Well written period piece, family saga, set in the southwest during the 19th and early 20th century. I liked the detailed depictions of range life and life on the frontier. ( )

This is one of my favorite books for 2012. I am going to jump on the second in the series as soon as it comes out! ( )

There are too few great Western novels, so I am glad to discover Michael McGarrity’s Hard Country. It begins with ruthless urgency with the death in childbirth of John Kerney’s wife Mary Alice and the murder of his brother and nephew by rustlers. His son Patrick is sent off in the care of his newly bereaved aunt Ida while John Kerney heads off in search of work and revenge.

However, never fear, this is no Outlaw Josey Wales or Revenant. This is not a revenge story, it’s a family story. John lives the cowboy life, traveling from ranch to ranch. His calm good sense earns him friends and respect that reward him all his life. One of them is Cal Doran with whom he buys a ranch while sending letters trying to track down his son who was left in the hands of a doctor and his wife after his sister-in-law died.

This is a story about ranching, about settling New Mexico, about the history of the West. It is rich in texture, with interesting secondary characters as well. I have an old leather-bound copy of Log of a Cowboy and Hard Country has that kind of authenticity.

In Hard Country, we get to know three generations of Kerneys. There is John, his son Patrick whose indomitable wife Emma is an inspiration, and Patrick and Emma’s sons C.J. and Matt. The story begins shortly after the Civil War and ends during World War One.

Hard Country is the first in a three-part family saga following the Kerney family, the ancestors of Kevin Kerney, the main character in a detective series I am adding to my For Later Shelf at the library. I have not read any of the Kevin Kerney novels and that has not been an impediment to being completely engrossed.

I liked Hard Country very much and am eager to read the sequels Backlands and The Last Ranch, which will be released May 17th. There is a strong sense of place, the ranch is a character as hard and enduring as the Kerneys. The author writes with subtly about the relationships between whites and Mexicans and the Apaches. One of the best things, though, is the people are by and large likable. Even the one who can be stupid and self-sabotaging, they are still likable. I cared about them, I cried with them and look forward to the next part of their journey.

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/04/22/hard-country-by-michael-m... ( )

One of the books for the 2016 Reading Challenge had to be at least 600 pages. Although this large print version was longer than that, the regular version has 624 pages.
Synopsis: Life in the west was hard, particularly for people trying to start ranches of farms. It was not surprising that James Kerney lost his wife in childbirth; that his brother and nephew were killed by rustlers was also not surprising. These two events frame the future of the Kerney family, producing three generations of stoic, yet responsible ranchers who value the land, their families, and their friends. The timeline of their story stretches from the Civil War to World War I, and although this shapes the characters, it isn't central to the tale.
Review: This book is the backstory for the Kevin Kerney mystery series and while there are several crimes committed, it is focused on the family rather than on the mysteries. Though it is well written with sharp characterization and descriptive settings, it is a traditional western with no surprises in the telling of the tale. The ending reminds me of the papers written by school children in which they simply put a period to the end of a sentence followed by 'The End', thoroughly unsatisfying. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Set in New Mexico at the end of the 19th century, the author has produced a fantastic history of the region. I have read many other books from this author, but found this book and hopefully the subsequent in the series to be wonderfully researched and a great read. I am really looking forward to the next two in the trilogy!! ( )