Dark Night of the Mountain Man
Nelse Andersen drives his horses and wagon into Big Rock, shouting to the men in the Brown Dirt Cowboy Saloon about what he has just encountered at Hogback Hill – a giant grizzly that rose up out of the brush, bellowed, and waved its paws threateningly. Smoke Jensen, known as fast and deadly with a gun, rides out to the site but finds only snapped branches, tufts of grayish fur, and a paw print, not enough to begin tracking. Soon, three men are found brutally killed – their bodies and faces slashed. Blame still falls on the bear, but what about the animal’s unusual behavior: could it be killing because of madness rather than hunger? And why are there so few animal tracks to trace?
Language and storyline are trim and to the point. There is a steady supply of action and clever countermoves. But while overall the book is a page-turning exciting Old West read, this reader would have welcomed more of a step-by-step setup and further development of an intriguing plot twist.
