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Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch #4
Blue-Eyed Devil
The extraordinary new Western from the New York Times - bestselling author, featuring itinerant lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch.
Law enforcement in Appaloosa had once been Virgil Cole and me. Now there was a chief of police and twelve policemen. Our third day back in town, the chief invited us to the office for a talk.
The new chief is Amos a tall, fat man in a derby hat, wearing a star on his vest and a big pearl-handled Colt inside his coat. An ambitious man with his eye on the governorship-and perhaps the presidency-he wants Cole and Hitch on his side. But they can't be bought, which upsets him mightily.
When Callico begins shaking down local merchants for protection money, those who don't want to play along seek the help of Cole and Hitch. But the guns for hire are thorns in the side of the power-hungry chief. When they are forced to fire on the trigger-happy son of a politically connected landowner, Callico sees his dream begin to crumble. There will be a showdown-but who'll be left standing?
Law enforcement in Appaloosa had once been Virgil Cole and me. Now there was a chief of police and twelve policemen. Our third day back in town, the chief invited us to the office for a talk.
The new chief is Amos a tall, fat man in a derby hat, wearing a star on his vest and a big pearl-handled Colt inside his coat. An ambitious man with his eye on the governorship-and perhaps the presidency-he wants Cole and Hitch on his side. But they can't be bought, which upsets him mightily.
When Callico begins shaking down local merchants for protection money, those who don't want to play along seek the help of Cole and Hitch. But the guns for hire are thorns in the side of the power-hungry chief. When they are forced to fire on the trigger-happy son of a politically connected landowner, Callico sees his dream begin to crumble. There will be a showdown-but who'll be left standing?
276 pages, Hardcover
First published May 4, 2010
About the author
Robert B. Parker
361 books2,204 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Robert B. Parker.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 412 reviews
March 30, 2018
A perfectly fine finish to Parker's portion of his Cole & Hitch western series.
This one finds the pair back in Appaloosa working as hired hands for a saloon that doesn't get the protection it needs from the local sheriff. This sheriff has aspirations well beyond this podunk town and there'll be trouble for anyone that gets in his way. Cole and Hitch get in his way.
I really wish Parker hadn't knocked off in the middle of this series or at least was around longer in order to write more. I mean, these aren't the best books ever written, but they're quick, enjoyable reads. This one included.
This one finds the pair back in Appaloosa working as hired hands for a saloon that doesn't get the protection it needs from the local sheriff. This sheriff has aspirations well beyond this podunk town and there'll be trouble for anyone that gets in his way. Cole and Hitch get in his way.
I really wish Parker hadn't knocked off in the middle of this series or at least was around longer in order to write more. I mean, these aren't the best books ever written, but they're quick, enjoyable reads. This one included.
May 5, 2020
This is a western. In an alternate universe, it would be called 'Historical Action Thriller.' Parker was a champ at this stuff, both contemporary detective stories and westerns. Here, all the classic western action: fast guns, saloon girls, renegade Indians, corrupt officials, greedy ranchers. Parker's signature style is super-heavy on dialogue; there's almost no narrative. But there's enough. Virgil Cole is basically the Clint Eastwood character from any of the spaghetti westerns of the late 60s: taciturn, deadly, fearless, and devoted to some weird code that requires him to risk his life and end others' if it seems right.
May 22, 2010
I'm a big fan of Robert B. Parker's early Virgil & Everett westerns (APPALOOSA,RESOLUTION, etc.) but the latest, BLUE EYED DEVIL, is Parker at his worst. For starters, it's hardly a book at all, more like a long short story fattened up with large fonts, three-page chapters, and lots of white space.
Professional gun hands Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch return to Appaloosa, the setting for the first (and best) book in the series and spend most of their time sitting on one porch or another sipping whiskey and talking about how smart, skilled, capable, and all around marvelous they are. Occasionally, they get up and shoot someone. The plotting is episodic, improvised, and often inept. For example, at one point, their old friend Pony Flores, a inscrutable and wise half-breed Indian, shows up on the run from the law with his silent brother but isn't worried about being caught because, like Virgil and Everett, he's so damn good.
"Anybody on your trail?" Virgil said.
Pony shook his head.
"Only man can track Pony Flores," he said, "is me."
"Good," Virgil said.
But a few pages later, the law shows up looking for him anyway. Virgil quizzes the trackers.
"What makes you think he's here?" Virgil said.
"Folks in Van Buren spotted them, couple weeks back, heading south. This is the next town."
Virgil nodded.
So Pony's brilliant, untrackable method for eluding pursuers is to go in a straight line from one town to the next, making sure that he's seen. But Virgil and Everett continue to regard Pony as a master tracker and eluder anyway.
An editor might have caught that bit of insipidness and, perhaps, also the half-dozen repetitions of the phrase "when the balloon goes up" throughout the book, but it's been a while since anybody has bothered editing Parker...and that disinterest and laziness continues even after his death.
Parker relies on all of his tropes in this book, repeating banter that I swear I've read in all of his books and lifting situations whole from previous entries in the series (for instance, once again Everett finds a sweet, warm-hearted, still beautiful hooker willing to have sex with him for free because she gets so hot hearing him talk about how competent and marvelous he and Virgil are)
Parker has succeeded in killing this series with his own disinterest the same way he did with the Jesse Stone books. Both series started out great and then he seemingly gave up making any effort, letting them become thinly-written and loosely conceived parodies of themselves. It's a sad thing to see and even more painful to read. At least it's over fast. I doubt BLUE EYED DEVIL is even 30,000 words.
