Ol' Mean Pete is a mighty slippery character.
In addition to the Mean Pete handle, he also goes by aliases
such as Peter Brandvold and Frank Leslie. You just know you gotta keep your eye
on any hombre who dodges around like that. What's more, word has it that he
soon will be pulling his picket pin and hitting the wide open trail with some
dubious dame called Miss Sydney … putting him even more on the dodge.
But the good news about all of this is that --- by whatever
name and from wherever he may roam --- Peter Brandvold (that one is his real
moniker, folks, in case you're trying to keep track) keeps on turning out some
of the toughest, grittiest, most exciting Westerns being published today. And
most of them are being first made available on Kindle through Mean Pete Press.
Just today, I posted reviews on Amazon for three of the most
recent:
Blood Trail of the Horsetooth Widow
Nobody writes tougher, grittier, more action-packed Westerns
than Frank Leslie (who everybody knows is really Peter Brandvold, ol' Mean Pete
hisself). In addition to rough and tumble protagonists and vicious villains, he
also creates some of the sexiest, most memorable gals on the frontier --- the
Horsetooth Widow in this yarn being among the tops. Saddle up for twists,
turns, double- and triple-crosses, gun-blazing shootouts, and bouts of
blistering sex. Recommended.
Love and Bullets
Author Brandvold crams so much into this short, bittersweet,
action-packed tale that you come away feeling more satisfied than you often do
after reading a novel-length work from other writers. The title really says it
all. Drifter Tanner Moody meets a ravishing Spanish beauty who just happens to
be a vengeance-seeking outlaw, falls in love with her amidst a flurry of hard
riding and blazing bullets ... only to have it all end tragically. But not
until he has discovered the root of her desperate rage and makes sure her
revenge is complete. Not to bee missed.
The Devil's Ambush
I've been a huge Lou Prophet fan right from the git-go, and
this latest entry in the series only makes me appreciate the depth of the
character and the talent of author Brandvold all the more. This is a somewhat
more reflective, slower-paced outing for the rugged bounty hunter (keeping in
mind that slower-paced for Mean Pete still means plenty of grit and action) as
he struggles with concern for the well-being of his sometimes partner/sometimes
lover Louisa Bonneventure while at the same time plotting revenge for those who
harmed her. There is a mysterious, somewhat eerie tone to all of this as the
central storyline and a couple of subplots gradually play out. When the
conclusion comes, it is fast and satisfying and we can rest assured that
Prophet --- and Louisa --- will ride again for our enjoyment. Strongly
recommended.
One must always keep in mind that Amazon reviews are a
multi-edged sword. It is a good forum for common, everyday readers to voice
their opinions and (hopefully) support authors and books that they like.
Unfortunately, it is also an outlet that can be used for personal beefs and
agendas that can drag a book's "rating" down for reasons that have
little or nothing to do with the work itself.
In the end, any review --- even by the so-called pros --- is
only one person's opinion. As an author, if you enjoy the reviews that laud
your work, then you must also accept the ones that may be less flattering. To
take issue is to look like a whiner munching sour grapes … IF the reviews are
done in a genuinely analytical way, that is. For the other kind, the author
still has little recourse without putting him- or herself in a bad light.
But that doesn't mean that others can't take up the skirmish
for them.
While preparing to write my review for Devil's Ambush, I
noted that one of the reviews already posted was only one star. One star?
What the hell was up with that? Then I read the review and found out --- The
so-called reviewer hadn't even read the book. He or she (the byline was one of
those chickenshit kind that uses a cutesy term ["interchangeable
head", in this case] instead of an actual identity) was *actually* bitching because the work was available only as an eBook, meaning IC would have to buy "a hunnert dollar machine" to read
what was allegedly being reviewed. So, for those reasons, the book's
rating got trashed.
I, in turn, gave Devil's Ambush a 5-star rating
(legitimately so, because I liked it that much) and unloaded a piece of my mind
in the Comments section of IC's review.
I encourage everyone else to take similar action when you
run across this kind of thing. In the grand scheme, I don't know how
important an Amazon star rating is to a book's success, especially for an
established name like Brandvold/Leslie. But it surely might make a difference
for a lesser-known. Besides, what's right is right and what's wrong is wrong.
If we don't hit a lick for right at least once in a while, then we're allowing
wrong to skate free.
Great bunch of reviews, Wayne! And you're right about that moron's one star review. What a waste of his/her time --and ours --at Pete's expense.
ReplyDeleteNot only make sure to rate down said moron, make sure to rate up those reviewers who do quality work.
ReplyDelete