Robert B. Parker's Blackjack

By: Robert Knott, Robert B. Parker

Narrated by: Rex Linn

Itinerant lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch return in the gritty new installment of the New York Times–bestselling series.

Appaloosa, the hometown of Territorial Marshals Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, continues to prosper, but with prosperity comes a slew of new trouble: carpetbaggers, gamblers, migrants, peddlers, drifters, thieves, and whores, all boiling in a cauldron of excess and greed. And there’s a new menace in town: a wealthy, handsome easterner—and the owner of Appaloosa’s new casino—Boston Bill Black.

Boston Bill is flashy and bigger than life. He’s a prankster and a notorious womanizer, and with eight notches on the handle of his Colt, he’s rumored quick on the draw. When he finds himself wanted for a series of murders, he quickly vanishes. Cole and Hitch locate and arrest him, but Boston Bill escapes once again. Another murder sets the duo on his trail, eventually taking them back to Appaloosa—where one woman in particular may, or may not, prove to be the apple of Boston Bill’s eye.

Critic reviews

“Knott . . . adds a new wrinkle here with a damn fine mystery running parallel to the western story. . . . Fine reading for western fans.” —Booklist

“This is the most satisfying of Knott’s Cole-Hitch tales, with a shocking double-twist ending.” —The Sacramento Bee

“Westerns need atmosphere as much as story, and Knott has a knack for six-gun verisimilitude, sketching the land and summer heat, the horses and the shopkeepers. Knott’s especially good with the prototypical Old West marshal, Virgil Cole, ‘perfectly present in the here and now,’ every inch stoic lawman. . . . His tale gallops along without confusing readers new to the series . . . A darn good way to pass an afternoon.” —Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR ROBERT B. PARKER'S WESTERNS

“Knott’s third shot at re-creating the Cole-Hitch partnership is by far the
best….There is also a very clever mystery mixed in, and the Seraphine subplot adds a Twilight Zone finish to an extraordinarily entertaining novel.”—Booklist

“Fans of the late Robert B. Parker’s best-selling novels about territorial marshals Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch will be delighted to discover a new adventure written by famed author Robert Knott, who also penned the earlier series entry Ironhorse. In The Bridge, the duo investigates a strange disappearance and gets some unlikely help from a fortune teller.”—Cowboys and Indians Magazine

“Rapid-fire dialogue and quick-paced action…a must read.” —Historical Novels Review

“For fans of the late Parker, this book is a refreshing reunion with these cowboy characters who choose their words and situations most carefully…much to enjoy.”—Deseret News

“Knott has no trouble cooking up larger-than-life characters to populate the books.”
— Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“A welcome second edition to the return of these delightful western characters.”
—The Oklahoman

“Clever detective work and considerable shooting...it reads lightning fast...suspenseful.”
—Booklist

Great

Good story a continuous story of these two men and there woman keep you glued to it . Love the twist ending and the new members of the family. Can’t waste to read the next one

Knott beats the house with this one

One of the challenges of the franchise authors is that the subsequent authors aren't the real authors. Robert B. Parker inherently knew his characters, Ace Atkins, Michael Brandman, and Robert Knott don't know the characters as well as Parker.
You can see it in the reviews for the last one, The Bridge. I didn't read it because of the universally bad and weak reviews. The other challenge is original narrator, Titus Welliver, had to drop in order to concentrate on his role as Harry Bosch. Rex Linn took a book to get used to.
This time, it seems that Knott has earned his spurs and Linn has hit his stride.
In his performance this time, Linn is more believable as Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. He has their pacing in a more believable flow and is strong in differentiating the host of one-time and multiple appearance characters. Five stars for Linn in this role.
Knott's plot incorporates a series of twists and turns that cleanly put together the pieces to make it obvious the accused killer is not -- but his clues and twists don't provide enough in the way of hints to actually try to outguess the actual culprit.
The twist at the ending is one of the better outcomes in the series. At least Knott has dropped whoring by Cole's wife Allie, but (spoiler alert), he still has to have Allie at threat of death by the antagonist. That one subplot is getting a little old. Even though it has a tie to the actual perpetrator, it's not a necessary part of the plot.
Overall, it's well worth the listen.

A Great Book

A very interesting and enjoyable story. It kept me guessing to the very end. The author made the characters seem real.
The main reason this story is so easy to listen to is Rex Linn. His voice brought me into the story. I wish he would narrate more.

Reader

I prefer Titus Wellover as the reader in this series. Sorry you had to change.

Excellent story. full of surprises<br />

This was Knotts best Appaloosa book. However Virgil Cole's gun and reputation were strangely absent.