I think I am a member of a dying breed ... a reader of 'western' fiction. There are very few new westerns being published (believe me, I've been looking), though there are a few, the majority of the westerns that I've been seeing are reprints of classic works. <em>Ramrod</em>, by Luke Short, is one such reprint.

First published in 1943, <em>Ramrod</em> tells the story of Dave Nash the ranch foreman (a 'ramrod') who will do anything for his boss, Walt Shipley, because Shipley took a chance on him and gave him a job when no one else would. But what Dave doesn't expect to have to face off against is ... a woman.

Connie Dickason is a strong, seductive woman and Shipley has his mind set on marrying her. When Shipley is driven out-of-town by a range war, Dave and Connie have to fight together to save the ranch and the ramrod discovers just how strong and determined Connie can be.

This book was made into a movie of the same title, starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake.

I've only read one other Luke Short novel (which I have already reviewed). That other book, I felt, rambled too much - it didn't present a very straight-forward story. This book, on the other hand, is pretty clear-cut. The story is set up very well right from the start and it drives forward without much deviation (not a lot of sub-plot here).

Unfortunately, I found it just a little bit dull.

While Dave was a character that I could see, follow, and understand right from the get-go, Connie was a bit of an enigma for me. I didn't understand her motivations, though I think Luke Short tried to get it across.

This is not what many people expect when they think of a 'western' - it's not a big shoot-'em up. It's also not really a romance in the sense of 'boy-meets-girl-tries-to-woo-girl'. This tends to have characters who are a little more 'real.' They aren't obvious good or bad characters ... just regular people trying to make a go of their every-day lives.

But 'real' people trying to live their everyday lives can be a bit dull if you are reading about them.

Once again I can see some real strengths in Luke Short's writing and story-telling, but this one just doesn't strike a powerful chord with me.

Looking for a good book? Luke Short's western tale, <em>Ramrod</em>, has some very real characters but the story is just a bit on the dull side.

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