I truly hope that the two upcoming SPENSER novels that Parker finished before his death are a return to form and not, as I fear, a sad coda to a once-great writer's career.
Professional gun hands Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch return to Appaloosa, the setting for the first (and best) book in the series and spend most of their time sitting on one porch or another sipping whiskey and talking about how smart, skilled, capable, and all around marvelous they are. Occasionally, they get up and shoot someone. The plotting is episodic, improvised, and often inept. For example, at one point, their old friend Pony Flores, a inscrutable and wise half-breed Indian, shows up on the run from the law with his silent brother but isn't worried about being caught because, like Virgil and Everett, he's so damn good.
"Anybody on your trail?" Virgil said.
Pony shook his head.
"Only man can track Pony Flores," he said, "is me."
"Good," Virgil said.
But a few pages later, the law shows up looking for him anyway. Virgil quizzes the trackers.
"What makes you think he's here?" Virgil said.
"Folks in Van Buren spotted them, couple weeks back, heading south. This is the next town."
Virgil nodded.
So Pony's brilliant, untrackable method for eluding pursuers is to go in a straight line from one town to the next, making sure that he's seen. But Virgil and Everett continue to regard Pony as a master tracker and eluder anyway.
An editor might have caught that bit of insipidness and, perhaps, also the half-dozen repetitions of the phrase "when the balloon goes up" throughout the book, but it's been a while since anybody has bothered editing Parker...and that disinterest and laziness continues even after his death.
Parker relies on all of his tropes in this book, repeating banter that I swear I've read in all of his books and lifting situations whole from previous entries in the series (for instance, once again Everett finds a sweet, warm-hearted, still beautiful hooker willing to have sex with him for free because she gets so hot hearing him talk about how competent and marvelous he and Virgil are)
Parker has succeeded in killing this series with his own disinterest the same way he did with the Jesse Stone books. Both series started out great and then he seemingly gave up making any effort, letting them become thinly-written and loosely conceived parodies of themselves. It's a sad thing to see and even more painful to read. At least it's over fast. I doubt BLUE EYED DEVIL is even 30,000 words.
I truly hope that the two upcoming SPENSER novels that Parker finished before his death are a return to form and not, as I fear, a sad coda to a once-great writer's career.
June 24, 2018
Hardback. Used library copy in more or less perfect condition.
Terse, brutal, pared to the bone. Raw and gutsy and painful.
I LOVE this author's writing.
Terse, brutal, pared to the bone. Raw and gutsy and painful.
I LOVE this author's writing.
December 21, 2010
Robert B. Parker writes like the kid who constantly shows up at art class without any of his own supplies – he relies on you to supply the pigments and pencils for color and shading. And that’s a good thing. In his sparse, economical way of writing, Parker more releases a story than tells it. It is left to our imaginations to dress and refine characters and settings. While this could lead to discontinuities and jarring transformations in the hands of a lesser writer, Parker’s narrative in “Blue-Eyed Devil” so embodies the classic Old West rhythms that we smell the saddle leather, hear the spin of spurs off the warping floorboards of the dry goods store and feel the worn-smooth cross bar of the hitching post long before we even enter town.
Robert B. Parker died last January, but it took nearly a year for his publishers to catch up with his prolific output. Perhaps not as wrenching as his last Spenser (“Painted Ladies”) published and reviewed here this past summer, saying good-bye to his Cole and Hitch stories, is just as bittersweet. The four-story arc centers on the recurring themes of greed and power versus frontier justice and law; owners of the land versus owners of the dream. This is the only installment in the series not named after a town -- Appaloosa, Resolution, Brimstone -- though it contains the strongest nod to the importance of place. While all four deal with the "right" of the commons versus the "power" of elite domination, the "Blue-Eyed Devil" moves from the search for where to settle to the understanding that any place -- dusty cow-town or ramshackle rail head or big city like New Orleans -- is what you make it. The question is not where but what. Here we see that the Blue-Eyed Devil is our own nature and the penchant we have for imposing our own evil where ever we are. To find a place truly worth living requires us to find our nature truly worth being.
Parker gives our travels with Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch better closure than the last Spenser on two counts. First, the story seems naturally to have run its course, whereas you feel that the last Spenser simply ended mid-sentence. And, second, with the story in many ways coming full circle – we see Kato & Rose, Pony Flores and Chauncey Teagarden join forces again – we have a sense that the author was at peace with his end and perhaps pleased that he left us with enough of our own paints for our own future unguided travels.
Robert B. Parker died last January, but it took nearly a year for his publishers to catch up with his prolific output. Perhaps not as wrenching as his last Spenser (“Painted Ladies”) published and reviewed here this past summer, saying good-bye to his Cole and Hitch stories, is just as bittersweet. The four-story arc centers on the recurring themes of greed and power versus frontier justice and law; owners of the land versus owners of the dream. This is the only installment in the series not named after a town -- Appaloosa, Resolution, Brimstone -- though it contains the strongest nod to the importance of place. While all four deal with the "right" of the commons versus the "power" of elite domination, the "Blue-Eyed Devil" moves from the search for where to settle to the understanding that any place -- dusty cow-town or ramshackle rail head or big city like New Orleans -- is what you make it. The question is not where but what. Here we see that the Blue-Eyed Devil is our own nature and the penchant we have for imposing our own evil where ever we are. To find a place truly worth living requires us to find our nature truly worth being.
