Robert B. Parker's Ironhorse (A Cole and Hitch Novel) Paperback – December 3, 2013

As a fan of the Cole and Hitch series I recently purchased and just finished reading this 374 page hardcover book (Robert P. Parker’s Ironhorse by Robert Knott) and loved it.In this western tale Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are newly appointed territorial Marshals whose first assignment seemed a simple one at first. They are to escort Mexican prisoners to the border; however, it is not long before this turns into a complicated and blazing guns situation involving the governor of Texas, his wife and daughters and some of the most ruthless pack of killers they have ever faced. What started out as a train robbery becomes much more bloody.This novel is packed with various unusual and strange characters and has a plot involving money and land. I never give away too much information when reviewing a novel because I never want to spoil the story for the reader.If you like westerns and you are a fan of the Cole and Hitch series this is a book you will enjoy reading. There are plenty of shoot-outs and other action in this book. I loved it.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical Principles of the most combative systems)

With some regret, I just closed the cover of "Ironhorse", wishing it wasn't over. I can assure potential readers that this novel offered up one great romp through the old west, just as capably as the original author would have done.Author Robert Knott, now taking up the mantle of Robert Parker, respectfully & faithfully followed his predecessor's style, but without burying his own identity and skills as a writer. The details are impeccable, from the luxurious tufted material on the first class seats of the train, to the exact type of bullets Hitch is loading into his Colt 45.This new author has some serious writing chops: We can jump into the world he's built for us, see Hitch and Cole come to life once more, and know that Robert Parker would probably be pleased with the results. Readers can ride along with the two lawmen on the "St. Louis & San Fran Express", listening to their banter, and knowing they're always on the alert. Naturally, there are scenes of their unrivaled sharpshooting, as they fend off robbers, this time in the "playing field" of a moving vehicle or on the unstable roof of the train cars.I noticed a few readers griping, but I get the distinct feeling that they need to come to grips with the reality of Parker's passing. It's fortunate that an author this capable is carrying the torch. Knowing that, I'm impatiently waiting to get my hands on the next installment.

The book arrived in excellent condition, carefully packaged—thank you!

Parker created third hero, actually a party of two, Virgil Cole and Everette Hitch, was guaranteed it's continuance by Robert Knott. Taking this occasion I reread Appaloosa. Knott seems to succeeded in reproducing Parker world by rearranging similar characters of Appaloosa, gun hands, indians, whores and eastern gentlemen. Steam locomotive was used as highlighted location of confrontation, whereas it was only used to reinforce sensitivity of the times in Appaloosa. In that sense Ironhorse was consciously written to be taken up as a film script.A major lure of Appaloosa world to readers lies in the discrepancy between men and women in taking things. In the growing society, modernism is encroaching even on wild west. Unscrupulously shrewd gunmen who lived and acted on their own law couldn't easily change themselves with the times. On the contrary to this, every women tried to survive robustly in the severe situation. A people of old school like Cole couldn't understand and control women's lithe toughness. The gap between clear solution by gun fight and distressed mind when facing hard to understand behavior characterize Parker's world. In Ironhorse Knott hinted Allie's spree. It will be very interesting to see how Knott cook this problem in his next work.

It's daunting to be asked to carry on part of Robert B. Parker's beloved legacy. I therefore approached this book carefully. I was surprised at how good it is. The western material about trains, telegraphy, and much else is authentic and interesting. The outlaws are appropriately evil. And Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch continue to be great heroes as they attempt to save passengers on a train from a gang of robbers and rescue two young women. The writing is crisp. The adventures move along at a quick, Parker-like pace. All in all, this book is surprising in how satisfying it is.That's not to say the book is perfect. The book should have begun with the last paragraph of the third chapter where the story genuinely commences. There aren't enough plot twists and surprises. Robert Knott has chosen to imitate Parker rather than build on his creation. Still, I have a simple test for all the attempts to carry on the three Parker series: do I want to read the next book? In this case, I very much look forward to it. It would be interesting for the author to explore Cole and Hitch, dig deeper into their characters. Whatever he does though, I'm going along for the ride.