Fort Death

Trailsman #374

By

Jon Sharpe

(David Robbins)

Signet, December 2012

When Skye Fargo gets a letter from an old friend and fellow scout, he finds he's not alone. It seems that every sharp-eyed pathfinder worth his buckskins has been asked to Fort Carlson. But it's soon revealed that someone has brought them together for a very special reason--to take them out, one by one...

The request seemed simple enough: head to Fort Carlson and scout for the army against the troublesome Bannocks. But Fargo isn't the only scout there, and it becomes clear that someone wanted them all in one place for a specific reason. Soon, scouts start dying one by one, and it's up to Skye Fargo to identify the killer and stop them before it's too late.

Overall, it was an enjoyable story with a good mix of mystery and action. The characters were well-developed, though if I had a dollar for every time Bear River Tom said "t$$s," I'd be rich. Surprisingly, the book lacked the usual amount of intimacy found in a Fargo story—there was only one scene instead of the usual two or three. Nevertheless, it was a well-written and engaging tale.

I finished this story in just a couple of sittings. It kept me hooked and made me wonder why I hadn't been reading the series more consistently instead of just a few scattered stories over the years. The dialogue was sharp, and the ending was genuinely unexpected.

All in all, a fantastic western tale. Now, I need to go back and read Mountains of No Return.