Robert Strzalko

At the end of the Civil War, a union soldier Jeb McCulloch, rescues a young girl from being raped by a sheriff, a mayor and another well-known citizen. These were the very citizens that were supposed to be protecting her from people like themselves. Jeb is so astonished that such authority figures could do such a thing, but despite who they are, they committed a horrible crime and Jeb shoots them dead. As he is saving the young girl his is harshly warned that he is making a mistake he will live to regret.

Jeb is just a simple man who has a strong sense of morals who went to war to defend his country. Now he is on the run with a young girl, for killing three important leaders. The sons of the murdered men form a troop and set out for revenge. The word of the wanted man reaches the bounty hunters, who are now also searching for him.

Eventually the young half breed girl falls fervently in love with with her hero as they set off on amazing adventures with their bounty hunters on their heels.

This book only has about seventy pages, so it was a quick read for me, but that didn't make it any less off an amazing story. The characters are well built and it seems they carefully thought out, which makes for an easy and enjoyable read. If you enjoy westerns, this would be a perfect book for you to read in one sitting. I enjoyed reading Robert Strzalko's book, he has a strong writing style that everyone can understand.… (más)

Jeb was a simple man who grew up with a sense or morals. He thought the best of people, went to war to defend his country and shot for food, not for sport.

When Jeb heard the screams from a young girl in distress, he went to help. His anger over seeing her being raped by not one, not two but three men took the better of him and he shot them dead. They were no ordinary men, they were the mayor, the sheriff and a wealthy landowner. Knowing he was now a wanted man, he took the half breed girl and fled.

The sons of the murdered men wanted revenge. They formed their own posse and went out to search for him. Other bounty hunters were after him for the reward, dead or alive.

While you travel with Jeb, you will see his hurt over losing his childhood sweetheart and how important this grandfather was to his life. Simple details make it possible for you to imagine being there with Jeb. The characters will leave you feeling exactly how they felt, the need for revenge, the search for a man for money, the love of a young girl and the feeling of losing everything that mattered.

Quick read but worth your time.… (más)

A Bullet for Two is Robert Strzalko's first novel. Known better for his works of Poetry, Strzalko goes in a different direction in this thrilling story. Taking place in the American West shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War, A Bullet for Two shows a gritty, dark, and realistic side of the West.

Real life is hard and unfair and there is no room for rose colored glasses in this novel. A Bullet for Two starts as Jeb, a Civil War Hero looking for a fresh start in the West, stumbles upon the gruesome raping of a young half Indian girl. The 3 corrupt men involved in the raping happen to be the town's Sheriff, Mayor, and local business mogul. Jeb does what he feels is right and rescues the 14 year old Sara while bestowing revenge. Because of his actions, Jeb finds himself a Wanted Man with a bounty on his head. A Bullet for Two unfolds as Jeb and Sara run from the law, bounty hunters, and a posse made up of town men obsessed with seeking revenge for the murders.

Strzalko does a terrific job in developing his characters. Jeb feels a deep torment due to the part he played in the Civil War. After losing those most important to him and witnessing an overload of death and destruction, Jeb views society as an unforgiving, dark place where people take amusement in public hangings and use 'justice' to justify killing others. Sara, on the other hand, lost her parents at a young age and has been treated as a sexual slave and servant for too many of her 14 years. However, she still believes in happy endings and views Jeb as her savior. The loyalty she feels regarding Jeb is far beyond that of a teenager.

Strzalko did a fantastic job in showcasing just how lawless the 'Wild West' was after the Civil War. When the War ended many soldiers had nothing and no one to go back to. After witnessing and causing brutal deaths, many men felt the only job that suited their new outlook was that of a bounty hunter...thus, the influx of bounty hunters in the West. Many of the bounty hunters Strzalko wrote about lived outside the law. When coming upon a 'Wanted' man they shot first and asked questions later. Many times an innocent person was killed due to faulty identification. However, as long as is wasn't a sheriff or politician that was killed the bounty hunter didn't care about the unnecessary loss of life. They played the game and played it well.

Also brought to light in A Bullet for Two was the way the Native American population was viewed by the general public. Strzalko makes the argument that the US Government viewed the Godless Savages as an annoying group that had something they wanted- land. Instead of sending the Army in to get rid of the Indians and secure the land, the government saved money and sent homesteaders out to do the dirty work for them. Their basic advertisement was 'Free land in the West, you just have to get rid of the current owners.'

I highly recommend Robert Strzalko's A Bullet for Two. You will find a suspenseful and faced paced story revolving around the dark side of human nature.… (más)