From Publishers Weekly
Revenge, gunplay and fistfights are the staples of the formula western and Irons's predictable, high body-count hayburner has plenty of all three. When young Ben Jury sees two men gun down his Pa at their Kentucky farm, he vows revenge and sets off in pursuit of the killers. Ben is enthusiastic and determined, but not very smart. He gets beaten up, robbed, tossed overboard off a steamboat and accused of murder. During his journey from Kentucky to Natchez and on to Texas, Ben is aided by a suspiciously helpful riverboat gambler, a generous Texas cattleman, a crusty saddle tramp and an equally naïve cowboy-wannabe. The men he's following, however, have outlaw friends and a big job planned, and they know Ben is on their trail. And Ben isn't too sure he really has the nerve to shoot his father's murderers, but fans of the genre will know what to expect when it comes time for a showdown. Gunfights and fistfights dominate the action, with exciting and bloody scenes, and Irons adds enough suspense to make this tale of frontier mayhem and homicide entertaining.
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From Booklist
After two men gun Fred Jury down in his own home, his son, Ben, swears vengeance. As green as they come, Ben doesn't know exactly how he might go about tracking and facing the two killers, but his single-minded determination keeps him nipping at the men's heels, from a riverboat on the Mississippi to the Brazos River and the dust of Texas beyond. Along the way, Ben gets himself into all manner of unwarranted grief and soon finds his face staring back at him from a wanted poster. There are a few genuinely surprising twists and enough action to keep the story churning along, even as it morphs from a revenge tale to a quest of discovery as Ben learns the whole truth of his father's past and his long-lost mother. This will appeal to western fans who like their stories on the simpler, gentler side, or perhaps young greenhorns of the genre, but hardened cowpokes might best ride on past. Chipman, Ian
