Appaloosa

By Robert B. Parker

I have a long commute (about 45 minutes to an hour) and have started listening to audio books to pass the time (NPR has gotten old). Thanks to the modern library system, I don't have to fork out any money to do this.

One writer I've enjoyed for several years is Robert B. Parker. Not only is he likely a relative (judging from his last name), he's also an engaging writer. I've listened to several of his audio books (the ones read by Burt Reynolds are excellent for Reynolds' performance alone) and it was based on these that I checked out this book. But from the cover, I could tell it wasn't in his usual genre of detective fiction, but was most likely a Western.

Growing up, my dad was fond of the famous Western writer Louis L'Amour (what's a Western writer doing with a French name?). He'd go on an on about how great the latest L'Amour novel he was reading was. I knew he was doing this to try and get me interested in them, but I never was. I never read one L'Amour book; not one.

So I was a little leery about this book, westerns just aren't my thing. But I knew I liked Parker's writing, and it wouldn't cost me anything. So I gave it a shot. I wasn't disappointed. This book is just as engaging as his detective fiction and has interesting and three dimensional characters.

I also have to mention the voice acting by Titus Welliver. I really don't know anything about him, but he is the perfect narrator for this story. It is told from a first-person perspective and Welliver sounds like a cowboy with an educated bend, exactly as the character is described. He doesn't mispronounce words, but has an easygoing manner that fits the character perfectly. To me, he sounded exactly like I suspect the Marlboro Man would sound. He is pleasant to listen to and perfect for the part.

I won't dwell on the plot here. But the protagonist, Everett Hitch, goes into business with a freelance marshal, Cole. Cole is the best shot he's ever encountered: fast and accurate. They're hired by a troubled town, the eponymous Appaloosa, to clean it up and make it safe for "law-abiding folk." That's when the fun starts. It's a CD-changer (I can't call an audiobook a page-turner, can I?) and has a reasonable, satisfying, but unpredictable ending.

I guess my only problem with the book—and many of Parker's other books—is his ubiquitous use of the "F word". There are so many acceptable euphemisms, why use the F-bomb so much? I can think of at least a dozen that can be used in polite company, so why not use a few? I can understand that the antagonists must use it from time to time to show their character, but why do the protagonists? Parker's lead characters are not anti-heroes. We root for them, not against them. So why must they use profanity so much when there's no real need to? Other than that, a good read (or listen).