This was Jack Ballas' first novel and it shows. The book was a fast read and I enjoyed just about every minute of it, but it has major drawbacks that might turn a reader off. First off, it was predictable, but that probably goes with the genre. (this was my first western) The story felt forced and the main character talked out loud to himself and to others to pass on information to the reader. Some phrases were way overused. But all in all, I enjoyed it and will definitely read another Ballas book.