Parker gives our travels with Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch better closure than the last Spenser on two counts. First, the story seems naturally to have run its course, whereas you feel that the last Spenser simply ended mid-sentence. And, second, with the story in many ways coming full circle – we see Kato & Rose, Pony Flores and Chauncey Teagarden join forces again – we have a sense that the author was at peace with his end and perhaps pleased that he left us with enough of our own paints for our own future unguided travels.
June 6, 2014
Howdy....spits into spittoon y'all ready fer another good action yarn based on the mythology of the American west. This here...well, these here books are built purty heavily on the mythology of the gunfighter. The stranger who rides in...puts everything a'right with his six-gun...then rides away...usually into the sunset.
Virgil Cole is that character (as is Everett Hitch). These are really well written westerns with filled out characters and actually well thought out plots. I like them.
The actual model for the walk-down shootout was a gunfight in which Bill (James Butler) Hickock participated. He lost a poker game and gave the other player his watch as security, but warned him that if he carried it (thus bragging he'd beaten Hickock) he'd kill him. The next morning the two men met in the street, walked toward each other, pulled and fired. Hickock won.
Davis Tutt died.
There are actually few recorded instances of actual one on one shootout gunfights. Many of the ones we do know about involved two men firing multiple shots and not hitting each other. Still the "old west walk-down" has become the picture we have of the western hero. I dare say many who read this will still remember the opening of the long running dramatic TV series Gunsmoke as Marshal Matt Dillon stands for a shootout at the opening of the show.
I know as a kid I did it many, many times with my cap gun.
So Virgil and Everett are classic gun fighters. They have their own code and won't violate it. The story continues to grow here as they sort of "close the circle" going back to the town where the story with Allie began. The town of Appaloosa.
Add in a feud over who's going to run the town, some renegade "Indians" (yes I know "native Americans, but this is a western and they were called Indians then....there's also another word that shows up here not as a slur but because it was used then). The action boils over into violence here (again) as both sides gather gun-hands for the final showdown. Some characters we've seen before show up here and as noted action ensues.
I like these...I guess you got that. Recommended, enjoy.
Virgil Cole is that character (as is Everett Hitch). These are really well written westerns with filled out characters and actually well thought out plots. I like them.
The actual model for the walk-down shootout was a gunfight in which Bill (James Butler) Hickock participated. He lost a poker game and gave the other player his watch as security, but warned him that if he carried it (thus bragging he'd beaten Hickock) he'd kill him. The next morning the two men met in the street, walked toward each other, pulled and fired. Hickock won.
Davis Tutt died.
There are actually few recorded instances of actual one on one shootout gunfights. Many of the ones we do know about involved two men firing multiple shots and not hitting each other. Still the "old west walk-down" has become the picture we have of the western hero. I dare say many who read this will still remember the opening of the long running dramatic TV series Gunsmoke as Marshal Matt Dillon stands for a shootout at the opening of the show.
I know as a kid I did it many, many times with my cap gun.
So Virgil and Everett are classic gun fighters. They have their own code and won't violate it. The story continues to grow here as they sort of "close the circle" going back to the town where the story with Allie began. The town of Appaloosa.
Add in a feud over who's going to run the town, some renegade "Indians" (yes I know "native Americans, but this is a western and they were called Indians then....there's also another word that shows up here not as a slur but because it was used then). The action boils over into violence here (again) as both sides gather gun-hands for the final showdown. Some characters we've seen before show up here and as noted action ensues.
I like these...I guess you got that. Recommended, enjoy.
May 24, 2012
I am so disappointed...that the series has ended! I started reading this on a whim, as I don't even like westerns a little bit. However I got several Parker rec's and somehow ended up bringing this series home...and loved it. I found out during this time that Parker had died as well, I wished I had discovered him sooner.
Hitch & Cole return to the begining by heading back to Appaloossa. Along the way they protect some wronged people and of course make some powerful enimies along the way. I enjoyed Teagarden and the return of Pony, cato & Rose, and the sense of honor that might go overlooked by their talents. Once again the plot was nothing new, but the story is a fast paced ride through the old west. Not much time spent describing scenery or other details that I might normally desire in a novel. I didn't really miss it, and that lended to the more action paced book that ensued.
I am so upset that this series is done...I am not sure if I will ever find another western that appeals to me, that alone will make this book stand out in my mind.
Hitch & Cole return to the begining by heading back to Appaloossa. Along the way they protect some wronged people and of course make some powerful enimies along the way. I enjoyed Teagarden and the return of Pony, cato & Rose, and the sense of honor that might go overlooked by their talents. Once again the plot was nothing new, but the story is a fast paced ride through the old west. Not much time spent describing scenery or other details that I might normally desire in a novel. I didn't really miss it, and that lended to the more action paced book that ensued.
I am so upset that this series is done...I am not sure if I will ever find another western that appeals to me, that alone will make this book stand out in my mind.
March 12, 2021
Suppose I am a little sad. This was the last in the series before Robert Parker died. While the conversations between Virgil and Everette are classic. There was always enough action to read these books like I was eating chocolate. It never lasts long enough. The Blue-eyed devils are a reference to white persons as classified by the Apache. I am not sure if I want to read the series further because another author has stepped in.
