Shaykitteh's World of Books

Linell Jeppsen's sequel to Deadman's Lament is even more addictive than the first. Picking up Deadman's Fury this evening, I meant to read a few chapters before bed. Instead, it's now after 3 am and I have just finished the book, after reading for 3 hours without a break.

Deadman's Fury takes place five years after Deadman's Lament. Where the first book was primarily about Sheriff Matthew Wilcox and from his point of view, Deadman's Fury takes a different approach and intertwines the background of the characters into the main story line, each story told from the perspective of the teller. First, we start with Matthew's niece, Amelia, who is kidnapped on her way out to stay with Matthew and Iris. When Matthew finds out about the kidnapping, he of course heads out almost immediately to track her down and save her.

The story is also told by many secondary characters, such as Matthew's friend and Deputy, Roy, as well as an honest Deputy they recruit during their travels, Dicky McNulty. You also learn the stories of a woman and man, twins from Ireland, and their decent from honest living to organized crime, prostitution, human trafficking, and addiction. The way that the author progresses the story through the different points of view is absolutely wonderful and turns the book into a completely engrossing story.

While you don't need to read the first book before reading this one, a background on the characters makes the story even more rich, since you understand what Matthew and Irish have already gone through before reaching this point. However, this novel does work as a stand-alone as it gives enough details of the previous story so that readers will not feel lost. This novel isn't a "and everyone lives happily ever after" story, but instead brings in the real feel of the west, the criminals in it, the corruption and greed that could happen to people in power, and the losses that can happen when trying to rescue someone in the midst of everything. Though the ending may not be happy for everyone, it's a good ending for most, with hope that a brighter future may lie ahead.

The kindle version of Deadman's Fury is currently available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMRTS0M/?tag=shasworofboo-20 for only $0.99, and is well worth the cost for a great book.

If you enjoyed my review, I would appreciate if you could mark it as being helpful on Amazon as well, as this is useful to both the reviewer and the author. I have included the link to the Amazon review in the Source section at the bottom of this review.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review... and now that I have finished the book and review, I can go to sleep without wondering what will happen next!