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brettt's review against another edition
1.0
With Brimstone, Robert B. Parker supposedly brings to a close his trilogy featuring Old West lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. In Appaloosa and Resolution, detective novelist Parker found a new vein of creativity and energy that his other series of books had begun to sorely lack. Time will tell if Parker decides to continue Cole and Hitch as a series; he had originally planned for Appaloosa as a stand-alone, but fan response brought forth the other two books.
In Brimstone, Cole and Hitch find themselves in a town of that name, having found Cole's wandering lady-love, Allie French. They hire on as deputies and see that trouble may be in the offing between saloon owner Pike and town preacher Brother Percival. Allie has begun to attend services at Brother Percival's church, but Cole and Hitch must find a way to keep the law and play no favorites.
Brimstone is a fun enough read for a Western fan but is also easily the weakest of the three Cole-Hitch books. That Percival is up to no good is obvious from the get-go. The evil clergyman is a lazy trick for any novelist and it's especially so for Parker; in 36 Spenser novels, eight Jesse Stone novels, six Sunny Randall novels and a dozen others, Parker has had probably one honest, straight-dealing religious character (a nun who works with runaways in 2002's Jesse Stone entry, Death in Paradise). Brimstone stands head, shoulders and Stetson above anything Parker's modern characters have done in the last several years, but this kind of shoddy shortcut makes me hope he either really is finished with Cole and Hitch or he can manage to match future volumes to Appaloosa's level.
Original available here.
In Brimstone, Cole and Hitch find themselves in a town of that name, having found Cole's wandering lady-love, Allie French. They hire on as deputies and see that trouble may be in the offing between saloon owner Pike and town preacher Brother Percival. Allie has begun to attend services at Brother Percival's church, but Cole and Hitch must find a way to keep the law and play no favorites.
Brimstone is a fun enough read for a Western fan but is also easily the weakest of the three Cole-Hitch books. That Percival is up to no good is obvious from the get-go. The evil clergyman is a lazy trick for any novelist and it's especially so for Parker; in 36 Spenser novels, eight Jesse Stone novels, six Sunny Randall novels and a dozen others, Parker has had probably one honest, straight-dealing religious character (a nun who works with runaways in 2002's Jesse Stone entry, Death in Paradise). Brimstone stands head, shoulders and Stetson above anything Parker's modern characters have done in the last several years, but this kind of shoddy shortcut makes me hope he either really is finished with Cole and Hitch or he can manage to match future volumes to Appaloosa's level.
Original available here.
debshelf's review against another edition
2.0
The third in the Cole & Hitch trilogy. I think I preferred Resolution to this one.
beccake52c7's review against another edition
4.0
I've probably read so many of Parker's books that they all seem alike now, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying them. I'm growing fond of the two main character, now appearing in this 3rd book.
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