THE CHISHOLM TRAIL BY RALPH COMPTON

ST MARTINS PRESS
£3.99

Living in the UK it is always nice to stumble on western novels in the shops. I found this one in Asda of all places for £3.99.

The author died in 1999 and other authors have used his name since but this book, written in 1993 is very much by the man himself.

A complete list of Compton's books follows:

• The Goodnight Trail (1992)
• The Western Trail (1992)
• The Chisholm Trail (1993)
• The Bandera Trail (1993)
• The Shawnee Trail (1994)
• The Oregon Trail (1994)
• The Virginia City Trail (1994)
• The California Trail (1994)
• The Dodge City Trail (1995)
• The Dawn of Fury (1995)
• The Autumn of the Gun (1996)
• The Killing Season (1996)
• North to Bitterroot (1996)
• Across the Rio Colorado (1997)
• The Border Empire (1997)
• The Winchester Run (1997)
• The Santa Fe Trail (1997)
• The Old Spanish Trail (1998)
• Sixguns and Double Eagles (1998)
• Devil's Canyon (1998)
• Train to Durango (1998)
• Skeleton Lode (1999)
• The Green River Trail (1999)
• Death Rides a Chestnut Mare (1999)
• Whisky River (1999)
• The Deadwood Trail (1999)

THE CHISHOLM TRAIL, was only the author's third book after he burst to fame with his debut western, The Goodnight Trail. And it is a brilliant traditional all action epic western with a totally likeable character in half-breed Ten Chisholm. The author's skill with the narrative sucks the reader in from the very first page as we meet the youthful Ten Chisholm and join his rites of passage as he sets out on his very first trail drive and prove himself to his father Jessie Chisholm.

This is the literary answer to all those thrilling western movies of the fifties and sixties and you can almost imagine John Wayne as Jesse Chisholm. There is action, romance, danger and suspense particularly in the scenes in Commanche country as Ten races towards the Red River.

An excellent book that shows what the western genre is capable of - an all action, thrilling adventure that contains a touching human story.