From Booklist
A Canadian teenager encounters road agents, roving Apaches, and any number of corpses while searching for his vanished father in this melodramatic tale of the Old West. Going on clues provided in a last letter laced with references to a troubled past, James sets out for a place called Casa Grande in Chihuahua. Before reaching the dusty, ruined hacienda to discover his fatherβs fate and survive a climactic gunfight, he is beaten and robbed; recovers from his wounds in the care of an eccentric old hermit, who fills him in on the importance of having a story; meets a cousin of Cochise whose band is subsequently ambushed by scalp hunters (and goes on to return the favor); and learns of his own familyβs gore-spattered history. Told in a terse, present-tense narrative, Jamesβ adventures will thrill all fans of traditional pulp-style oaters. Grades 6-9. --John Peters
Review
"Chapters are short and action filled, Jim is a likable character and reluctant readers will find this to be a fast-paced, easy-to-swallow tale of the Old West." (Kirkus Reviews 20101201)
"Told in a terse, present-tense narrative, James' adventures will thrill all fans of traditional pulp-style oaters." (Booklist 20110101)
"Has all the markers of a classic Western...Wilson's writing is vivid." (CM Magazine 20110401)
"Those readers of westerns and historical adventure who like a mix of action and information (actually quite a large set of readers) will be very taken with this book." (Resource Links )
"The story is very well written and will appeal to young readers, especially boys. It is full of tension and adventure...Recommended." (Tri State YA Book Review Committee )
"The tensions among American, Mexican, and Native factions are well drawn, and Wilson pulls no punches regarding the cruelty of the new world into which Jim finds himself thrown." (School Library Journal )