By John Larison
What a perfect companion to my recent trip to Wyoming. All I wanted was something to get lost in and, preferable, a yarn that would illuminate the landscape before me. This book gave me all that and more.
The story tells the tale of Jessilyn Harney, who finds herself alone on a western ranch after her brother leaves their distant father and that patriarch dies in a horse-riding accident. Not adept in the traditional ways of femininity, Jessilyn is unable to quickly procure a husband. And so she becomes a he -- Jesse -- and sets out to find her brother in the hopes of bringing him back to the ranch and bringing it back into good standing.
Only problem is big brother, Noah, is an outlaw with quite a bounty on his head. The governor has raised a militia to find and destroy him. So, naturally, Jesse parlays his talents with firearms into a position with the governor's guard, which, in spectacular fashion, ends up in a reunification with his brother.
All the tropes of a western are here: guns, outlaws, whiskey, underdogs, sagebrush. The twist, of course, is the way the main character defies the gender stereotypes of the time. Truth be told, this would be an engrossing read without that innovation. This is a tale well told. I'm not sure that the new layer adds up to anything profound. But I sure would read it again.
