Derringer

Tom Sprain, a successful author and retired city administrator in real life, has written a very suspenseful novel about his great love, the Old West in the later nineteenth century. The Amazon synopsis of the novel (taken from its back cover) does not really explain how Mr. Sprain came to choose his title. Indeed, it comes from the fact that the main character’s (her name is Alexis) father, understanding the nature of what she might meet in her travels west of the Mississippi River, believes that a young woman should be armed so she can defend herself in the event of an emergency. Rather than giving her a heavy pistol, he presents her with a derringer—a small enough arm that she can easily conceal in her handbag. Unfortunately, it seems that this derringer is the gun used in the murder of a young cowboy, which gets Alexis’s first day in Saratoga, Kansas, off to a bad start.Actually, as interesting as this particular aspect of the novel is, it is really only a part of the larger picture of Mr. Sprain’s story. Indeed the novel quickly evolves from this initial murder to examining the corruption of the town and finding solutions to the problems it has created. Along the way, Alexis comes to establish herself as an accomplished defender, then as a prosecutor. Moreover, she finds herself courted by one of Saratoga’s respected young citizens and even contemplates a future marriage. Yet, as the novel progresses, Alexis eventually revisits the initial murder (which has really remained unsolved) and, in a surprise ending, discovers who the real killer is. Mr. Sprain’s narration does not give the secret away until the very end of the novel and this will undoubtedly keep many readers on the edge of their seats until the secret is finally revealed. Adding to the suspense are the episodes facing Alexis and her law partner as they successfully clean up much of the town’s lawlessness.A most interesting and well-told story, I have given this book a five-star rating, but with a reservation. The copy of the novel I read is a pre-publication book, and unfortunately, grammatical and mechanical writing errors were in abundance, and at times obscured what the author meant to convey. Just as a small example, there was much confusion in the use of such terms as “there’s” and “theirs.”Still, despite the various editing errors--which hopefully will be corrected--the novel is absorbing and what one could easily call a “page turner.” It is well worth reading.