Blue Eyed Devil

I'm reading Robert Parker's new (and last) western with Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The writing is so spare and the dialogue almost clipped, but the story moves along well. Having seen Appaloosa film helps because I hear and see the characters more clearly than if I hadn't.

Finished the book yesterday and enjoyed it. The directness of the dialogue among the characters is critical to the book, even though the conversations are short and succinct. I found myself speaking it outloud. The intimacy between Cole and Hitch shows the trust, longevity and exclusiveness of their relationship. Pony has a foot in that door, but no one else does, not even Allie. I read another Western yesterday and even though it was longer with more action and longer dialogue, it didn't have the maturity of Parker's work. Oddly the plot was similar, but the work lacked the tenderness and pragmatism that is "shown" rather than "told" in Parker's almost poetic prose style. Each word carries its own weight and they're not minced. I'll miss reading new books in this series.

I've picked up Appaloosa, but have not read it yet.

I read Parker's first 2 books of Cole/Hitch in order, then the last 2 out of order by mistake. I wish I had kept them in order, although it was interesting watching Pony when I read #3 last after having read #4 previously. I had an "insider's knowledge" of he and Laurel. I want to reread the 4 books in order. Parker's spare dialogue really moves the story forward. If I hadn't seen the film Appaloosa first, I'm not sure how I would feel about the series; Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen's voices are in my head as I read, which is fun for me.