Back From the Dead is another magnificent western by Jere D. James
Jere D. James has written another winner with From the dead, the fifth book in the Jake Silver Adventure series.
How can an author keep improving with each book? Most authors start off with a bang, produce a good book or two, but inevitably pull out a lemon. Part of this is undoubtedly due to the pressure to keep producing. Unfortunately, unless word gets out, poor post often sells well due to the author’s previous work. Not so with Jere D. James, the author of the amazing adventure series Jake Silver. Each book in the Jake Silver series is completely unique, well written, fascinating, and highly entertaining. James’ books are unlike any other westerns on the market. There is nothing boring about them. The characters are original, the plots are completely innovative, and the endings are like no other.
James uses the same characters in all the books, although each book also features new ones. To have the best experience with this author, it is best to start with book one, Saving Tom Blackand work on the series: Apache, Death Canyon, Assassins of the High Country, Back from the dead, and the next one (2014)Gunslinger Justice.
The last book of James, From the dead, is totally and utterly unlike any of the Westerners, including all of Jake Silver’s novels, which take place in a different place in Arizona. The setting of From the dead is Baja California, Mexico. Jake Silver and Richard Moody sail, ride and shoot into the heart of Baja to rescue two captive women. In the process, a new and very attractive character is introduced: the murderous bandit Diego del Fuentes. One can only hope Fuentes appears in Jake Silver’s next and latest book. Gunslinger Justice.
No matter how you think things are going to go, James never goes that way with his plots. The twists and turns that James put into this latest novel are very inventive.
The story begins with Richard Moody’s trial for the shooting death of Gunner McGraw, which is where book four of the series, Assassins of the High Country, ends. But the plot quickly thickens when Moody is asked to be a deputy sheriff while Silver recovers from being rejected by McGraw. Even more intriguing is the introduction of Vincent Cooper, a Chicago private investigator and some kind of “friend” from Moody’s who appears in Prescott. Of course, the multi-book villain Jeremiah Atkinson seems as villainous and cunning as ever.
James wastes no time in pushing his plots forward, sometimes at a breakneck pace, and From the dead it may be the fastest-paced novel of any of his books. Never mind, it seems that the book, a delicious 246 pages, ends too soon.
This is an interesting and thought-provoking read. Highly recommended.