In "Boon," Ed Kurtz has given us just about the best Western ever. Even if you don't read Westerns, this is one you can't pass up. It's that damn good. Think buddy stories of a pair of outlaws on the run like Butch and Sundance. They think the other ones just that much off kilter, but they got no one else who'll put up with them. That's about how it is with Boon and Edward, the unlikeliest pair to ever grace the dusty trails of the American west. He's got an unpronounceable German last name. She's the first Thai cowgirl to ever shoot her way across the West, but she's the fastest shot anyone's ever seen, if that is, they lived to tell of it. And she's got her own set of rules that not even Edward understands. She's on a mission to find her missing parents, a mission she's been on for years with Edward tagging along and leaving a bloody mess if a trail across the land. It's all here with crooked lawmen, saloons, preachers, shootouts with Comanches, gunfights, knife fights, and every paragraph is written in gold. You've never read a Western like this before.

Boon by Ed Kurz

Dark, deadly, and disturbing this Western was a first of its kind for me. Two more unlikely characters to form a friendship and ride the trails than Boon and Edward might be hard to find. I have to say that in the beginning I almost gave up thinking this book was not for me but it indeed was for me and will have me pondering on it for some time to come.

What I liked:
* The realness of the story – it appealed to all my senses and I felt I was within the story
* The way it made me question how people end up like Boon and wondering what her thinking process was at times
* Wondering how and why Edward was so willing to tag along with her on her quest
* The strength of both characters with stoic much more silent Boon balancing the more verbal outgoing Edward
* The glimpses into the backstories of both characters
* That both main characters were flawed
* That I began to understand and care about both Boon and Edward and hope they would find what they were looking for
* The look into the life of people brought over and used as slaves when they arrived in the USA made me realize this issue has been ongoing for a LONG time
* That at least sometimes justice (of sorts) was meted out
* The depth of the friendship between Edward and Boon – even though it was different than most in books one reads
* Finding a new author that had a story to tell that was definitely worth reading
* That the story was so different from what I was expecting
* That more than one evil person met his maker

What I did not like:
* The evil men and what those evil men did
* Thinking about everything that Boon must have experienced to become the woman that she was

Did I enjoy this story? In the end I thoroughly enjoyed it
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Crossroad Press-Dimension W Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

This is not your typical western. The story of a young woman's search for her parents with less than friendly intentions, BOON by Ed Kurtz was a very interesting reading experience. Boon's story is told through the voice of her riding companion of three years, Edward. Boon saved Edward's life so he joined her in her quest. But this journey has Edward confused and conflicted most of the time. The book does have an abundance of violence, Boon answers most questions with a bullet, or worse. The story follows them through many stops along Boon's journey. With Edward's unfailing wit and determination to keep Boon and himself alive, he provides plenty of comic relief and manages to make Boon human.
I have to admit that this book grew on me. The further into the story of these friends and their troubles, the more I tried to figure out the story. It's a uniquely told western that I think most people will love if given the chance. Read at your own risk....you'll soon be looking for more Kurtz titles.

This was a really enjoyable western, with the perfect amounts of comedy and violence. A sort of quest western, but the quest is for revenge. Will need to find more by Ed Kurtz, and hope for more adventures with Boonsri Angchuan and Edward Splettstoesser.