One For Another

Introducing Hennessey Reed: Opiate Addict, Bordello Madam, Tenderfoot Sleuth.

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Pub Date 01 Jun 2018 | Archive Date 15 Sep 2018

Description

Laudanum. Irish whiskey. The tried and true escape routes of bordello madam Hennessey Reed. On this occasion she suspects even their combined magic will not soothe her distress. The girl lying violated on the undertaker's table will remain dead, wounds horrifying and inexplicable, reminiscent of Indian sacrifice.

Hennessey treasures the uneasy peace she has found in the remote town of Melancholy in 1880s Idaho Territory. However the discovery of three more young victims—all girls of similar age to her daughter Evie—compromises this hard-won equilibrium when she recognizes one of the girls.

Usually content to tend her own business and leave others to mind theirs, Hennessey decides U.S. Marshal Rafael Cooper requires her help to search for the killer but acknowledges, if consulted, he may not necessarily agree.

Although helped by an eclectic group dedicated to the barstools in her saloon, she is hindered by demons stifled by addiction and myopic hatred of Jedidiah Cannon: a man from her past she is convinced is involved in the present-day murders.

So with her Bowie strapped to her calf and wolfhound Raven at her side Hennessey sets out to investigate—a one-woman stampede.


Laudanum. Irish whiskey. The tried and true escape routes of bordello madam Hennessey Reed. On this occasion she suspects even their combined magic will not soothe her distress. The girl lying...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9780473417567
PRICE $16.99 (USD)

Average rating from 19 members


Featured Reviews

I READ many books and this is the first book in a LONG TIME that I HUNG ON EVERY WORD!! Loved this western mystery drama with a gritty madam and a serious marshal in the town of Melancholy in 1880's Idaho Territory. Indian attaches were still frequent occurrence as were unsolved murders. Travel back to time when individuals could escape their past to a brighter location and life. Kind of a Gun Smoke theme but Hennessey Reed is no Kitty and Rafael Cooper has way more sex appeal than Matt ever did. Jacka has a talent to tell a tale that is fast paced and portrays characters that are carried close to the heart. "A copy of this book was supplied by Red River Pony Publishing via Netgalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion."

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On the surface this appears to be like every other western: a bordello in a remote town called Melancholy is the main location. The madam, Hennessey Reed, lost her family in an Indian raid when she was a girl and it still haunts her. (So far, a familiar story line...)
Raised by relatives back east, Hennessey ends up in Idaho Territory with more than a few secrets. When a young girl is found brutally murdered, she can't stop from interfering (with the best intentions) in the investigation led by her lover, U.S. Marshal Rafael Cooper.
As more bodies are discovered, Hennessey soon finds herself targeted for her snooping. In a small town like Melancholy, everyone comes with secrets, but these people are used to peace and few questions and some don't want to be found.
The group of misfits who keep the barstools warm in her saloon create an interesting investigative team, but with little evidence in the bizarre ritualistic killings, Raf will take all the help he can get.
When Hennessey's daughter Evie goes missing, she'll stop at nothing to find the killer.
At times, One for Another is overwritten and the dialogue between characters seemed stilted. The big reveal of the killer and their motives was well done but the last 20% of the book dragged a bit.
Overall, this was an entertaining novel. I especially enjoyed the minor characters, their brief back stories, and what they contributed to the story. I appreciated the author shaking things up with a female main character and a band of misfits in a western.

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Hennessey has survived a horrific childhood and by adapting to her surroundings forged a relatively good life as a madam in a western town. Hennessey thinks she has seen it all but when she finds out a serial killer of children is in their midst she is sickened. Assisting her lover, Sheriff Raff, whether he wants her help or not, she is pulled into a mystery that will take all she has to solve. Riveting

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One for Another is an exceptional western historical novel. The characters are very human, either very bad or very personable. The story line is complex but easily followed, and the little town of Melancholy, Idaho Territory is home to a fine mix of the good and the bad and occasionally the ugly.

Our hero is the U. S. Marshal of Melancholy, Rafael Cooper. And our heroine, now known as Hennessey Reed, is the owner of Fleur, a saloon and bordello and the tallest building in Melancholy. Neither Raff nor Henn are still suffering the bloom of youth, and they bring to the table many interesting thoughts and life lessons. It is a pleasure to see them interact with one another, and you are sure that they will solve the crimes against the children of Melancholy, even if it kills them. There are times when it's fairly evident that it will. Or will it?

Andrea Jacka is an excellent wordsmith. She is an author I will watch for, and follow.


I received a free electronic copy of this western novel from Netgalley, Andrea Jacka, and Red River Pony Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

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I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One for Another was attention grabbing and maintaining. I love that Ness (the main character) was so head-strong and determined. She was certainly a fresh, new, and very realistic character for any western setting novel. This book had unique plot which easily captured my curiosity. Some of the background events--which are tactfully described--may not be for the faint of heart, however. Overall, I was as interested in discovering exactly what the heroine was trying to uncover as she was!

