Hellgate
It’s 1879 in Arizona Territory, a rough and rowdy—not to mention dangerous—place. Rose LaBelle knows that all too well, since the stagecoach she had been riding in has been shot up, and she has been dragged off by four grubby, lecherous outlaws. Except that one of those outlaws, Caleb Connor, is strangely sympathetic and protective of her. While her family mounts an effort to save her, Rose finds herself imprisoned in the town of Hellgate, where she must ward off the attentions of an entire town full of outlaws.
From the title, the lurid red and black cover, and the author endorsements that tout savagery and violence, I was expecting a Quentin Tarantinoesque bloodbath of a story. While there’s no shortage of pistols firing and arrows piercing flesh, the tale is more nuanced and full-bodied than a mindless shoot-em-up. Well-rounded, sympathetically drawn characters pull the reader instantly into their world—a stark place with love and loss, but room for niceties like gardens and frilly ribboned hats.
Written with skill, care, and attention to detail, Hellgate is both a satisfying read and a worthy addition to the Western genre.
