A Modern Day Western ghost story.

Two good ol' boy private detectives from New Orleans, accompanied by a psychic fortune teller, travel to the small town of Comanche, Texas to investigate stories of a vengeful ghost.

The Piney Woods Kid was a ruthless murdering outlaw from the Old West who met a gruesome end at the hands of a brutal posse from Comanche, Texas. Fast forward to modern day Comanche where the descendants of that posse are being systematically murdered by a bizarre figure that witnesses describe as the ghost of The Piney Woods Kid.

Is it really a ghost? Is it some kind of bizarre publicity stunt gone wrong? It will take two hard headed P.I.s from New Orleans and their psychic side-kick to sort it out... Despite the objections of the mayor and many of the local citizens.

Lots of fun banter, good character development, told in a serious country noir kind of style.

I didn't like the author's choice not to use any quotation marks to set off the characters speech. While it's not a major issue in short stories when it comes to a full length novel told in the third person it can get a bit confusing as to who is speaking. It made it difficult for me to really "get lost" in the story.

Comanche by Brett Riley has aspects of Ghostbusters, Jaws (the small town mayor who fears scandal will ruin tourism), with maybe a touch of The Dukes of Hazzard (no car chases, though).

I think fans of some of Joe R. Lansdale's more off-beat genre stuff might like this one. Not because of writing style so much as it has that same kind of alternate reality context.

***Thanks to NetGalley, Imbrifex publishing, and author Brett Riley for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review

Comanche is a murder mystery, a gun-slinging western and a ghost story all rolled into one. Raymond Turner is a successful private investigator who has developed a serious drinking habit since losing his wife. The only thing that might save him is the need to help his sister before she loses her husband and her son. Comanche is the first novel by screenplay and short story author Brett Riley.

Raymond Turner only wants to drink and forget. His partner Darrell LeBlanc tries everything to break Raymond out of his downward spiral before their business is ruined. Nothing works until two people are killed at his sister Rennie’s diner and she asks for his help. The most urgent part is that the rumor is that a ghost did it and he (or it) has more people on his list, including Rennie’s husband and her son.

The story is set up extremely well. The first chapter gives the historical background. Then we move to modern day and the murders take place. Being a small town everyone starts a rumour. It makes sense to call in out side help and Rennie’s brother is a private investigator. The tension builds rapidly from there. I suspect I could listen to Riley tell stories around a campfire all night long.

The characters are very well developed. Raymond is a initially a loser but smart enough to have potential. Darrell is his childhood friend and protector. Their relationship is tight and consistent throughout the novel. My favorite character is Rourke, Raymond’s brother-in-law. He hates Raymond because he expects him to screw up and hurt Rennie. He also doesn’t want Raymond to hurt the town’s reputation. I think he is a great character because he has all the right intentions but can’t help but be a jerk. All the other characters are developed enough that if and when they get hurt the reader is invested enough to be shocked and even sad.

<i> Comanche </i> is a murder mystery, a gun-slinging western and a ghost story all rolled into one. Raymond Turner is a successful private investigator who has developed a serious drinking habit since losing his wife. The only thing that might save him is the need to help his sister before she loses her husband and her son. <i> Comanche </i> is the first novel by screenplay and short story author Brett Riley.

Raymond Turner only wants to drink and forget. His partner Darrell LeBlanc tries everything to break Raymond out of his downward spiral before their business is ruined. Nothing works until two people are killed at his sister Rennie’s diner and she asks for his help. The most urgent part is that the rumor is that a ghost did it and he (or it) has more people on his list, including Rennie’s husband and her son.

The story is set up extremely well. The first chapter gives the historical background. Then we move to modern day and the murders take place. Being a small town everyone starts a rumour. It makes sense to call in out side help and Rennie’s brother is a private investigator. The tension builds rapidly from there. I suspect I could listen to Riley tell stories around a campfire all night long.

The characters are very well developed. Raymond is a initially a loser but smart enough to have potential. Darrell is his childhood friend and protector. Their relationship is tight and consistent throughout the novel. My favorite character is Rourke, Raymond’s brother-in-law. He hates Raymond because he expects him to screw up and hurt Rennie. He also doesn’t want Raymond to hurt the town’s reputation. I think he is a great character because he has all the right intentions but can’t help but be a jerk. All the other characters are developed enough that if and when they get hurt the reader is invested enough to be shocked and even sad.

I know fundamentally that this story couldn’t take place but it is done in such a way that I almost believe it. I even sympathise with the murderer. What happens to him shouldn’t happen to anyone and revenge almost makes sense.

Finally, I have never been to this part of Texas but now I want to go. The countryside sounds like it is beautiful and the people are strong enough to live and die for each other. Hopefully the number of shotguns available is exaggerated!!

I highly recommend this book to those like fast paced action packed novels. I give it a 5 on 5. I want to thank Net Galley and Imbrifex Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This was an okay read but nothing to get really excited about. The concept was interesting but the writing could have been more interesting. A solid 4 from me.