March 5, 2023
This is the last of the series written by Parker. The series continues, but with another author as Parker died. I have no urge to continue with this series under another author. The books were fun and easy to read. I am looking forward to reading his Spencer series.
August 17, 2010
I am grateful that this is Parker's LAST BOOK (barring the discovery of some unknown manuscript!)
First, the good-- Parker does manage to capture the FEEL of the Old West and old west tough guys. It isn't a lot different from his Spenser novels, but he's got it down pat.
Virgil and Everett are FANTASTIC characters, tough as nails, and have more brass than Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday. Everett's 8 gauge shotgun is an impressive street howitzer and adds to the reader's understanding of these two gunmen's ability to stay alive.
I enjoy the characterization of Allie, Virgil's woman (not wife) who is always looking for a way to climb out of her brothel-based past and into the social graces of the "fine folk" (who usually aren't so fine) in town. Laurel, a young girl, traumatized by gang rape, leans on Virgil and won't speak aloud to anyone except Virgil.
A former Civil War General is introduced and turns out to be a fascinating character.
Now the bad--
In his attempt to capture the feel of the old west, Parker continues to forget (or fail to comprehend) that the "F" word was not used nearly as much in the Old West as it is today. It is amazing that he can capture Old Time speech patterns and turns of phrase so well and then drop an "F" bomb in the middle of it.
Maybe this was written in a ruch because the author was ill. The title refers to the White Man and the author tried to tell a White man vs. Indian story and then dovetailed back into a remake of the previous novels. The story becomes a conflict over who is going to control the town. Then suddenly, the conflict erupts and a chapter later it is over. The conflict comes to a head very quickly and is resolved so quickly as to provide very little real satisfaction.
Still, the characters made this one a worthwhile read. Virgil, who learns two or three fancy new words per book and tries to apply them properly. Everett, a more dedicated sidekick never existed. The Chief of Police (forget the name) a fat derby-wearing gunman with gubenatorial and presidential aspirations. Virgil is tight-lipped and stubborn. Everett looks at things from a West Point education. Even the bodaciously dressed bad guys are fun.
I suppose someone else might pick up this series (which would be really cool) and keep Virgil and Everett cleaning up the old west-- including the language.. {grin}
First, the good-- Parker does manage to capture the FEEL of the Old West and old west tough guys. It isn't a lot different from his Spenser novels, but he's got it down pat.
Virgil and Everett are FANTASTIC characters, tough as nails, and have more brass than Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday. Everett's 8 gauge shotgun is an impressive street howitzer and adds to the reader's understanding of these two gunmen's ability to stay alive.
I enjoy the characterization of Allie, Virgil's woman (not wife) who is always looking for a way to climb out of her brothel-based past and into the social graces of the "fine folk" (who usually aren't so fine) in town. Laurel, a young girl, traumatized by gang rape, leans on Virgil and won't speak aloud to anyone except Virgil.
A former Civil War General is introduced and turns out to be a fascinating character.
Now the bad--
In his attempt to capture the feel of the old west, Parker continues to forget (or fail to comprehend) that the "F" word was not used nearly as much in the Old West as it is today. It is amazing that he can capture Old Time speech patterns and turns of phrase so well and then drop an "F" bomb in the middle of it.
Maybe this was written in a ruch because the author was ill. The title refers to the White Man and the author tried to tell a White man vs. Indian story and then dovetailed back into a remake of the previous novels. The story becomes a conflict over who is going to control the town. Then suddenly, the conflict erupts and a chapter later it is over. The conflict comes to a head very quickly and is resolved so quickly as to provide very little real satisfaction.
Still, the characters made this one a worthwhile read. Virgil, who learns two or three fancy new words per book and tries to apply them properly. Everett, a more dedicated sidekick never existed. The Chief of Police (forget the name) a fat derby-wearing gunman with gubenatorial and presidential aspirations. Virgil is tight-lipped and stubborn. Everett looks at things from a West Point education. Even the bodaciously dressed bad guys are fun.
I suppose someone else might pick up this series (which would be really cool) and keep Virgil and Everett cleaning up the old west-- including the language.. {grin}
December 1, 2011
This is not a novel, though it pretends to be. Books in most novel series were once fairly independent from each other. Readers could join the series anywhere. Either the past did not matter, or if it did, the author would tell readers what they needed to know to understand the present. This seems to have changed.
In this book, perhaps best described as the later chapters of a serial despite the words “a novel,” on the cover, we meet a number of established characters. Parker does not bother to reestablish some of them for new readers. If you have read the previous books and remember the backstories of these characters, you will do fine with this book. If not, quite frankly, a number of the characters who show-up to lend a hand then drift away only to show-up later to lend the other hand then drift away will seem like cheating plot devices. This book is a bit like turning on a episode of, say, the TV series 24 around episode 18 character-wise, yet beginning with a whole new story.
That is slightly a complaint, but mostly a meditation and also a context for evaluating the story which begins here with episode 18. It is rather good. A bit episodic, it is true. The book does not so much have a begging, middle and an end as it does a resumption, three middles, and an end, but the middles and the end are fairly satisfying. The writing is brisk, compellingly readable, and Parker’s greatest gift is his dialog. He still should eliminate the last sentence of most chapters in most of his books, but the last sentences here are not as annoying as they are in his Spenser books.
Two extra notes: Except in some of his Spenser books, Parker constant theme is a man involved with the wrong woman or a woman involved with the wrong man. That is true in this book with a couple of women. There is a brief reference to Lady Macbeth in this one. The two notes are not unrelated.
