Book Review – Dark Frontier by Matthew Harffy @AriesFiction

About the Book

A man can flee from everything but his own nature.

1890. Lieutenant Gabriel Stokes of the British Army left behind the horrors of war in Afghanistan for a role in the Metropolitan Police. Though he rose quickly through the ranks, the squalid violence of London’s East End proved just as dark and oppressive as the battlefield.

With his life falling apart, and longing for peace and meaning, Gabriel leaves the grime of London behind and heads for the wilderness and wide open spaces of the American West.

He soon realises that the wilds of Oregon are far from the idyll he has yearned for. The Blue Mountains may be beautiful, but with the frontier a complex patchwork of feuds and felonies, and ranchers as vicious as any back alley cut-throat in London, Gabriel finds himself unable to escape his past and the demons that drive him. Can he find a place for himself on the far edge of the New World?

Format: Hardcover (464 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 4th July 2024 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

Nineteenth-century Oregon may be a departure in terms of period and location for Matthew Harffy but there’s no departure from the creation of a compelling and action-packed story.

The author gives Gabriel Stokes a fascinating back story: service in the British Army in Afghanistan, including exposure to the savagery of the Battle of Maiwand, followed by a stint in the Metropolitan Police during the period of the grisly Ripper murders. Gabriel’s had troubles in his personal life as well. (Surely plenty of material here for a prequel at some point?) He’s tried to blot out the traumatic memories that still give him nightmares with drink and drugs, but it hasn’t worked. He hopes the wide open spaces of Oregon and a reunion with his former commanding officer and friend, Captain John Thornfield (who also saved his life), will help him leave those memories behind.

Unfortunately for Gabriel the bad times are only just beginning, starting with the dreadful news that greets him when he arrives at the Thornfield ranch. It’s enough to drive him back into the grasp of the demons that possessed him before but, showing immense strength of character, he resists. Just.

Gabriel’s strong sense of justice means he can’t just ignore a crime, especially one that’s likely to go unpunished because power and influence seems to get you whatever you want in this neck of the woods. He’s determined to bring the culprit to account by following the same sort of diligent process he would have done back in London: gathering evidence and putting it before a court. Doing things in the right way. But as he’s warned, ‘There is no right way here. Just who’s left standing when the smoke clears. That’s the western way.’

The hard drinking, quick on the draw, grizzled old Jedidiah White makes a wonderful foil to Gabriel. Jed’s motto: Shoot first, ask questions later. Actually don’t bother with the questions. I also liked the inclusion of a character who brings unique skills to the investigation but also reflects the unhappy history of dealings between Native Americans and European settlers.

There are some great set piece scenes in which Gabriel, Jed and the Thornfield ranch hands fight the bad guys, often against the odds and with the outcome very much in doubt. We get a clear sense of the ruthless nature of the men they’re up against and how money can buy anybody and anything, including a willingness to look the other way.

Even if it moves at a trot rather than a gallop at the beginning, Dark Frontier has everything you could want from a Wild West adventure, including a little history lesson along the way about the conflict between cattle ranchers and sheep farmers. So put on your favourite Western film soundtrack (The Big Country for me), saddle on up, grab your Derringer or your Remington and set out with Gabriel to do what a man’s gotta do. Then wait for the sequel. Come on, there’s going to be one surely?

I received a proof copy courtesy of Head of Zeus. Dark Frontier is book three of my 20 Books of Summer 2024.

In three words: Authentic, gripping, action-packed
Try something similar: Road to Reckoning by Robert Lautner

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About the Author

Matthew Harffy grew up in Northumberland where the rugged terrain, ruined castles and rocky coastline had a huge impact on him. He now lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters. Matthew is the author of the critically acclaimed Bernicia Chronicles and A Time for Swords series, and also presents the popular podcast, Rock, Paper, Swords!, with fellow author Stephen A. McKay.

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