An intriguing mix of a western and a thriller that ended up being a very good read. Eric Red did a great job of mixing the two genre while still maintaining the very different story styles. I'm a fan of both genre so this one was a test for me and it passed with flying colors!!!

First novel read by Eric Red....definitely won’t be the last

What a great western gritty story!!
One tough widowed ranch woman-
A huge herd of cattle that have a deadline to make auction 100’s of miles away!
12 wranglers to start!
4 wranglers murdered on the trail (within 3 weeks)!
An unknown serial killer amongst them - not giving up until every last one is dead!
A bounty hunter, Joe Noose’, (John Smith) who joins the outfit with approval of Bess Sugarland, US Marshall, to find out who the killer is and stop him before it’s too late for all the wranglers, the ranch owner, Noose, and the herd!

Full of twists and turns, plenty of excitement and high octane fun adventure - this is a great one with a strong heroine/hero.

5 stars

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an my honest opinion. All opinions are my own!

Big fan! WARNING! This is book 4 in a series, and while it stood alone fairly well, the MC keeps referring to things that have happened, presumably in earlier books. But other than that, I'm getting the first three and will keep reading!

I received this ARC for an honest review.

This book really has two stories going one is Joe staying for a cattle drive that he and Marshall Bess came upon at the end of the last book. They part ways but you hope they met up again. Joe is trying to find the killer of the rustlers of the herd he is with because there is a man from Texas that does not want the female owner to make it to market. There is also someone else on her team that wants them dead as well. This part of the story is full of action and keeps you going throughout the book.
The other part of the story happens with Bess and what is happening back in her town and with some of the wives who have left their husbands because they were being beaten. This part of the story is really interesting and only adds to the whole book and makes up for some moments on the cattle drive that might not be so interesting. Between both, you have a very good book with wonderful characters. Very much worth the read.

The Crimson Trail by Eric Red
A Joe Noose Western #4

Joe Noose is a man among men, a bounty hunter, kills when necessary but brings them in alive when he can. This time he plays a bit of a sleuth as he looks for a serial killer working his way through the men herding cattle on a trail drive. Why are the drovers falling like bowling pins? Who is killing them? Will Joe find the killer before everyone is dead? Throw in an evil cattle baron, his henchman and posse, a few fights with fists and guns…and don’t forget the serial killer and you have the makings of a rip-snorting, root-tooting, rollicking Western yarn.

What I liked:
* Joe Noose: almost bigger than life but very real, fast and deadly with gun and fists, a survivor, reliable, steadfast, loves Marshall Bess Sugarland, intriguing, sees things through, a man I admire and would want on my side.
* That the story picks up from where book three ends.
* The writing and plot
* Laura Holdridge: cattlewoman, widow, ranch owner, on the trail herding cattle with her team, good woman, someone we may hear more of in the future.
* That there was more than one bad guy to hate and learning how each one was thwarted.
* Copper: Joe’s faithful steed.
* That all my senses were engaged.
* Feeling I was part of the story.
* That Joe was true-blue to Bess.
* Thinking about what makes people evil…
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* The bad guys…it was easy to hate them and hope they would meet their comeuppance(s)
* Knowing that I will have to wait to find out what will happen next.

Did I like this book? Yes!
Would I read more in this series/by this author? Without a doubt!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Pinnacle Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Eric Red has another winner on his hands in the novel “The Crimson Trail.” This is a little unusual western with a lady, Laura Holdridge, owner of a large ranch, leading a cattle drive. She has a good crew of men to help her but they suddenly begin to die—maybe being killed.

Laura is shaken by the loss of her men who she considered part of the family after her husband died and she had to take over. It is pretty obvious that something nefarious is going on in the drive but no one is an obvious suspect. Laura, being a good boss, lets the men vote to proceed or to turn back. They voted unanimously to continue the drive.

Looking up after the latest death, Laura sees two old acquaintances coming from a distance. Joe Noose, a bounty hunter who has been helping a pretty lady U.S. Marshal, Bess Sugarland ride into the camp. Laura is very glad to see them.

After much talk Joe decides to continue with the herd and Bess says she has to go back to Jackson. There are lots of adventures to come and having Joe present makes everyone but the murderer feel much better. There are twin problems at play — one is getting the herd to Cheyenne in time for the cattle auction or have a worthless herd of 500 longhorns and the other is how to find the murderer without losing more lives.

If this was not enough there is big cattle business at play with a ruthless cattle baron, Crispin Calhoun, involved. How much does he know and is he doing anything to foment the problems or is he only happy to take advantage of them?

Got to read the book to find out what happens..guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your “saddle” until you find out if the Holdridge herd gets there in time, the murderer is caught, and what happens to the lady cattle baroness!! It is a good book that will keep you guessing what happens next.