Grave Men (Mass Market Paperback)

Priest McClaren is a haunted man, haunted by the death of his parents by the hands of two bank robbers, haunted by the fact that his sister killed one of the robbers when he couldn't, haunted that Molly had decided at the age of 12 become a bounty hunter to hunt the surviving killer Yuma Dean whilst he stayed behind and let her do it. Now Molly is coming back to the town of Patience and so is Yuma Dean who is going to hook up with the Septemus Hart, father of Priest's partner, ex-slave and ex-Union solder Lamarr. Septemus Hart runs the town with the help of his top gunhand Griff who is a friend of Yuma Dean. I'm not going to say anything more about the plot because it would spoil it for others who might read this fantastic book. The characters are brilliantly drawn by the author and the story is gripping from the start, there is a lot of humour which I enjoyed a lot especially the banter between Priest and Lamarr, the book is written in a really original way which was really enjoyable but weird, this book was very dark in places, I loved it!. Excellent read and highly recommended, Read it if you can.

Within a few pages, the reader becomes instantly familiar with protagonist Priest McClaren. This young man has a whole host of problems in his life, from a pregnant sister who works as a bounty hunter, an aging grandfather whose mind is starting to go and who thinks he is an Apache Indian, an Irish singer who wants to marry him, and an ex-slave companion named Lamarr who gambles away the money McClaren needs to open a store in town. Complicating matters is the presence of Septemus Hart, a wealthy ex-Confederate Army officer who has both hands on the purse strings of Patience, the town where Priest lives. Moreover, Septemus and Lamarr share a secret that always makes Priest's life more difficult. Priest is trying to move beyond a terrible incident that occurred in his childhood, when two outlaws gunned down his mother and father in front of him and his sister. After years of attempting to drown the memories of this horrific event in a liquor bottle, McClaren finally sobers up and plans to make something of his life. He still harbors a burning hatred for Yuma Dean, the opium addicted killer who slew his family, but with his pregnant sister Molly on the way home for a visit Priest realizes he must seek out Yuma Dean himself in order to clear away the scorching memories of the past.

There are some great scenes in this book. Piccirilli's description of the town brothel and the thug who works there as the bartender/bouncer is aces, as is the history between Lamarr and Septemus. Even the opening of the story, with Priest McClaren watching his new store burn to the ground, works because it helps establish the essential character traits that constitute McClaren. He's a guy who can't escape his past, and until he resolves the issues surrounding the death of his parents he won't be able to move on with this life. Piccirilli describes in detail the unfortunate series of events that led to the death of Priest's parents, and this works too. Everything works in this book, and since the author knits everything into a coherent narrative, it's a pleasure to read.

I think the only problem I had with "Grave Men" revolved around the Lamarr character. My difficulties with this ex-slave had nothing to do with character development, as Piccirilli does a great job fleshing out this happy go lucky character who continually suffers from the slings and arrows of racism. My problem comes with putting a character like this in a western. It's anachronistic because there is no way an ex-slave would speak or act like Lamarr does in this book. You'd think the guy went to college with the way he slings big words around. Moreover, his behavior would get him killed in about ten seconds. He mouths off to people, goes to the brothel, and enters saloons where blacks are not welcome, all of which is highly improbable. I outright laughed when Lamarr kills three guys who attempt to lynch him. There is no way anyone would accept this type of behavior from an ex-slave in the late 19th century! Lamarr might be wily when it comes to his enemies, but reality dictates that the whole town would march to his house looking for blood if he really killed three men. I just don't buy Lamarr in this setting.

I'm glad I read "Grave Men." I really haven't read too many westerns, but Piccirilli's book convinces me I should delve into the genre more often. I do know this author will release a sequel to "Grave Men" sometime next year, and I'll probably read it based on how much I enjoyed this story. I would definitely rather read Piccirilli's westerns than peruse any more of his horror novels. "Grave Men" is all around good fun.