My Two Cents (Book Review): DEVIL'S FORK by D.L. Winchester

In "Devil's Fork" by D.L. Winchester, female gunslinger Aggie is on her own in the world, following the brutal death of her father at the hands of some nefarious outlaws. (The events leading up to this are chronicled in "The Screaming House," but you don't have to have read that book to follow what's going on in "Devil's Fork." It's a standalone sequel that gives all the background information you need along the way.)

"Devil's Fork" opens with Aggie seeking shelter in a cave during the midst of a torrential downpour. While there, she meets a fellow traveler who introduces himself as "Padre." He's a man of the cloth, and Aggie, who's still mourning her father, takes an instant shine to him. When they discover a mysterious shaft at the back of the cave, Aggie goes to investigate, leaving Padre behind to watch their horses and gear. Aggie soon discovers the shaft leads pretty literally into the bowels of hell, and even though she manages to escape, she's chased back to the surface by a horde of bloodthirsty demons who snatch up the good Padre, chase off the horses, and pretty much leave Aggie high and dry. Thus she resolves to hunt down the hellspawn and rescue her new friend, and to do so, she must travel to the mysterious Devil's Fork, where she learns the residents have all bartered their souls, and anyone unlucky enough to step foot in town soon lives to regret it. Together with Gabriel, an idealistic monk fresh from the abbey who also wants to rescue Padre, Aggie rides to the rescue, guns blazing, and the devil literally hot on her heels.

This was a fun and a fast read, a lively mix between "The Quick and the Dead" and "The Exorcist." Winchester draws upon all the classic Western tropes and turns them handily on their ears. There's plenty of gunplay and gore to go around, and the action is interspersed with flashback scenes between Aggie and her father, tender moments that lend insight into the close-knit bond the two of them shared. You walk into the story knowing Aggie's going to come out ahead, just like you always knew Clint Eastwood's characters would ride off into the sunset, but that doesn't spoil the ending. If anything, it makes you look forward to whatever adventures Winchester dreams up for Aggie next.

"Devil's Fork" is available July 18 from Undertaker Books.