Assassins

Parker's ( The Shadow Man ) engaging western is set against the backdrop of the New Orleans Yellow Fever epidemic of 1847. Tim Wollfolk, an accountant for a Cincinnati steamboat company, heads to New Orleans to claim a large inheritance. En route, he is set upon by thugs and shot, his body dumped into the Mississippi. Ex-Texas Ranger Lew Fannin, who witnessed this murderous assault, kills the three attackers and, believing Wollfolk dead, assumes his identity, claims his inheritance and runs the Wollfolk family shipping business, protecting his interests with fists and his Colt revolver. But Wollfolk has survived, and he vows revenge on the man he considers a thief and an impostor. Assuming a new name, he is hired by Fannin as his accountant. Together they protect the business from a series of dangers, not the least of which is a secret group known as the Ring, which aims to dominate the loading docks of the city. In time, Fannin guesses his sidekick's true identity and turns over the business to the real Wollfolk, but further dramatic events ensue before their partnership--and the epidemic--come to an end. Parker's narrative is well paced and packed with action, and the period flavor of New Orleans is particularly well done. (Nov.)