Skinning the Coyote
Nick McAnulty
Wicked House Publishing (September 30, 2023)
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy
Wow! McAnulty packed a massive tale into this book. Wanted outlaws, a disgraced Marshall and his deputy, stolen bank money, a card game turned into a saloon fight … You’re going to want to set aside a full afternoon or evening and have some snacks on hand for this one, people. This is the first western I’ve ever read and while, it’s more in the genre of a splatterpunk western, I’m liking what I’ve read. From page one the monster is racing out of the gate, but then it disappeared. I wondered when the monster was going to make another appearance and was disappointed when it didn’t for chapter after chapter, but then was entranced by well-rounded characters, so well-rounded they felt like real people I had grown up with my entire life. Their stories intertwined and the villains were dastardly, and I loved to hate them. And the creative death scenes. My, oh my! Were there some creative death scenes and plenty of blood to satisfy the thirstiest of any fiend reading this novel. Towards the end the monster makes its grand appearance and the story, which was already a runaway wagon with a broken axel accelerates into double time. An entire town is slaughtered. It’s left to two bad guys to duke it out for the final spot. Who will it be? The villain we’ve grown to feel affection for or the rottenest evil mastermind of them all. Buy the book and find out!