In this book, perhaps best described as the later chapters of a serial despite the words “a novel,” on the cover, we meet a number of established characters. Parker does not bother to reestablish some of them for new readers. If you have read the previous books and remember the backstories of these characters, you will do fine with this book. If not, quite frankly, a number of the characters who show-up to lend a hand then drift away only to show-up later to lend the other hand then drift away will seem like cheating plot devices. This book is a bit like turning on a episode of, say, the TV series 24 around episode 18 character-wise, yet beginning with a whole new story.
That is slightly a complaint, but mostly a meditation and also a context for evaluating the story which begins here with episode 18. It is rather good. A bit episodic, it is true. The book does not so much have a begging, middle and an end as it does a resumption, three middles, and an end, but the middles and the end are fairly satisfying. The writing is brisk, compellingly readable, and Parker’s greatest gift is his dialog. He still should eliminate the last sentence of most chapters in most of his books, but the last sentences here are not as annoying as they are in his Spenser books.
Two extra notes: Except in some of his Spenser books, Parker constant theme is a man involved with the wrong woman or a woman involved with the wrong man. That is true in this book with a couple of women. There is a brief reference to Lady Macbeth in this one. The two notes are not unrelated.
March 16, 2020
Generally speaking, I enjoy the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch novels. The writing style is easy going. The books are short and are a breeze to read. More often than not, the plots are compelling as well. Those elements are all present in Blue-Eyed Devil. Cole and Hitch are back in Appaloosa but this time they find themselves on the opposite side of the law since the new chief of police is an amoral, power hungry man named Amos Calico. Although, they don’t specifically try to oppose him, it becomes clear as the novel progresses that they will ultimately wind up on opposite sides of the gun barrel.
Although I generally liked this novel, there were some shortcomings. Allie continues to be a very unlikeable character. The bigger issue is that Cole and Hitch are almost like superheroes. They don’t have any actual super powers but they are so highly skilled with guns, that they achieve their goals with any real difficulty. In this case, the deck was stacked against them numbers wise, and they came up with a good plan, but they still prevailed without breaking much of a sweat. That’s the real downfall of these novels. I know how it’s going to end, and it’s never too difficult for them when it gets down to a gunfight, and it always ultimately does. If you like the series, you’ll like this novel, but there is a little something that’s lacking.
Carl Alves – author of The Invocation
Although I generally liked this novel, there were some shortcomings. Allie continues to be a very unlikeable character. The bigger issue is that Cole and Hitch are almost like superheroes. They don’t have any actual super powers but they are so highly skilled with guns, that they achieve their goals with any real difficulty. In this case, the deck was stacked against them numbers wise, and they came up with a good plan, but they still prevailed without breaking much of a sweat. That’s the real downfall of these novels. I know how it’s going to end, and it’s never too difficult for them when it gets down to a gunfight, and it always ultimately does. If you like the series, you’ll like this novel, but there is a little something that’s lacking.
Carl Alves – author of The Invocation
December 18, 2010
Blue-Eyed devil (Robert B. Parker)
Western/Suspense. I normally do not read this genre, but I saw the name Robert B. Parker and had to try it. I did like the story but i think i will stick to Parker in his suspense novels. There were quite a few characters and the story got a bit confusing. To me it seemed a bit predictable. Maybe if I had read the other two previous novels in this series, I may have enjoyed it more. Being a die hard Parker fan, I will try his other two in the Virgil Cole/Everett Hirch series.
Western/Suspense. I normally do not read this genre, but I saw the name Robert B. Parker and had to try it. I did like the story but i think i will stick to Parker in his suspense novels. There were quite a few characters and the story got a bit confusing. To me it seemed a bit predictable. Maybe if I had read the other two previous novels in this series, I may have enjoyed it more. Being a die hard Parker fan, I will try his other two in the Virgil Cole/Everett Hirch series.
February 5, 2013
Adequate, just not as good as some of his other westerns with the same cast of characters. 6 of 10 stars
March 3, 2020
While the series continues after this book, Blue-Eyed Devil is Parker's last piece of it due to his untimely death. For a writer, it was one of the best ways to go imaginable: he died at his writing desk. Parker left behind several series, and the Western adventures of Cole & Hitch was the newest and most different from his other, modern-era works. I always wondered if this was the same world as the Spenser books, and I don't know that the question has ever been answered.
Cole and Hitch return to Appaloosa, the scene of their first adventure (which was made into a pretty good movie). It's a classic Western with Parker's fantastic style and action. The main story revolves around the Old West trope of "This town ain't big enough..." Our heroes hire on as security at a local saloon, since the sheriff isn't really doing his job. The man with the badge has ideas about his future, and he isn't too picky about what happens to people along the way.
Cole and Hitch, and a few other returning faces, end up going up against the very ambitious lawman and his crew in a fight for the town. As usual, if the bad guys had left our heroes alone, they'd probably have done ok, and they just weren't smart enough to do that. Cole and Hitch have impressive reputations at this point, and they are well-earned. It's great seeing them in action again.
A damn good addition to a great Western series. If you're a fan of six-guns and horses, you really need to read these books.
Cole and Hitch return to Appaloosa, the scene of their first adventure (which was made into a pretty good movie). It's a classic Western with Parker's fantastic style and action. The main story revolves around the Old West trope of "This town ain't big enough..." Our heroes hire on as security at a local saloon, since the sheriff isn't really doing his job. The man with the badge has ideas about his future, and he isn't too picky about what happens to people along the way.
