The Western Fictioneers Library Presents REACHING COLORADO by Frank Roderus

The reluctant protagonist of Frank Roderus's award-winning LEAVING KANSAS returns in REACHING COLORADO, the second volume in the Harrison Wilke Trilogy. Searching for his destiny in Colorado, Harrison finds himself caught up in a wild chase involving a fortune in stolen gold. But just who stole the gold, and will Harrison survive to set things right? REACHING COLORADO is an exciting tale filled with action, humor, and colorful characters, all from Frank Roderus, one of the most popular and admired modern authors of Western fiction.

REVIEW:

When we last saw Harrison Wilke, he was leaving his home in Kansas after a near-tragedy made him no longer welcome there, in the award-winning and aptly titled LEAVING KANSAS. The second novel in the Harrison Wilke Trilogy, REACHING COLORADO, finds him on his way to Colorado Springs, which he has heard is a bastion of the Eastern-style civilization he craves so badly.

Unfortunately for Harrison, who is about as far from a typical Western hero as you can find, he gets mixed up with what appears to be a gang of outlaws on the run with a small fortune in gold coins. When Harrison winds up in possession of the money, he just wants to turn it in to the law before the outlaws can catch up to him and kill him. As it always happens, though, doing the right thing, or at least what Harrison perceives to be the right thing, turns out to be a lot more difficult and dangerous than the young man expects. Riding the rails with hoboes, consorting with soiled doves, and falling down a mine shaft are just some of the adventures Harrison has to survive along the way.

As usual, author Frank Roderus spins this picaresque yarn with great verve, making Harrison a thoroughly unsympathetic character in most respects while still rendering him likeable enough for the reader to root for him. REACHING COLORADO is great entertainment, and I'm looking forward to the concluding volume of the trilogy, coming soon from the Western Fictioneers Library.

-- James Reasoner

  BARNES & NOBLE

The Western Fictioneers Presents: LEAVING KANSAS by Frank Roderus

Available again for the first time in nearly 30 years, Frank Roderus's classic novel LEAVING KANSAS is the compelling story of a young man who considers himself born in the wrong time and place. Living on a Kansas cattle ranch, Harrison Wilke believes that he was destined for better things, more civilized things than life on the frontier during the last fading days of the Old West. Harrison's efforts to make that dream a reality lead him into nothing but trouble as he encounters rustlers, schemers, and a group of hard-faced men with a lynch rope . . .

LEAVING KANSAS won the prestigious Spur Award from the Western Writers of America as the Best Western Novel of the Year. It's the first of the Harrison Wilke trilogy from acclaimed, best-selling author Frank Roderus, which continues in REACHING COLORADO and FINDING NEVADA, both forthcoming from the Western Fictioneers Library, proud publishers of the very best in hard-hitting Western fiction.

Review:

Frank Roderus has been one of the highest regarded, most prolific Western authors for a long time, and I couldn't even begin to count the number of his books I've read over the years. Somehow, though, I missed his award-winning trilogy of novels about Harrison Wilke, so I'm glad that the Western Fictioneers Library is making them available again.

LEAVING KANSAS is the first novel in the series. It's the last days of the Old West, an era when the Indians and the outlaws have been tamed but old-timers still remember what it was like to have to take up the gun and the rope to bring justice to the plains. Harrison Wilke, in his early twenties, has few of those memories himself, and he's glad of that because he despises violence and longs to live in a more civilized, more genteel environment than the cattle ranch that belongs to his uncle. That's where Harrison seems to be stuck, though, so when he sees a way of possibly getting out and even being able to marry the girl of his dreams, he seizes it. In this noir-tinged tale, though, you just know that things aren't going to work out the way Harrison hopes they will.

It's easy to see why this book won the Spur Award for Best Western Novel. It's a compelling narrative, and even though Harrison Wilke is one of the least likable protagonists you're ever going to encounter, you can't help wanting to find out what's going to happen to him. Roderus skillfully tightens the strands of his plot until it seems like there's no way out for Harrison, which leads to a considerable amount of suspense as the book races toward its climax.

As I mentioned, this is the first book in a trilogy, and the Western Fictioneers Library will be bringing out the other two volumes in the near future. That's good, because I can't wait to read them.

--James Reasoner

Author of Wind River

  Barnes & Noble Link