Published by William Morrow Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Western
Format: ARC, eBook
“Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
Union soldier John Chenneville suffered a head injury in battle and recovery took the better part of a year. During that time, the civil war ended, and he returned home to learn that his beloved sister, her husband, and baby had been murdered.
John goes on a hunt for their Killer named Dodd. Finding him proves difficult as Dodd has several aliases and as John searches for him, those he meets tell him stories about Dodd and the horrific deeds he has done.
What cost will a good man like John pay for Vengeance? The bulk of this book takes place post-civil war, and Paulette Jiles did a tremendous job showing readers what life was like back then. Many times, while reading, I was reminded of how lucky I am to have modern plumbing, electricity, air conditioning, heating, etc.
This book was slow moving and I found myself picking up other books while reading this one. I enjoyed the beginning while John was healing and being cared for, then I lost some interest and struggled to stay engaged. I often struggle with slow moving books, but eventually I found my stride. I felt for John and the path revenge was taking him on.
I enjoyed the description of the land, the conditions, and the journey that John took while searching for Dodd. Jiles showed both the good and generosity of people, while also showing the bad and darkness in others.
Although I enjoyed this book I wasn’t as wowed by it as I thought I would be. I wanted to know more about John and the thoughts in his head. I enjoyed Jiles writing and her beautiful descriptions. One thing she excels at is setting the stage and placing readers into the time and place in her books.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.