H.A. DeRosso

 The Dark Brand

by

H.A. DeRosso

Stuck in a jail cell with a man due to be hanged, Driscoll found out that the guy had robbed a bank and killed a man. He also found out that the money was never recovered. Now out of jail, Driscoll realizes that the townspeople think the condemned man had told Driscoll where the loot was buried before he had died. Now it seems that everybody wants that money enough to kill for it.

Some westerns are good and others are great — but DeRosso takes things a step beyond. The Dark Brand opens with Driscoll arrested and thrown into a cell with a man named Tennant. Tennant is set to hang, yet the stolen money he hid is never recovered.

That’s the hook. Tennant goes to the gallows, Driscoll goes to prison. When Driscoll finally gets out, he returns to hunt down the missing money — not for himself, but for Tennant’s wife, Hazel, and their boy, Billy. Trouble is, everyone assumes Tennant revealed the hiding place to Driscoll, turning him into a walking target for every greedy soul in the territory. That includes Ira Longstreet, the local lawman who wants the money badly enough to kill for it.

But if Tennant confided in anyone, it wasn’t Driscoll. That doesn’t matter. Driscoll is determined to find the stash and deliver it to the woman and the boy — even if it costs him his life.

A tough, gritty story with plenty of action to keep the pages flying. Highly recommended for western fans.

5/5