Blind Dog Canyon by Brett Cogburn
A Widowmaker Jones Western #5

I don’t usually come into a series on book five and did not see in the book description that this was not a standalone story but part of a series. That said, I had no trouble following the story. I am curious about what Newt did in the previous books and when he met Mr. Smith but otherwise was fully invested in the story and how it would turn out.

What I liked:
* Newt: survivor, pugilist in the past, has his own set of ethics, good friend, generous, cares for the weak, does what is required, a survivor, scarred, steady, an interesting man
* Mr. Smith: Mohave Indian, travels with Newt, has seen the world, educated, wears a suit, tattooed, wise, older, multilingual, quiet, believes in clan and family
* Zuri: young, daughter of shepherd killed early in the book, survives the wilderness and evil men and bitter cold, goes on a quest at the end of the book, curious about how her life will unfold
* Rufus: Happy Jack’s rescue dog, old, has cataracts, might be deaf, really wondered if he made it through the winter
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* That I was invested in the characters and hoped the ones I cared about would make it to the end alive
* That the bad guys were exposed and that most were handily dealt with
* Thinking about good vs evil and the shades of gray in between – men are men and not always easy to classify as one or the other

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how difficult life must have been in the time period of this story and how much effort must have been needed to survive

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

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

5 Stars

Newt “the widow maker” Jones has excepted a job guarding remind claim but he needs a few more guys of course Mr. Smith the giant Native American and his best friend is going but little does Newt know there will be a family reunion and his cousins and a slaphappy cowboy will make up the rest of his team. Before Knute can leave town however he runs into an old Frinimy and a new enemy who has a grudge against him for killing his brother a few years ago. The gunslinger and Mr. Smith almost got shot down in the street but thankfully they live to see another day and off to the mine they go. Newt has no idea that there’s trouble ahead and behind him and they don’t all walk on two legs there was a ravid bear who has gotten a taste for blood and likes it. Mr. Cogburn has come up with yet another great book involving the widow maker in his sidekick Mr. Smith with great fight scenes and a different type of enemy Blind Dog Canyon is another great western. There’s only two or three Western writers I read in Mr. Cogburn has definitely become one of them with his interesting stories great men to root for an awesome fight scenes I really have come to look for his books when I’m in the mood for a western. I wish women would play a bigger part in his books not just the wives mothers and prostitutes that scream when gun shots go off but having said that I still highly recommend this book. I want to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I do not understand why more people don't read good westerns. This much maligned genre deserves more readers than it has. There are some seriously good writers, such as Brett Cogburn, who builds great characters and places them into situations where it's shoot or be shot with some pretty entertaining roads between here and there.
What happens when a man known for his shooting skills takes on an "easy" job for the winter? Newt "Widowmaker" Jones, a amn who has earned his nickname the hard way, should have known better than trust the miner who hired him, but it's too late now. Jones and his posse are now about to square off with the guns of two men who want the old man's silver for themselves, along with Jone's hide. Another great episode in the Widowmaker series.

I love diving into a Western. They are comfortable reads for me. The heroic good guys. The dad takes bad guys. Throw in a few gunfights and maybe a stagecoach robbery and I’m a happy gun.
Brett Cogburn weaves a great tale that was hard to put down for the most part.
Widowmaker Jones is a great character. I’m sure I’ll be reading another of his books sometime soon.

In Brett Cogburn's Blind Dog Canyon (Pinnacle 2023), a seriously hung over Newt "Widowmaker" Jones is hired to protect a miner's claim over the winter while the owner is away. Jones has a reputation as a tough guy who can take care of impossible situations, which should have given him a clue that despite the employer's claims about how easy this job will be, it won't. Believing in his own legend, Jones brings only his very large partner, the Mohawk, to help him, and then, ends up with two previously-unknown mountain relatives tagging along, mostly because they need a job and have no other prospects. The group doesn't even get up to the mine before they run afoul of the first bad guy, this one the brother of a man Jones killed looking for revenge. And the winter only gets worse from there, including a mad grizzly who's discovered human flesh is good food. 

This is an interesting read though it took me a while to warm up to Newt Jones and his quirky ways. Recommended for those looking for the more unusual in a Western yarn.