Wednesday 3 June 2015

STARK HOLBORN - NUNSLINGER 12: WEST OF ABSOLUTION (2014)


Synopsis/blurb…….

The year is 1864. Sister Thomas Josephine is on her way from St Louis, Missouri, to Sacramento, California. During the course of her journey, however, she'll find that her faith requires her to take off her wimple and pick up a gun.

Alone, hunted by enemies of all sides, and faced with a fight she cannot win, Sister Thomas Josephine must make a final, tragic decision, between her faith and her heart...

In this, the final installment of Sister Thomas Josephine's chronicles, the end must - and will - come.

Well we have the last episode in our adventure series featuring Sister Thomas Josephine – another 50-odd pages packed with action as our Papist Murderess seeks to get the better of Windrose’s daughter – Lieutenant Carthy’s revenging fiancée. Muir has been offered the princely sum of $10,000 to abandon Josephine and in all likelihood that’s what he’s done.


Josephine, though less conflicted now than before doesn’t turn her back on him. Will the nun trade in her habit, for another more earthly one? Will she stay true to her Lord? Will the pair of them be meeting him sooner rather than later, after Marshall Reasoner brings them to trial? Or is there one final twist?

Great way to finish – another 4 from 5
This episodic series has it all - history, setting, characters, pace, action, humour - well worth taking a chance on in my opinion. 

Boom, I’m done!



Net Galley-Library book. 

Stark Holborn's website is here. I wonder what he/she's up to next.....

8 comments:

  1. I've been wondering what Sister Josephine would be getting up to next, Col. I'm so glad you've enjoyed this set of stories as much as you have. I know I mentioned this before, but it seems like nothing so much as one of those old Saturday 'cliffhanger' Western films. And I do think Sister Josephine is a great character. I may actually have to look up this series of stories.

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    1. Margot - our (her) journey is complete! I think the author must have been influenced by television, as the set-up seems very similar. I'm reminded of the old Batman series that used to show in the 70's - they always ended with impending disaster about to befall our heroes.....

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  2. Well done on completing the marathon! You've done a good job selling this series, I will definitely be taking a look.

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    1. Moira, its possibly been harder blogging about it than reading it!

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  3. You finished it ... congratulations. Was that a total of 600 pages? More? Did it seem like it?

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    1. Tracy thanks - the paperback is 615 pages long, but it definitely helped me mentally to approach it as 12 x 50-odd page books.
      It was perhaps easier to read than review - it does seem to have cast a long blogging shadow over me. I seem to have had it on here permanently. I think one more post then I'm done.

      Funny enough The Death of the Detective is another 636 page book I am working through at the minute. I have been reading a chapter a day....now this one does feel like a 600 plus page book....though I'm enjoying it!

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  4. Well done, Col! Many congratulations. I'm tempted to read the series from Book 12 and work my way back. I like the way it's ending.

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    1. Hmm, I've not tried that approach, I'm curious to see how it would go for you!

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