I absolutely loved Devil's Ride West and Jake Paynter. This is a great story that reflects that we don't always see the best in ourselves, but those around us can see who we truly are regardless of what's said.

The cast of characters was great, and I can't wait for the next books!

After the pulse-pounding finish of Dead Man’s Hand, Jake Paynter’s story continues where it left off. David Nix raised the bar on expectation and I was excited to see if this next installment in the saga met the high anticipation I could not help but feel after being riveted by the first book.

Devil’s Rides West took up where Dead Man’s Hand left off. Jake Paynter, disgraced former Army officer didn’t get justice from the law and is on the run. He escaped into Shoshone territory and lived among them until the law shows up and he’s prepared to run further into the more rugged Yellowstone backcountry. But, his old wagon train friends, Gus and Stacey, need his help. Jake may be many things, but he is loyal to his friends and has a soft spot for a certain lady, Rosalyn Ashley. Someone in South Pass City is killing miners and the local, corrupt law plans to do nothing about it. Also in South Pass City, Lucien Ashley detests Jake and is determined to end him so has increased the bounty and sicced some detectives on his trail while going about his own greedy plans. Jake discovers the murders are only the tip of the trouble and he and his friends wind up facing down more deadly danger.

I found the first Jake Paynter absolutely amazing and was eager to press forward to find out what came next for him and his friends. The author created a complex man who struggles with guilt from his past and ready to do the right thing as he sees it not realizing, as his friends eventually do, that the west needs hard, enduring men like him to fight against the evil and injustice that comes when bad men are the ones with power and wealth. I liked how the author delved further into Jake’s past and explained so much more about why he is the way he is even while continuing his ongoing struggle against Lucien Ashley, a glossy and upstanding appearing villain along with vile Blackburn who is still around.

The gun battles and western action were as intense and bloody as the last book just as the relationships Jake has made with a diverse cast of people including the slow burn love interest with Rosalyn that percolated well in the background. This was obviously a middle book and left things at a ‘heart in the throat’ point ready for the next book. I loved the build-up and had doubts as to how Jake could possibly survive all those coming for him because of the bounty and because of those he thwarts of their plans. Jake might not think much of himself, but his loyal friends and readers do.

Again, I finished and feel drained from all the hair-raising moments, intense situations, and Jake’s personal story, but in a deeply satisfying way. The writing is superb and the west comes alive. Suspenseful, well-developed wild west action that I can heartily recommend.

Devil’s Ride West by David Nix
Jake Paynter #2

Tormented and torn, Jake Paynter is a worthy hero that doesn’t realize his own worth. He sees himself as evil while those around him see him as an almost mythic hero. He is really just a man in conflict with his past as he moves toward an uncertain but potentially rather wonderful future…if he lives long enough to do so.

What I liked:
* Jake: rugged, intelligent, lethal, caring, conflicted, considers himself unworthy and evil, willing to give all for the underdog and those he cares for
* Gus: ex-soldier and friend of jake’s, might be more than a little interested in Stacy
* Stacy: daughter of a wagon train leader and an Indian woman, kind of interested in Gus, friend of Jake’s
* Esther Morris: historical person in real life and leader of miners in this story. Found out she was the first Justice of the Peace installed by Judge Kingman (also in this story) and held her position a bit less than a year
* The setting: Wyoming in 1868
* The writing that drew me in and kept me interested throughout
* The buffalo hunt and its impact on Jake’s next step in life
* The bond between Jake and his friends
* That Jake is not perfect but a work in progress -as we all are
* The way Jake determined who was killing the miners
* That justice of sorts was delivered to some of the bad guys
* Rosalyn’s presence and growth in this book and wondering if she and Jake will ever get together
* Knowing that the story is not finished and hoping that Lucien will meet his just desserts…eventually

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Lucien, the Flayers, Venable (understood him but still…), the killers – all of them that were evil
* Knowing that all too often the type of things that were evil in this book occur at any time in any era and impact the innocent horribly

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitelly

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Jake Paynter is back and still on the run from the hang man's noose. Mr. Painter is a complicated man with a vicious past looking for a little slice of redemption. This is a well written Western series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a copy of this book for review.

Jake Paytner is a tough guy. This wasn't what I was expecting (for some reason I thought this was going to be a cowboy romance) but it's a good read. Fans of the Western will enjoy this tale of cowboy justice. It's atmospheric and well plotted with a good character in Jake. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

In the second book in the Jake Paynter western series, author David Nix takes readers to the Wyoming Territory in 1869. Most of the story takes place in and around South Pass City, an area with ranches and, more recently, adventurers and immigrants searching for gold. The author weaves mystery, action, and overwhelming odds into a fight for justice in this historical western crime thriller.

Jake Paynter is a wanted man with a $1000 bounty on this head. This means every outlaw, bounty hunter, and lawman is looking for him. He’s been living with the Shoshone for several months when he decides it’s time to hide out in Yellowstone. However, his friends, Gus Rivers and Stacy Blue, show up asking for his help. Miners in South Pass City are being murdered and the town Marshall refuses to investigate claiming it’s wolves. But is it?

Paynter is a well-formed character with depth. However, this protagonist is far from perfect, especially in his own eyes. Readers slowly gain knowledge of his childhood, his time before and during the war, as well as what has happened since and how those events have shaped his perceptions and actions. He is a tortured but capable main character. A wide variety of diverse supporting characters makes this feel authentic. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Esther Morris was an actual person that lived in the Wyoming Territory during this period.

The story starts out strong and has a riveting plot that keeps readers engaged. The author brought a strong sense of time and place to the events in the book. I could easily visualize the town, the people, and the landscape. The action somehow managed to seem plausible for the times even though it was definitely extreme, and Paynter faced overwhelming odds. Nix is a superb storyteller who kept me turning the pages with gripping scenes and a fantastic plot. However, Paynter’s relationships with his friends and those in need were one of the most compelling aspects of this tale. This action-packed novel features friendship, justice, comradery, child abuse, murder, righting wrongs, grift, bribery, corruption, and coercion.

Overall, this book was an action-filled crime thriller in a historical western setting. I highly recommend this novel to those looking for a western with exceptional characters, intense fight scenes, a mystery to be solved, and an absorbing plot. While the books are best read in order to get the full picture, this one works as a standalone novel.

SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and David Nix provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for May 24, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.