Kansas Blue

By 1867, the railroad has just about put Austin Bourke and his stagecoach line out of business. To get the funds to stay in operation, he allows himself to be cajoled into leading a group of settlers west across Kansas. Although the pseudonymous author lives in Wichita and presumably knows the territory, his story proves to be little more than a rehashing of Western genre cliches. The motley travelers are a typical conglomerate of misfits, including a mentally ill Civil War veteran (whose wife stirs tender feelings in Austin), a Mormon religious fanatic, his three wives and a Kiowa half-breed raised as white. They battle the usual threats: hostile weather, marauding Indians, a band of renegade whites posing as natives and disagreements among themselves. The narrative is further marred by a distasteful amount of violence against women, who are frequently beaten, raped, menaced and mentally abused. Good pacing and some decent dialogue can't hide the fact that there's little of substance in this tired tale. (Sept.)