Letters From the Saddle

By Michael Wegner (Indie author, 2024)

Genre: Historical fiction/Western/Love Story/Action & Adventure

Pages: 193 (print)

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Saddle up and get ready to ride into action and adventure in this delightful new fiction tome by Michael Wegner.

The 4-1-1

Dateline: Arkansas 1868. 

Dewey Slocum is a young man who just wants to work the fam farm and some day marry the Jager girl who lives nearby. But when his father is beaten and robbed, Dewey’s hot-headed bro Darryl takes out after the gang of gun-slinging desperadoes who done the deed.

Dewey’s Ma wants both boys home. So she sends Dewey to bring Darryl home. While Dewey is searching for Darryl, he meets up with Phyllis Stillwater. She’s part African, part Cherokee former slave. Phyllis is trying to find her Ma Ayita, who was sold to another slave owner before the end of the war.

Secret Weapon!

With prejudices still running hot and deep in Arkansas in 1868, there’s no guarantee this unlikely duo will even survive, let alone succeed in their quests. But they have one super-secret uber weapon: Warrior the wonder dog!

“Okay, okay,” says Mom. Kimber made me put in that last part. Kimmi also says Warrior is clearly the smartest member of the entire troupe. Which is why he’s doubtless a Kimber cousin or somethin’.

There’s also klansmen who Kimber wants to bite. But Warrior beat her to it. Also hazardous river crossings. Bad weather. Snake bites. Hostile towns and villages. Kidnappings. Beans and bacon. Bacon and beans. Buffalo soldiers. Eluwei Yauasa. Fresh fried fish and wild onions. And why does everyone keep assuming Dewey and Phyllis are “a couple”?

Action, Adventure

Anyway, Letters From the Saddle is quite an adventure, both gritty and humorous. The non-stop action will have you turning pages until the very end. It grabbed us in chapter one. We read it start to finish in one day.

And as the title suggests, the story is told via narration interspersed with Dewey’s letters to “Dear Ma.” It’s effective and moves the story along quite nimbly.

If…

Throwin’ this in for free: If Letters From the Saddle was a movie – and it’d make a good one – we’re seein’ maybe Josh Brolin as Dewey. Kelsey Asbille as Phyllis. Strother Martin as a “no-good, lazy, cowardly drunk” sheriff. And of course, Kimber the Magnificent as Warrior the Wonder Dog! DUH.

So Letters From the Saddle is a little Big Jake or The Rifleman meets The Sacketts or Riders of the Purple Sage.

So There!

Kimber: This book was a bite of fresh rib eye. The last several books we’ve read were by “best-selling authors.” And they were almost all lousy. We’re talkin’ fish wrap here. Scraping the bottom of the kitty litter box. Which just goes to show ya what we think of “best seller” status. On the other paw, the best books we’ve read all year thus far? All by indie authors. So there!

Finally, Letters From the Saddle is just plain fun. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to snuggle up in front of the fireplace or furnace with a fluffy blankie and a nice hot cuppa. And settle in for a good ‘ole fashioned yarn and a clean adventure story. We loved it! You will, too.

Our Rating: 4.5