Rabid Reader's Reviews

Publication Date: November 17, 2012

 

Texas 1871, life has not been easy for Rondo Landon. A gifted sharpshooter from an early age, his father gave him a pistol taken from a dead Union soldier. Rondo once dreamed of being a legitimate businessman, but in the Wild West dreams aren’t practical, and he swiftly turns to crime. Rondo’s criminal past has caught up with him, and now it’s time to confess the things he’s done. [easyazon-link asin=”1481806297″ locale=”us”]Confessions Of A Gunfighter[/easyazon-link] contains the good, the bad and the ugly of Rondo Landon’s life and quite a life it’s been!

 

 

The author, Tell Cotten, gave me a copy of this novel in exchange for my review.

[easyazon-link asin=”1481806297″ locale=”us”]Confessions Of A Gunfighter[/easyazon-link] is a western in the truest sense of the word and yet not what one might think of when one thinks of the white hat vs. black hat kind of novels. Rondo is definitely a black-hat kind of character. He’s rough and ready, and we get as complete a story as anyone is able to give about themselves. A question arising in the reader’s mind while reading Rondo; what would I do in such dire situations? To be honest, this fairly pampered reader cannot imagine facing the obstacles of the Old West, let alone getting caught up in an outlaw gang, but the adventures that ensue are very interesting to read. Adding to the layer of authenticity is that the book is written in a western patter (we are, after all, getting Rondo’s story in his own words) that is not so overdone to be contrived but just at that point which puts the reader “on the set” of the story.

when I was younger, my dad, would watch the Western movies and read Louis L’Amour and Zane Gray. Reading [easyazon-link asin=”1481806297″ locale=”us”]Confessions Of A Gunfighter[/easyazon-link] took me back to those sunny days sitting on the bed in my room and being carried away back to the dusty Texas towns where shoot-outs happen in the streets and men clutch their chests as they fall to the ground. Back then I never noticed the subtext and maybe it wasn’t there. Cotten’s writing is rife with subtext and situational morality. Rondo has rules by which he lives but it’s called the Wild West for a reason.

[easyazon-link asin=”1481806297″ locale=”us”]Confessions Of A Gunfighter[/easyazon-link] is an extremely well-written and carefully crafted novel. There are key points where it is evident to the reader that a layer has been added to Rondo’s character. Good or bad, he is a character the reader gradually gets to know and this is, after all, his story. The story line is very realistic. The reader gets a feeling while reading that everything on that page could, and indeed did happen at that time. Perhaps gunslingers of the day didn’t have the internal checks that Rondo does and the defined lines he won’t cross.

Why you might ask, would anyone admit to the crimes they’ve committed? For one thing, it’s the point of the novel and for another as much as Rondo wants to set things straight it seems a cleansing of sorts for him. The premise of the novel is very credible. Rondo isn’t trying to get out of things; he’s trying to clear his soul. He knows he will die, whether by hangman’s noose or because of the lifestyle he leads, and a man must believe in something higher than himself.

Readers sensitive to sex or violence need not fear this novel. There’s violence but it’s not especially graphically described. This is, after all, a recount of the action and not the reader living it with the character. [easyazon-link asin=”1481806297″ locale=”us”]Confessions Of A Gunfighter[/easyazon-link] is a perfect read for anyone interested in historical fiction or the western advance. It is a wonderful, five-plus star read.

Read an excerpt and buy Confessions of a Gunfighter (The Landon Saga Book 1) by Tell Cotten on

Amazon U.S. • Amazon U.K. • Amazon Canada

For more books on this series, read Entwined Paths (Landon Saga Book 2), Cooper (Landon Saga Book 3), Rondo (Landon Saga Book 4) and Yancy (Landon Saga Book 5).

Tell Cotten is a seventh generation Texas and raises cattle in West Texas. His novel Confessions Of A Gunfighter won a number of awards including the honor of  Best New Western in the Laramie Awards. For more information about Tell Cotten and his work, visit his website. You can connect with him on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter@TellCotten.