I picked up Vengeance Road simply because I liked the cover design, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into, or what I expected.
What I definitely did not expect was a young heroine who disguises herself as a cowboy and rides off into the wild west to avenge her father, and kick some serious ass in the process. If you like strong female characters, Kate Thompson is your girl.
“When I were first learning to shoot a rifle, Pa told me that nearly every battle people face is in their heads. If you think you can't do something, you won't. If you believe you can, it's only a matter of time before you will.”
After the death of Kate's mother when she was 4, she is left with nothing but memories. Memories that seem like a different house, a different place, a different life. When her Ma first got sick, her father didn't want Kate to see her. He explained that it would be too upsetting, and when Ma eventually succumbed to her illness, he buried her before Kate got home. She never got to say a proper goodbye.
Ever since, it had just been Kate and her Pa. He taught her how to shoot, he taught her how to survive, and above all, "If anything ever happens to me, you go see Abe in Westwick."
When Kate returns from a nearby creek to find their home burning to the ground and Pa hanging from a tree, she manages to shoot and wound one of the culprits as the gang flees the scene—a highly feared gang of criminals we later come to know as the Rose Riders.
The attack was seemingly random, with nothing being taken but her father's pistol. This pistol was half of a matching set, with the other half belonging to Kate.
She tries to salvage anything she can from the house, but sadly, her Pa's beloved journal seems to be lost to the flames. She finds a metal lunch box containing some gold, a family photo, and their important documents, but resting atop all of them is a note: Kate, if you're reading this, stop. You know where you should be. Get on Silver and ride.
Kate does, indeed, ride. After burying her Pa, packing up the essentials, and disguising herself as a boy, Kate, now "Nate," mounts her horse Silver and rides off in search of justice.
She manages to track the wounded rider into the nearby town of Prescott, and proves that she means business.
"'Now you listen, and you listen good. I'm going up to Goldwaters, and I'm gonna get what you ain't giving up. Then I'm gonna ride after yer friends and do to them exactly what's in store for you—what's in store for every yellow-bellied coward who goes round stringing up innocent men.' 'That sounds real nice, boy. Now for the love of God, lower that damn pistol.' 'All right,' I says. And I do. Right after I shoot him through the skull."
Unsure where to go from here, Kate decides to take her father's advice. She and Silver head to Westwick, but discover that Abe has passed away. Instead, she meets his son, Jesse, who knows just what to do. Abe had always told his family that a young Thompson might come looking for him one day, and if so, to give them this letter.
The letter, in Pa's handwriting, explains how he and his wife had struck gold in their younger days. While searching for a mine, they discovered the remains of two burros and two humans, the humans having obviously been shot. Among the bones was a leather-bound journal, which contained maps and directions to not just the mine, but the caches as well. They were rich!
Well, you know what they say: with more money comes more problems. People back home started to wonder where their sudden wealth had come from, some even threatening to kill them to take it. So, when Kate was born, her father knew he had to keep her safe. They moved, he changed his name, and Abe may just be the last person on earth he trusts.
His letter begs Kate to stay with Abe, to not return to their smoldering house, and whatever she does, do not ride after the men who came for him and took his journal.
“Money’s supposed to fix problems, not give you more, but I guess life ain’t that straightforward.”
However, as you may have guessed, she doesn't stay. Jesse and his brother Will start to feel protective of young "Nate" and insist on tagging along, and eventually, they also enlist the help of a young Apache girl named Liluye.
As they ride through the desert, Kate begins to develop feelings for Jesse, and I probably don't need to explain why that puts her in an awkward situation. When Kate is wounded during a shootout and her true identity is revealed, how will Jesse and Will react?
Kate tracks down the Rose Riders and eventually the notorious Waylon Rose himself, and finally finds the answers she's been looking for.
What really happened to her mother? What else had her father hidden from her? How far will some men go in their quest for gold? And how far is she willing to go in her quest for revenge?
“Gold makes monsters of men.”
I haven't read many westerns, but Vengeance Road has made me want to read more. This was a bloody, thrilling, and surprisingly romantic tale that I didn't want to end.
There's a companion book called Retribution Rails that I've added to my reading list, and I'll definitely be reviewing that as well.
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'•.¸♡ *rides off into sunset* ♡¸.•'