Book Review: The Other Madden by Brent Towns

The world’s most sporadic blogger is back.

My fiction writing has been keeping me busy, and I’m certainly not complaining. But I’ve decided to fire up the ol’ blog once more as I have a whole crop of reviews I’m excited to share.

And I’m proud to start with The Other Madden by Brent Towns.

The book centers on outlaw Trace Madden and his attempt to go straight. He’s in love with a good (and often hilarious) woman, and he wants to do right by her. Of course, there are complications starting with the murder of his brother. There’s also an evil land baron trying to claim the Madden Family ranch.

What we get is a straight-forward, old-fashioned western with plenty of grit and a dose of heart and humor. I particularly enjoyed the character of Trace’s mother. Ma has some hilarious lines and is a hoot throughout.

Brent Towns is my kind of writer. He doesn’t include a lot of filler. He offers gun-blazing tales with lots of action, and The Other Madden is no exception. There’s no filler here. This is a very lean story and it’s all the better for it.

Some of the story is told in first-person perspective through Trace's narration and some is told in the third. Brent handles the shifts pretty well and it didn’t take me long to get accustomed to the format.

Overall, the story is never dull, and it moves along at a very brisk clip. If you want lengthy exposition and reflective contemplation, look elsewhere. If you want a shoot ‘em up with likable characters and plenty of powder burned, give The Other Madden a shot. Solid 5 out of 5.

PS…Yes, the depiction of Trace on the cover is clearly modeled after John Wayne. Hey, if it’s good enough for the Duke then it’s good enough for me!