those that enjoy conversation, a cattle drive can be a lonesome place indeed. Many westerns focus on quickdraw duels, bad guys in black hats and small-town life but not this book. This book is about humanity and all the good and bad that comes with it. It's about the relationships we choose and the relationships we don't. It's about the decisions we're forced to make and the times we decide not to make one. 

I enjoyed reading this book very much and plan to read more in the series. There are three more books and I am sure they are just as enthralling. The mini-series, by the same name, starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, and Danny Glover is a great representation of the book and makes a good supplement after reading the book. It isn't often that I get so wrapped up into a book that I can make it through over 800 pages and wish there was more. Since there are more I have to decide whether I want to make the commitment back into the world Larry McMurtry has created. A world so rich with detail that it can take a little out of you just imagining it. I recommend this book. 

Top 10 Best Westerns

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Movies:

The Revenant

Bone Tomahawk

Tombstone

Django Unchained

The Salvation

The Last of the Mohicans

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

True Grit (2010)

3:10 to Yuma

Unforgiven

T.V.

Godless

Firefly

Deadwood

Hell on Wheels

Honorable Mentions:

The Quick and the Dead

The Homesman