The Shopkeeper Audiobook

" Steve Dancy is a little bit of a superman; he always has the skills he needs to get himself out of a tight spot. That said, he's a nice guy and kept me entertained as I puttered around doing tedious stuff with my hands while my mind could be elsewhere. "

" Classic Western told in an expert and interesting way. Matter of fact, great characters including the main character, kind of cool, clever and even humorous at times. This is a three star plus. It is fast-paced. I read it in one day. "

" Steve Darcy has sold his shop in New York City and heads off to explore the wild west. It is 1879, three years after Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn. Darcy ends up in Pickhandle, Nevada, a silver boom town. Two mine owners, one good, one dastardly, dominate. The bad owner's thugs confront Darcy and urge him to leave town. He seems to fold beneath their crude bullying, but when the good mine owner is about to be killed by the thugs Super Steve emerges. I somehow knew that would happen. Best does it skillfully and Darcy uses his wits and skills he learned in New York business and political circles to deal with the wicked owner. Darcy hires Pinkertons to protect him, knowing that Washburn (the evil owner) has sent a professional assassin to target him. He uses a variety of skills to undercut Washburn's position, including inducing a prominent rancher and former state senator to run for governor against Washburn's candidate. The rancher is killed, leaving a lovely widow at the mercy of her nasty, spiteful mother-in-law. Steve is smitten by the widow. Whether he will triumph with the widow is not clear but he does take out Washburn. Steve Darcy is a resourceful character, well-develped and consistently present. And engaging story with some nice twists. "

" First time I've read a western in a long while. First of all he made the right choice for a cover. It is not ofter one sees a black and white photo, but it is appropriate for 1879. It's the white hats against the black hats, where men are men and in this case, so are the women, at least two of them. I enjoyed the book. "

" Rarely read cowboy novels, but enjoyed this one. Easy to read and follow and a good one for when traveling and in the airport. Will read the next one in the series. "

" Very good western fiction. Fast paced story. A very clever plot, not the usual western story line. "

" Good pacing. Engaging characters. Fun adventure. I liked the ending. "

" Fun vacation read - will read more! "

" I enjoyed this book. Will try a couple of his other books not a dificult read,but recommend "

" Good fun read, kept guessing as to what was going to happen. Picked it for Book Club, though I can't find any discussion questions for it. "

" I dont usually read westerns, but I enjoyed this book and read it in its entirety. (maybe because the protaganist was not your typical gunslinger). The book had just enough romance, intrigue, and historical fiction to keep me interested. "

" Well written and fast-paced story about the Old West. "

" Way more than a western. "

" This story took awhile to hold my interest, but then grew on me. I do like the writing style, and it is nice to find a current writer of westerns. Not your typical hero, for sure! "

" It's a great western. It's fast paced and a fun read. "

" This could be the start of a series. I really enjoyed this western. "

" This is a fine Western, along the lines of a good McMurty book. I believe that it is James Best's finest book. "

" I really liked that the author made all of his writing relevant without a bunch of unnecessary dialogue. A good western with a likeable main character and a few surprising plot twists. "

" I haven't read a western in a LOOOONG time. This book was well written and the story kept me interested. "

" I really liked this book. It was very well written, with good characters and storyline. The way of life in the wild west and surrounding wilderness was presently well, I was totally immersed. "

" This book was a very entertaining read, but it was also very formulaic (as Westerns are meant to be--I suppose). "

" quick easy read - pretty implausible parts to the story and the whole Easterner gone west - fastidious dressing gun fighter story line is far fetched. "

" The story was pretty good - not a classic, but worth a read. "

" I haven't read a western in a LOOOONG time. This book was well written and the story kept me interested. "

" This book was a very entertaining read, but it was also very formulaic (as Westerns are meant to be--I suppose). "

" I really liked that the author made all of his writing relevant without a bunch of unnecessary dialogue. A good western with a likeable main character and a few surprising plot twists. "

" Classic Western told in an expert and interesting way. Matter of fact, great characters including the main character, kind of cool, clever and even humorous at times. This is a three star plus. It is fast-paced. I read it in one day. "

" Good fun read, kept guessing as to what was going to happen. Picked it for Book Club, though I can't find any discussion questions for it. "

" Good pacing. Engaging characters. Fun adventure. I liked the ending. "

" This story took awhile to hold my interest, but then grew on me. I do like the writing style, and it is nice to find a current writer of westerns. Not your typical hero, for sure! "

" This could be the start of a series. I really enjoyed this western. "