Review of "Buchanan Takes Over," by Jonas Ward

Review of

Buchanan Takes Over, by Jonas Ward

Four out of five stars

This book is a sequel to an earlier one that featured the Apache chief Juju and young Billy Button and his bride Nora. They live in the frontier town of Encinal and it has grown and tamed quite a bit since Tom Buchanan was there last. The story opens with Buchanan traveling to Encinal to see Billy, Nora and their infant son when he is attacked by Jo-san, the son of Juju. It is a very amateurish one, Buchanan easily defeats him and sends him back to his father.

 When Buchanan reaches Encinal he finds Billy is now a frequent player at the gambling tables of a hotel/saloon owned by a woman named Heloise. She is not what she appears to be, she has a collection of henchmen prepared to assist her in robbing the bank. One of the them is a towering man named McMillan and when Coco Bean arrives in town, there is immediate pressure to have a prizefight. The merchants in town understand how it will draw people into town and that they will spend a lot of money. Since the fight will be taking place outside of the town and the local law will be there to keep order, it will be a prime time to engage in criminal activity.

 Buchanan is of course the standard character, so much of the action is fairy predictable. There is gunplay and unfortunate killing, even though he believes in peace, Buchanan never hesitates to kill another when it appears to be necessary. The best auxiliary character is the tall woman dressed in very tight dresses named Bea Johnson. She is a woman that fights alongside Buchanan, covering him when the fight is with his fists. It is clear that she is someone with a shot at keeping Buchanan in one place for an extended period of time. This is a good, not great story.