Larry D. Sweazy's fourth
book (Berkley Western Novel, $6.99) in his award winning Western series thrusts
Josiah Wolfe into yet another cauldron of intrigues
where friends and foes are interchangeable and the fate of the Texas Rangers
seems to hang on the threads of his personal actions. In his third year of
service, Ranger Wolfe is caught in events swirling around the financial crisis
of 1873 and the lingering aftermath of the War Between the States [Civil War to
northerners]. He's also at the cusp of facing up to his own need to provide a
stable home for his young son and balancing new love against haunting memories
of his deceased wife and daughters. Josiah Wolfe is a flawed hero, which is what
makes us embrace him all the more fiercely. He's anyone of us across time and
place trying to do the right thing against odds. And that's Sweazy's gift as a
storyteller - Texas circa 1870s is immediate, with officials entrusted to serve
the greater good actually acting in their self-interest and motivated by
personal greed. Josiah is basically a simple, decent person most often out of
his element in a world of intrigue. How he balances his integrity against
political machinations set to destroy the fabric of a good life for the "little
people" is the stuff of Sweazy's page turner series. The Cougar's Prey is
a worthy companion to The Rattlesnake Season, The Scorpion Trail and
The Badger's Revenge. - RITA KOHN.
