This was my first Loren D. Estleman book, and it most definitely will not be my last.

It is 1896 and Judge Harlan Blackthorne of Montana has passed away. He'd had a long career serving out justice in the Montana territory. His 'go-to' person at the Marshall's office has been Page Murdock, who was working to clean up the territories, bringing back the lawless to face trial in Blackthorne's court. Now Murdock has one last mission - to escort the judge's body on the funeral train back to his home state of Delaware. As the train makes stops along the way, Murdock comes in contact with many others who were touched by Blackthorne's life, giving opportunity for reflection.

This is the tenth book in the Page Murdock series and perhaps this was a strange place to start. It feels like a wrap-up, given all the reflection. And having not read any of the previous books in the series, I have no idea how important Judge Harlan was to the stories.

There is a larger story here - getting the body back to Delaware - and we never lose track of it and Estleman wraps this up very nicely. The sense of life in the 'old west' is expertly captured here and the death of an old west judge is a powerful metaphor for the dying ways of the old west which is also at the dawn of a new century. We can't help but see that Murdock recognizes this change and meeting with people who had stories about Blackthorne have the Marshall wondering about his own future.

I found Estleman's writing style comfortable and comforting. I very much looked forward to sitting down and reading this book. And while I have a suspicion there may not be many more to come, I do see that there are nine other books in this particular series that I will be looking for.

I don't know why I haven't read any Loren D. Estleman books prior to this as I've certainly been aware of him and he's got a very long list of books and stories and awards to go with them all, but I'm glad to have the chance to read this.

Looking for a good book? <em>Wild Justice</em> by Loren D. Estleman is a western novel that reflects on the history of the old west. It is easy and delightful to read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is not your typical "shoot em up" or "hang em high" Western. The story starts with an ending. Judge Blackthorne, territorial judge for Montana territory, dies in court. His wish is to be buried in Delaware, so his widow starts the journey across the US, accompanied by the judge's oldest deputy. The story unfolds as the train rolls eastward moving from past to present easily. The story flows as if you were on the train listening to the deputy talk. I'd not read of the prior books in this series but had no problem following the story. Again, this is a different kind of Western. Different, but still a good read.

I generally do not read westerns though in the last year or so I have read "Son" and "News of the World" which are rather western but not western adventures as such. This is a Net Galley ARC and I thank them for the opportunity to read and review this work but I am probably not the best person to judge a work in this genre. I have never heard of this author but my curiosity has resulted in my discovering that he is a rather prolific writer and creator of several series of which this book is the newest addition to his series based on the character of a Montana Deputy U.S. Marshall named Page Murdoch. I have given the book three stars which on my scale means it is good book and worth its purchase price. As I am not a fan of stories of the old West I can't say that I was particularly impressed with the book but I, nevertheless, appreciated its craftsmanship. The author does really seem to know how to create the earthy feel of the Old West and I was amused by the way he seems to capture the language of the characters of the time depicted. I thought the plot of the story was rather engaging though somewhat simple and possibly even predictable to followers of this genre or this series but that is the judgment of such people and not me. If you like Western adventures then you will probably enjoy this book. I can't offer much beyond that so enjoy the read.

Escorting the body of the first federal judge in Montana home for burial in Delaware, Deputy US Marshal Page Murdock runs into some Wild Justice.

It’s 1896, and the country is changing. With his job as a Deputy Marshal certainly over, the long train ride gives Page time to reflect and reminiscence about his time in Montana.

Wild Justice is a beautiful historical Western. Not much action until close to the end. However, the stories are so good, you won’t care. This book is recommended to historical fiction fans of all ages. 4 stars!

Thanks to Forge Books and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'd not read Estleman before and much enjoyed this short and thoughtful novel of a man escorting his friend's body across the US. US Marshal Page Murdock worked for Judge Blackthore for many years. This journey allows him to reminisce. The tales are well done, the writing fine, and it made me wish I'd read this long standing series. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I was really quickly taken with this Loren D. Estleman western novel, Wild Justice: A Page Murdock Novel, set in 1896. I thoroughly enjoyed the protagonists and was especially fond of Mrs. Blackthorne. I also appreciated the major role played by Judge Blackthorne from cover to cover, though for 4/5 of the novel - from Montana to Connecticut - he was riding along in the caboose in a plain cedar coffin. The mystery though not buried too deeply stayed in the background for most of the novel and Page Murdock is a gentleman through and through despite his side arms and canvas jacket.

This was a quick, clean read with excellent background coverage and a fine look into the mores and manners of the quickly changing turn of time into the twentieth century. It is a novel I can happily recommend to readers of all ages. Estleman is an author I will add to my must read list. He has been writing Page Murdock novels since 1978 - I hate that I'm just finding him in 2018. He has many novels featuring several series of protagonists so I will be a happy camper for much time to come. Thank you for the introduction, Netgalley.

I received a free electronic copy of this historical western novel from Netgalley, Loren D. Estleman, and Forge Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Please read this book. And learn what it is like to read extremely intelligent historical fiction. To read writing that sings, economical, graceful and rich all at once. To be entertained. To be told a story to be fascinated. Estleman is the best writer of historical fiction set in the west or anywhere for that matter. This, his latest in the Page Murdock series is one of his best. Enjoy.

I generally don't read Westerns and have not read much of Estleman before. However, both of those practices can certainly be amended and probably should be. This is the tenth novel in the Page Murdock world and takes place in Montana and chronicles a journey from Helena, Montana, to Delaware as Deputy Murdoch accompanies the Judge's widow and his remains to their final resting place. Much of the book is filled with the deputy's daydreams and reminisces because the judge's end meant a chapter of the deputy's life was ending. The world was changing for him. There are some great action sequences, but much of the story is the journey and the suspicions of the deputy about what might be going on. Estleman brings the frontier west to life with this character Murdoch and rich descriptions and ironic wit.