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3.5 stars. I'm a big fan of historical fiction. I haven't previously read old westerns so when I happened upon this book I was intrigued. To combine an old western with a murder mystery made for a refreshing read.

Hennessy Reed owns the bordello and saloon called the Fleur in 1880's Melancholy, Idaho. The story is told in her voice as we discover her colorful past. We discover Hennessy has a previous history with our hero Melancholy's U.S. Marshall Rafael Cooper and she also has a past with our villain Jed Cannon.

The characters (both human and animal) in the story were done exceptionally well. I liked all of them for their kindness and quirkiness. I would have liked to discover what the history was between Raff and Hennessy. We know they have a past but it is never revealed.

For me the first half of the book was very slow, it picked up with suspense midway and then it delivered in the last quarter. I appreciated Andrea Jacka's skill as a wordsmith in this novel, however for me it felt over done. To have such expansive dialogue, thoughts and vocabulary in a novel based in 1880's unrefined Indian territory didn't fit. Sometimes the paragraphs were so wordy I had to go back and reread them.

A very good read here with lots of suspense. If it's slow in the beginning for you, hang in there, it definitely delivers in the end.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Andrea Jacka and Red River Pony Express for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I have lots to say about this story.
Bear with me whilst I get a few things out there first...
1) The author was new-to-me (really love to find new authors and double points for a debut)
2) The cover caught my eye (female lead, bold monochromatic color)
3) The blurb was something different (a mystery set in the American West in the 1800s is different from the typical historical romances of the Medieval and Regency periods I favor)
4) Yet similarly appealing (the hint that there was a relationship between the heroine and the local law enforcement is a proven winner for me, plus I've been trying to widen/go back to mysteries in my reading goals)
5) I could read it thru Netgalley (I'm very, very new to Netgalley and it's awesome #shoutout)

With that out of the way. What did I think of "One For Another"?

1) The author's writing style. Hmmmmm...this is a head scratcher for me, assessing a new-to-me author. I'd say her writing style is pretty darn good for a debut. I'm not a professional "anything," just an avid reader. But I've been reading steadily since my teens (yeah. that would be circa 1960s) and I still get a thrill from opening a new story. This author's style feelz like it was written by a author from a different time period (Adele Ashworth popped in my head in the first few chapters). A great writing style, just not one I would expect from a younger author.
And there were a LOT of words...here's an example for your perusal.
I like to call this "Ode to a Minor Character's Nose:
His nose was an unfortunate continuation of his lack of aesthetic gifts. It reposed decidedly off-center, as though the entity responsible for its placement was distracted at the last moment and had begun to turn away - or sneezed - therefore positioning the pointed beak at a curious angle, which threw his countenance into an extraordinary arrangement.

See? A LOT of words LOL
But after reading the entire story, I am still head scratching about all those words. Would the story have been better with a good edit? Would the mood or pace changed? Would the mystery be any less mysterious without all those pools and ebbs of words to keep the tension interesting?
No. I think I really liked all those words, in the end.
2) The female lead, Hennessey. Sharp. Resourceful. Nicely complex, if not a bit impulsive to leap into danger. But without that flaw, where would the fun be in reading about her?
And then there is that little thing she can do, don't know if that helped or hindered the story. #sixthsense Everyone has demons, so there is that.
3) Mystery in the Old West. Hmmmm.... Well, it wasn't too detailed. That's a good thing, because Melancholy, Idaho Territory, could have been anyplace. The sadness of the mystery wasn't particularly new, but how the author laid it all out there in bits and pieces, wrapped up in the backstories of the H/h, kept it interesting. No spoilers in my review on the mystery. The blurb sums that up for you. I will say that the arbitrary quotes at the beginning of the chapters and one distinct native American character, a few horses and a saloon, for me, were the only points of historical western feelz. But that worked for me.
4) U. S. Marshal Rafael Cooper, our H. Well, now. This story was primarily Hennessey's, but told in dual POV. Raf's voice was mostly inner thoughts on his own perceived weaknesses in solving the mystery, what he thought about people in general, and a glimmer or two of his need to protect Hennessey from herself. Very clever on how the author incorporates his POVs and how they made me feelz. I REALLY didn't see THAT twisty coming at the end. Nicely played, dear author.

I did enjoy this mystery and it's characters of Melancholy. Nicely paced in tension, even if getting to the end took way longer than I had expected LOL.
Ironically I feel that the author could have added more words.
Yes, dammit.
There was a LOT I still wanted to know about these characters.
That is saying something about this story.
I want more of this world. Hennessy and Raf have a lot more backstory that I need to know about.
I'll be waiting for book two, dear author!
I rated this 3.5*, because like my review #itswordy

5) Thank you Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a electronic copy of "One For Another" (great title, by the way) for an honest (long, long) review.

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I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Bordello madam Hennessey Reed decides U.S. Marshal Rafael Cooper requires her help to search for a killer.

