Book Review: The Ace of Spades: Black Jack Derringer, Book One

"Saddle up!" This phrase probably conjures an image of a dusty, old West town, and The Ace of Spades, book one in Karen Koehler's Black Jack Derringer series, will conjure this kind of image from the first page.

You'll see in your mind's eye the stock saloon from any old western, or rather, you will until you start reading about Goliath, a massive black muto stallion with a bulletproof hide, or Mr. Treen, an albino muto gambler with more secrets than a dead pirate crew.

The main character of this wild fusion of sci-fi, westerns and apocalyptic fiction is a self-styled bounty hunter named Wild Alice West. Far from being a perfect killer, Alice is struggling to survive in a near-lifeless desert world that has no patience for womenfolk doing a "man's job."

Though fiercely independent, Alice recognizes that she needs a front-man to give herself legitimacy as a bounty hunter, and after weeks of looking around New Hope, she thinks she's found the perfect partner in muto gambler Mr. Treen.

I won't say anything more, lest I give away something from this fast paced, 42 page novella. I was pleasantly surprised by the development of both the main characters, and the ending is a great way to whet the reader's appetite for the next installment in the series, The Queen of Hearts.

This story has everything you could possibly need from a good yarn; plot twists, gunfights, mutants, sandboat robberies, and yes, even some pirates. And, I found nothing to complain about. No, I mean nothing.

This is so rare for me, and my enjoyment of the story was so complete that I feel only a five star rating is fitting. I would recommend this story for anyone who likes blazing action, solid character development and charming wittiness mixed in equally satisfying portions. Dig into these vittles, y'all. This is some good brain candy here.

The book is scheduled for release late in 2009, so keep an eye out on the Skullvines Press web site for more specific release details.