The Shopkeeper is a story set in the Old West, but it is far from your typical eastern city boy traveling out West for a little adventure. But it does start out that way. Instead of being a typical eastern who is clearly out of water, Steven Darcy quickly finds that he is suited to the Western life.
The story starts with Darcy selling his shop to document his journey through the Old West. It doesn’t take long before he stumbles into trouble. After stumbling upon a woman in trouble, he rides in to the rescue. Of course, after he succeeds in rescuing her, he finds an admirer and an enemy. However, the love interest in this story is rather lacking at best. It is rather one-sided. Considering there are only two woman showcased in the story, it is natural that he be interested in one. The other is a typical old crone who clearly has her own evil agenda.
The story moves at a rather fast pace as Darcy continues on his journey. Washburn, his mortal enemy, is a typical silver baron. Peeved by Darcy’s interference in his plans, he plots to kill Darcy. Facing such a deadly enemy, Darcy steps up to the plate to take Washburn head-on. He buys a bank and hotel to build up his wealth. He even plays a part of influencing a local election.
The only real flaw in the story is that the hero often uses the villain’s tactics to achieve his own goals. There is a very thin line between hero and villain. It kind of leaves you wondering if the hero will eventually find out that he is the villain in another hero’s story.
It is a very good western to pick up and read. The writing is clear and straight forward with plenty of action attached. There is some profanity in the book. The female characters weren’t that impressive but you could easily forget that as the story progresses. The ending was a bit unexpected. For an entertaining read, The Shopkeeper draws high marks.