Cole and Hitch, and a few other returning faces, end up going up against the very ambitious lawman and his crew in a fight for the town. As usual, if the bad guys had left our heroes alone, they'd probably have done ok, and they just weren't smart enough to do that. Cole and Hitch have impressive reputations at this point, and they are well-earned. It's great seeing them in action again.
A damn good addition to a great Western series. If you're a fan of six-guns and horses, you really need to read these books.
April 29, 2023
Decent send-off
Despite possibly being a premature conclusion due to Parker's passing, this made for a fun, at times unexpectedly moving, mostly satisfying wrapup for Cole and Hitch, even somewhat bringing things full circle. Only slight sense of wear around the edges, suggesting that the series might have peaked with the third entry, but overall it was nice to send the boys off on a high note.
* - Yes, I'm aware that another author continued the series after this, but that's always a crapshoot, especially for a series where a distinctive authorial voice was such a large part of the draw, and not with a favorable hit or miss ratio. We'll see.
Despite possibly being a premature conclusion due to Parker's passing, this made for a fun, at times unexpectedly moving, mostly satisfying wrapup for Cole and Hitch, even somewhat bringing things full circle. Only slight sense of wear around the edges, suggesting that the series might have peaked with the third entry, but overall it was nice to send the boys off on a high note.
* - Yes, I'm aware that another author continued the series after this, but that's always a crapshoot, especially for a series where a distinctive authorial voice was such a large part of the draw, and not with a favorable hit or miss ratio. We'll see.
September 13, 2018
Parker's books on Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are a great unguilty pleasure of mine. This is one of the better books, too. It has a more complicated plot than usual which added to both the length and my pleasure. Why do I like these books so? Certainly the plots are usually more on the simple side, and the characters, as well.
My enjoyment of the read centers on the friendship between the two main characters and their constant laconic and pithy discourse. In this 4th book their philosophical dialogue ranges between the ironic switch of good and bad roles, the feelings around killing, love, and much more. All presented in a sparse, sometimes humorous exchange between the two. I love these two! It may not be great literature, but it is among the most fun.
My enjoyment of the read centers on the friendship between the two main characters and their constant laconic and pithy discourse. In this 4th book their philosophical dialogue ranges between the ironic switch of good and bad roles, the feelings around killing, love, and much more. All presented in a sparse, sometimes humorous exchange between the two. I love these two! It may not be great literature, but it is among the most fun.
January 5, 2022
I breezed through this in 3 days, which is actually a long time for a book this easy and short. The writing style is nothing exciting, and at times even a little too simple, and the plot itself was super similar to the sequels in the series. The characters are exactly the same, almost without showing any growth and don't do anything surprising or peculiar in this book. All in all, it was okay, and I liked it, but it's very predictable and a little dull, even.
May 5, 2020
I liked it well enough but it doesn't seem like a whole lot happened. I kinda feel like someone was reading a book aloud and I occasionally walked though the room and got a little taste of a bigger story.
December 20, 2019
This was the last Virgil Cole, Everett Hitch book that Robert B. Parker wrote before he died. I know Robert Knott continues the series, but I kinda think Parker would be okay if this book were to be the last. I like where the story line ended for all the characters.
December 31, 2011
This is the fourth, and last, installment in the western series of novels featuring gunslingers Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, written by Robert B. Parker. Parker, who wrote dozens of novels since 1973 until his death at age 77, tended to produce frequent, at least annual, installments in his various series of books, of which Cole/Hitch is the newest franchise. His Spenser detective series of books is his most famous. His Jesse Stone detective series is also very popular, thanks at least in part to the adaptation of the title character in several television movies starring Tom Selleck as the title character. I've read that writers have been contracted to continue producing books in the Spenser and Jesse Stone franchises.
"Blue Eyed Devil" brings Cole and Hitch back to the now-thriving town of Appaloosa, where the series began in the novel of the same name. Their saga continued after "Appaloosa" with adventures in "Resolution" and "Brimstone". In the first of the four novels, they took the job of lawmen to drive the scourge of bad guys from Appaloosa. Now, they are civilians in the same town, which is run by a police chief named Amos Callico, who uses his position to enrich himself in a protection racket for the local businesses while he establishes the financial base to get into statewide, and further, nationwide politics. Cole and Hitch stay with Cole's complicated girlfriend Allie in the home Cole built in "Appaloosa" while they get the lay of the land, after being gone for a while.
All kinds of new, dangerous predicaments start to gel as the two gunslingers choose sides among various factions vying for dominance in the town. Callico wants to co-opt them by offering them positions on his police force, but they don't like the Chief's style, even though they know rejecting his offer will probably turn him into a dangerous enemy. More danger develops when they really get on the bad side of the most powerful rancher in the area, General Laird. Then there is their old friend, Pony Flores, part Mexican, part Chiricahua Apache, traveling with his full-blooded Chiricahua brother Kha-to-nay. Pony understands how to navigate both the white and the Apache worlds, but his brother has nothing but contempt for the Blue-Eyed Devils. Kha-to-nay is already wanted for killing an Indian agent and robbing a train, and soon will top those exploits, and require Pony, Cole and Hitch into taking sides in another armed conflict involving the town's safety.
