Six White Horses
This book by James Robert Daniels has a little bit of everything, blending a gritty cowboy western with cultural/inspirational romance.
With the Civil War behind him, veteran and Texas Ranger Lieutenant James Quinn drags himself into a small town with a prized quarry in tow. He’s captured the elusive Cole Twist. But Quinn’s severely wounded, and it takes the skillful nursing of a local Quaker schoolteacher, China Smallwood, to help him heal physically and emotionally.
Despite the upturn in Quinn’s fate, Twist’s gang is set on revenge, forcing him to either hunt them down or stay and defend China.
I’ve read plenty of Westerns and frontier stories and enjoy a good John Wayne and Texas Rangers movie or two; Six White Horses meets this bar. I especially liked the dichotomy between Quinn and Smallwood, as he struggles to learn her ways and she pushes against her dogma and fundamentalism to help. It’s a story of two people who rise above what they know to fight for what they believe is right.
The author artfully introduces his knowledge of history, the Texas Rangers, the intersection of law and commissions, and, of course, Quaker culture.
The book has a strong pace and is action-packed, with an authentically rendered setting. Fans of Louis L’Amour, history and heroic buffs, readers who crave a portrait of yesteryear, or those who appreciate unlikely romances will enjoy this Western with a unique plot.
Book and Image Courtesy of Brash Books and NetGalley