A good western mystery, interesting characters. But it was a bit too wordy which lagged down the story.

3☆

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Wow! A good Western story that actually has a woman hero!!!! I selected the book for the noveltry but kept reading because the story and characters are so good. I don't want to spoil the ending, but, it certainly will not disappoint! This is a must read!

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I really found this an enjoyable read and am glad I chose it. The characters were well rounded, unique, and prompted me to care about them. The protagonist is a troubled woman but with “moxy”for whom the reader doesn’t feel sorry and has hope for. This was a spin on a Western mystery tale that was not cliche.

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Loved just about every moment of this intriguing Western. It gets a little wordy at times, but it's a charming part of Hennessey's interesting and flawed character. I'm fully here for female led Western set murder mysteries!

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One For Another by Andrea Jacka

Idaho Territory in the era this story was written still had Indian raids as well as settlers and prospectors looking for gold. In remote and larger towns there were businesses that catered to the needs of those living in the vicinity and Hennessey Reed was the proprietor of the Fleur-de-lis – in her own words: a cathouse, bordello, house-of-ill-repute, den of iniquity, place of solace. She is the madam and has a group of women selling liquor and flesh to those that come to buy. The patrons are varied and quirky as are many of the characters in this story.

Ness is a woman that is as different as the rest of those peopling Melancholy, Idaho. She lost her entire immediate family at the age of six and how they died has that left her with rather unsettling memories and flashbacks. In addition she sees apparitions, has an addiction, works in a profession many look down on, and keeps personal secrets that increase her mystery. Marshal Rafael “Raff” Cooper is another interesting character that seems to know Ness better than most. He has history with her that is only alluded to for the most part. He is part Indian but in a position of power – something different for the time and the location.

Into town slithers evil and when the first body of a young girl is found the unveiling of multiple heinous murders begins. Who is killing young girls and why? Will they find the murderer and be able to impart justice or will the murderer continue killing in a painful sordid way?

The writing reminds me of novels of the past with more description than modern books tend to have. I believe someone who has nothing on their mind and wants to sink into a historical novel rich with phrases that paint pictures in the mind might fall in love with this book. I have to say that today was not the day for me to read this book but I have a feeling that if I were to pick it up in a month and have nothing else to contemplate this story would be one I would sink into and truly enjoy. My takeaway today is that I wished that I had learned more about Hennessey between the time she was six and the time that this book takes place. I think I might have preferred either a straight-line story or flashbacks that told more of the backstories of Ness and Raff. That said, if this is to be a series then perhaps more will be unveiled in future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Red River Pony Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

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I received this book as an ARC thanks to NetGalley!
One for Another is a fun Fast paced Wonderful western story of Hennessey Reed an independent Bordello madame who is rough and tumble with demons and how she becomes an amateur sleuth when she is pulled into the mysterious deaths of some young girls in her town. I Love this book I love Hennessey. I Loved her cast of misfits, I Loved the setting, I Loved the story, I even loved the flowery prose filled writing! I finished the book quickly and quickly went to buy it! Can't recommend this book highly enough!

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This book had it all. Mystery, Drama, Love and the Evil bad guy.

Hennessey Reed is the owner of the local Fleur Bordello in the Western town of Melancholy Idaho. As is typical in this type of setting, the patrons are rough and tough and there is always of plenty to keep the U.S. Marshall Rafael Cooper on his toes. He and Ness have had feelings for each other for as long as they can remember even though it isn't common knowledge to everyone else.

Life in the Mid West was very hard and many lost their lives in this setting. Hennessey found herself in a situation that was untenable and after watching her very dear friend unable to have the family she desperately wanted, Hennessey knew her circumstances could give her friend everything she wanted. However, when evil descends upon Melancholy, life as it was before is upended and death and destruction starts to tear the town apart. People are being killed and all Hennessey holds dear are put in jeopardy.

This is a good length book which I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the characters and setting and was left very satisfied with the ending. Would definitely recommend this book if you are interested in Western Dramas with a touch of Mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and Red River Pony Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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I'm a sucker for a good Western tale, throw in a whiskey drinking Madam and a mystery and I'm already half way to loving it before I finish the first chapter.
One For Another follows the adventures of Hennessey Reed as she tries to track down the killer responsible for the deaths of several young girls in the town of Melancholy, and when a face from the past turns up in the small town, threatening to reveal her deepest secrets, young girls may not be the only ones in danger.
I really enjoyed this whodunnit set in the Idaho Territories in the 1840's and Hennessey is a really fun character. However I would say that the book is a little overwritten at times, and the wordiness really slowed down what had the potential to be a gripping page turner. That being said it is an impressive debut and I would not hesitate to read more by this author given the opportunity. She has a skill when it comes to creating well developed characters, not just the central characters of Hennessey and the other POV character, Sherriff Rafael Cooper, but also the various residents of the town, and while some of her descriptive passages may ramble a little too much for my taste, there is no denying that she really does have a way with words.
I read a review copy supplied by NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

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