Most of this, and more, begins to take shape in the book's first chapters. Parker never stops the action, always punctuated with the characters' clever, spare banter. These guys don't say much, because backing up each other in dangerous gun work over a period of years allows them to understand exactly what each is communicating with a minimum of words or gestures. Their more profound reflections would follow the pattern of this interaction with the chief:
'"You know why he killed Bragg?" Callico said to Virgil.
"Bragg come at him with a gun," Virgil said.
"Why?"
"Have to ask Bragg," Virgil said.
"Bragg's dead," Callico said.
"So he is," Virgil said.' (p. 4).
It's a shame this series will end after a short number of titles to its name, due to being introduced within a few years of Robert B. Parker's death in 2010. However, they add to Parker's rich legacy of writing as well as adding a new dimension to the realm of Western literature.
"Blue Eyed Devil" brings Cole and Hitch back to the now-thriving town of Appaloosa, where the series began in the novel of the same name. Their saga continued after "Appaloosa" with adventures in "Resolution" and "Brimstone". In the first of the four novels, they took the job of lawmen to drive the scourge of bad guys from Appaloosa. Now, they are civilians in the same town, which is run by a police chief named Amos Callico, who uses his position to enrich himself in a protection racket for the local businesses while he establishes the financial base to get into statewide, and further, nationwide politics. Cole and Hitch stay with Cole's complicated girlfriend Allie in the home Cole built in "Appaloosa" while they get the lay of the land, after being gone for a while.
All kinds of new, dangerous predicaments start to gel as the two gunslingers choose sides among various factions vying for dominance in the town. Callico wants to co-opt them by offering them positions on his police force, but they don't like the Chief's style, even though they know rejecting his offer will probably turn him into a dangerous enemy. More danger develops when they really get on the bad side of the most powerful rancher in the area, General Laird. Then there is their old friend, Pony Flores, part Mexican, part Chiricahua Apache, traveling with his full-blooded Chiricahua brother Kha-to-nay. Pony understands how to navigate both the white and the Apache worlds, but his brother has nothing but contempt for the Blue-Eyed Devils. Kha-to-nay is already wanted for killing an Indian agent and robbing a train, and soon will top those exploits, and require Pony, Cole and Hitch into taking sides in another armed conflict involving the town's safety.
Most of this, and more, begins to take shape in the book's first chapters. Parker never stops the action, always punctuated with the characters' clever, spare banter. These guys don't say much, because backing up each other in dangerous gun work over a period of years allows them to understand exactly what each is communicating with a minimum of words or gestures. Their more profound reflections would follow the pattern of this interaction with the chief:
'"You know why he killed Bragg?" Callico said to Virgil.
"Bragg come at him with a gun," Virgil said.
"Why?"
"Have to ask Bragg," Virgil said.
"Bragg's dead," Callico said.
"So he is," Virgil said.' (p. 4).
It's a shame this series will end after a short number of titles to its name, due to being introduced within a few years of Robert B. Parker's death in 2010. However, they add to Parker's rich legacy of writing as well as adding a new dimension to the realm of Western literature.
April 17, 2010
Sometimes whan an author has churned-out as many books as the beloved late Robert B. Parker has written, we're a bit skeptical to crack-open the newest book fearing disappointment. Fortunately Parker's fans can rest easy. His new book BLUE-EYED DEVIL is a fun, quick-paced entertaining read. Those who have read the Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch series will recognize the book's setting——the old western town of Appaloosa. Once again Parker brings the characters alive with lots of old Wild West action brewing between two Western lawmen and their rival. The rival in this story is Chief Calico....who has twelve people working for him. Calico is a power hungry ambitious politician. When Virgil's "Breed" friend, Pony (half Chiricahua and half Mexican who believes that Blue-Eyed Devils don't always speak from their hearts) asks Virgil if he things Calico lies——Virgil answers: "How I knows he's politician". Calico aims his sites high. He'll get elected sheriff of Appaloosa. And then, later, he'll go to Congress and go back to be a governor, and one day he'll be President of the United States. The only thing standing in the middle of the road between Calico and the oval office is Virgil Cole.
Virgil and Everett want to sit on their porch. Drink a little whiskey. Play some cards. But, a notorious gunslinger rides into town with other ideas for Virgil and his sidekick, Hitch———the big fella with an eight-gauge shotgun.
It's not a deep book. It's a simple story with a common theme about the relationship between two men and a series of Wild West action in Appaloosa.
Virgil and Everett want to sit on their porch. Drink a little whiskey. Play some cards. But, a notorious gunslinger rides into town with other ideas for Virgil and his sidekick, Hitch———the big fella with an eight-gauge shotgun.
It's not a deep book. It's a simple story with a common theme about the relationship between two men and a series of Wild West action in Appaloosa.
September 17, 2016
I laughed my way through the four Hitch and Cole novels, including this one. Parker simply took the Spenser / Hawk formula and moved it into the old west. Hitch is Hawk, although he's the narrator, unlike the Spenser novels; Cole is Spenser; and Allie is the dreadful Susan Silverman. Yes, there are some slight differences, but the formula is the same: The macho code of honor; terse, four word sentences that express all kinds of subtext; and a completely undeserving woman whom the protagonist is completely gaga over, in spite of the fact that she's a narcissistic bitch!
It's hilarious, and it's also great reading.
