I very much enjoy the prose and storytelling of Max McCoy. This o e is full of historical nostalgia, and I love that it starts with just Jack and Sky, the couple from the previous book. This simple setting makes it easy to come right back into the framework instead of struggling to remember details of the previous book.

McCoy’s odyssey/quest plot line is an original angle for a western, kind of an odd genre fusion. Despite the many Homer references and archetypal elements, in places it all feels a bit forced/over-explained. The book would benefit greatly from a bit of subtlety

Finally, Max McCoy is such a good writer in this genre that I absolutely hate that he has jumped on the parallel plot lines bandwagon. Both storylines are excellent and move cleanly towards each other, but why do I have to read them in every other chapter?

The captivating characters and adventure factor ultimately outweigh the minor flaws. I’m going to call this one a success.

Thank you to Max McCoy, Pinnacle Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review

Max McCoy's American Odyssey (Pinnacle 2022), Book 2 of 3 in the Ghost Rifle Western series, picks up ten years after Jack Picaro loses his almost-magical Ghost Rifle. At this point, he is living with his devoted and beloved Indian wife in the mountains and off the land. What little money they require, he makes by fixing rifles for people, but it has been a long time since the last job and they are running out of staples. He agrees to help the Army find some lost troopers which he manages to do quickly. And that is where the problems begin for both Jack and me as a reader.

This book, more than the prior one deals with enough mysticism to make me wonder how it fits into the story I thought I knew. I know--a Ghost Rifle with magical properties does make you think supernatural plotlines, but this book pushes that to extremes not present in Book 1. There's a trip to the underworld, with the help of magic potions, to make a deal with the spirits for the lives of the soldiers Jack has been sent to rescue. Trying to make sense of these diversions, it took me a while to get into the story. This was also true of Book 1, but in this case, the plot never quite snared me. Much confused me and I had trouble following the plot. It felt more like a new story than the continuation of a familiar one. McCoy is a Silver Spur award winner so I suspect his plan is to make everything clear by the end of Book 3.

Which I'm not sure I'll read.

Reading “American Odyssey” by Max McCoy one gets an interesting and different glimpse into America’s Frontier in the middle of the 19th century. The main character is an interesting personality. His background is Basque but he speaks, French as well as English and a little of some native dialects.

The reader is introduced to him along with his wife Sky. They are living in the Rockies well away from others. Happenings conspire to cause Jack (Jacques) to depart on a quest to rescue some missing Army troops.

A side story of two twins (boy and girl) is interspersed, with the reader struggling to see the relevance. This becomes clear as the book progresses. Sort of like Jack, they have some interesting psychological factors at play. It is fun for the reader to try to figure what is coming next.

Lots of adventure and some pathos happens with both storylines. But rese assured that they do come together. And the merging gets the reader saying “Ah Ha!!”

There are deaths, seeming pacts with the devil, and just pretty much what keeps the reader interested. This reader was a bit put off by the seeming lack of ethics/morals that popped in a great deal. Some may find it well-received but not all will.

As a spoiler there is an a freeware that explains how Jack came to be where he is and some additional background. A dedicated reader may want to a abjure looking before the novel is fully read and trying to figure out the background on their own.

Thoroughly disappointing. After reading the first book in the series, I eagerly grabbed the sequel to learn more about Picaro and his ghost rifle. But this story seemed to be written on Swiss cheese… too many holes in the story. Jack leaves his pregnant wife to scout for missing soldiers. We learn more about his toothache than what happens to his wife. His kids show up, and we jump back and forth between stories. No good conclusion for any of their stories: not even a good cliffhanger! There’s got to be more.