I guess it would take a psychologist to analyze Parker's formula. It's the same in the Spenser novels, the Jesse Stone novels, and the Hitch and Cole westerns. The heroes are stoic and violent; the bad guys are just plain bad; and the women are manipulative yet helpless, so they need to be rescued by a man.
The big departure for Parker was the Sunny Randall books, where he was writing from a female standpoint. Sunny is a strong, autonomous woman. But even in those books, Sunny relies on her gay bruiser friend Butch and her ex husband Richie. The men are always the ones who get the job done.
I'm not condoning or condemning Parker's approach. He's a great storyteller. I'm just pointing out that his books are invariably male-oriented.
I'll leave it to the sociologists to analyze what he did.
It's hilarious, and it's also great reading.
I guess it would take a psychologist to analyze Parker's formula. It's the same in the Spenser novels, the Jesse Stone novels, and the Hitch and Cole westerns. The heroes are stoic and violent; the bad guys are just plain bad; and the women are manipulative yet helpless, so they need to be rescued by a man.
The big departure for Parker was the Sunny Randall books, where he was writing from a female standpoint. Sunny is a strong, autonomous woman. But even in those books, Sunny relies on her gay bruiser friend Butch and her ex husband Richie. The men are always the ones who get the job done.
I'm not condoning or condemning Parker's approach. He's a great storyteller. I'm just pointing out that his books are invariably male-oriented.
I'll leave it to the sociologists to analyze what he did.
February 21, 2023
Cole and Hitch are back in Appaloosa. Allison and Laurel are with them. They are hired to ride shotgun at a saloon. Appaloosa now has a chief of police named Amos Callico. Calico has dreams of being sheriff, then governor and finally, President one day. Callico only does his job when local owners pay him an extra fee, so they band together and hire Cole and Hitch instead.
A local hothead named Nick Laird, draws on Cole one night. Cole kills him. Laird‘s father is a former confederate general. He hires a man to kill Cole
Pony Flores and his half-brother arrive in town. His brother is a wanted criminal. He’s being chased by Pinkertons. Cole lets them hide on his land, but they eventually move to Resolution.
Pony’s brother gathers up men from the nearby reservation and attacks the town of Appaloosa one night burning every building to the ground. He also takes Lauren hostage and holds a knife to her throat. Pony then has to make a decision.
Appaloosa rebuilds, and Callico gets it into his head that the town now needs a mayor, and that it should be him. General Laird decides to run against him.
There is more violence. Many horses and men die.
This was a short read, and like his others a good one.
A local hothead named Nick Laird, draws on Cole one night. Cole kills him. Laird‘s father is a former confederate general. He hires a man to kill Cole
Pony Flores and his half-brother arrive in town. His brother is a wanted criminal. He’s being chased by Pinkertons. Cole lets them hide on his land, but they eventually move to Resolution.
Pony’s brother gathers up men from the nearby reservation and attacks the town of Appaloosa one night burning every building to the ground. He also takes Lauren hostage and holds a knife to her throat. Pony then has to make a decision.
Appaloosa rebuilds, and Callico gets it into his head that the town now needs a mayor, and that it should be him. General Laird decides to run against him.
There is more violence. Many horses and men die.
This was a short read, and like his others a good one.
June 6, 2010
I am not usually a fan of traditional western novels but I do enjoy Parker's Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch series. If you have read the earlier novels in the series, this is more of the same - a good western story that moves along quickly with bad guys you love to hate and an engaging dialog between Cole and Hitch. I love the relationship that Cole and Hitch have and that's what really makes these books work for me. This time the boys are back in the Town of Appaloosa and the new lawman, Amos Callico, and a dozen thug deputies are in control of the town. None of this sits well with our heroes. There are plenty of plot lines to keep the story interesting. There are the Apaches who are planning an attack on the town, and then there is this stranger who arrives in town. Fans of Robert B. Parker should enjoy his last ride with Virgil and Everett.
September 28, 2015
I really enjoyed the first book of the series, but this installment felt very disjointed. Blue-Eyed Devil just wasn't up to par with the previous books in this series The action went from zero to ninety in the span of a sentence. I had to back up a couple of times to see if I'd missed some clue to the pending confrontation. It didn't help matters that the narrator was deadpan during these transitions, too.
Despite the obvious problems, I really like Virgil and Everett. I was also thrilled to see Pony and Laurel get together. These intriguing characters will keep me from bailing on the series...yet. I do hope the next book is an improvement,
Despite the obvious problems, I really like Virgil and Everett. I was also thrilled to see Pony and Laurel get together. These intriguing characters will keep me from bailing on the series...yet. I do hope the next book is an improvement,
April 13, 2010
Blue Eyed Devil is a fast paced read its a story about two old lawmen versus the new lawman in town, except the new lawman has policemen, and wants to become president some day. so he is trying to get the other two too leave town . At times its a bit confusing especially when they mention New Orleans and Chicago, and than their is an indian raid on the town. sometimes its like the old west other times not.. .the story line was easy to follow though. .
June 25, 2010
The last of the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch series...with Parker's passing I'm afraid that this will be it unless the estate can franchise it...Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are the equivilants to Spenser and Hawk, but in the 1880s...its amazing how Parker can push the plots of both series with lots of "yeps and nopes"!!!
August 30, 2010
i miss robert parker...
April 11, 2024
A thoroughly entertaining finale to Robert B. Parker’s ‘Everett and Cole’ series. Loved it!! So sorry to lose you Mr Parker - thanks so much for your writing – I’ve enjoyed it all.
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