Entwined Paths (The Landon Saga)

This is a good old fashioned western tale. Did get a little lost at one point and had to go back to regroup and sort out who was with which group. Overall an enjoyable read. Am anxious to see what happens next!

So many sentences that begin with each character's name. Over and over and over. Like reading a shopping list of names. Woman with carpet bag kidnapped and she tells outlaws not to look inside bag for over half the book. Extremely short simple sentences and chapters.

This is an interesting story, but if you like closure I recommend you find something else to read. This book does not bring to closure many of the threads it starts.....but you can get such closure by buying the next in the series.

You would think someone who invested as much time as is needed to write a book would want to leave his readers happy....not wondering "what about....". This book is a scam to get you to purchase another. Needless to say Tell Cotten is now on my "avoid" list. Too bad, since the story was clever and entertaining.

Unless you intend to buy the whole series, save your time and money. This book has no conclusion whatsoever. The last line in the book is "TO BE CONTINUED". If Tell Cotten want's to sell books, he might consider some kind of closure at the end of his stories. I won't read more of them.

After reading Confessions of a Gunfighter,I quickly went to book 2 because it was so terrific. This book had the same great characters but the ending wasn't for me. The fact it ended basically in the middle of the telling of Cooper and Yancy's situation, forcing me to continue to book three to find the outcome doesn't bode well. If the writing and characters hadn't have been so realistic and well thought out, I would have given it a much lower rating. With that said, it's definitely a keeper for anyone who enjoys a well written western.

Yancy and Cooper Landon are true western lawmen. They're rough and tumble and willing to do what they need to do. As with the first novel, Cotten employs a light humor organic to the western setting. In an atmosphere so heavy it seems real not to take oneself so seriously. There are too many true dangers out there. As witnessed in the band of killers and thugs that kidnapped Jessica. Yancy and Cooper know the danger and they know they're on borrowed time investing the story with a true sense of urgency and often a lack of hope for the character they're trying to save.

Readers will appreciate the strong female character in Entwined Paths. Jessica is no wilting violet. There is a scene in which she's confronting her captors and she mentions that her uncle is a well known cattleman of the area. The gang confirms knowing him and says they've taken some of his cattle to market. Jessica asks if her uncle knew they were "working" for him and one of the gang says that he didn't at the time. Those light moments in a situation in which the author could have had his female character trembling in fear and hog tied add an entertainment factor and respect for the character. Kill her if you want but don't be sure it'll shut her up. Jessica is smart and can take care of herself and notices things that her companions don't.

If you like Louis L'amour, Max Brand, Zane Grey or any of the great western writers, you'll like Tell Cotten. Pick up the Landon Family Saga today.

Entwined Paths is a great title for Tell Cotten's second book in the Landon Saga, for it introduces several new good guys, bad guys, guys who are both good and bad, and a couple very interesting women, who cross and join paths into exciting adventures--all crucial in the development of this, my favorite western saga, written by my favorite author who, as a seven-generation Texas rancher, knows his stuff. My wife and I are reading the Landon Saga together, learning patience as we wait for each next book in the series to be published, but being spoiled as we read them--spoiled because Tell Cotten's writing flows--as easy to read as it is to watch the story in our imaginations. Between each book we try to content ourselves by reading other books aloud to each other, some by famous authors, but find ourselves stumbling over the writing, sometimes even getting tongue-tied. It's just not as fun as Cotten's works. If you haven't read "Confessions of a Gunfighter" yet, read that first, then this, and then the rest. If you don't like them, you can hit me.

Better tighten your gun belt for this one.

Entwined Paths could have been called The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful. This story brings back many of the characters from Confessions of a Gunfighter—good guys and bad guys—and introduces two beautiful women tough enough for Texas.

Author Tell Cotten does not write for the squeamish, and offers no apologies as he throws his characters into the middle of trouble and conflict right from the giddy-up. Set in a time and place where human life is often worth only the cost of a bullet, they choke in the Texas dust, battle outlaws and Indians, and sometimes each other in this gritty, high-tension tale of the Old West.

Suspense begins on the first page and builds all the way to the story’s end. Or is it really the end? Just when you’re sure of what will happen next, it doesn’t. The only thing you can count on when you reach the last page is that you’ll want Tell Cotten’s next book as soon as you can get it.

Frank Allan Rogers, best-selling author of Twice Upon a Time

After reading Confessions of a Gunfighter,I quickly went to book 2 because it was so terrific. This book had the same great characters but the ending wasn't for me. The fact it ended basically in the middle of the telling of Cooper and Yancy's situation, forcing me to continue to book three to find the outcome doesn't bode well. If the writing and characters hadn't have been so realistic and well thought out, I would have given it a much lower rating. With that said, it's definitely a keeper for anyone who enjoys a well written western.

Yancy and Cooper Landon are true western lawmen. They're rough and tumble and willing to do what they need to do. As with the first novel, Cotten employs a light humor organic to the western setting. In an atmosphere so heavy it seems real not to take oneself so seriously. There are too many true dangers out there. As witnessed in the band of killers and thugs that kidnapped Jessica. Yancy and Cooper know the danger and they know they're on borrowed time investing the story with a true sense of urgency and often a lack of hope for the character they're trying to save.

Readers will appreciate the strong female character in Entwined Paths. Jessica is no wilting violet. There is a scene in which she's confronting her captors and she mentions that her uncle is a well known cattleman of the area. The gang confirms knowing him and says they've taken some of his cattle to market. Jessica asks if her uncle knew they were "working" for him and one of the gang says that he didn't at the time. Those light moments in a situation in which the author could have had his female character trembling in fear and hog tied add an entertainment factor and respect for the character. Kill her if you want but don't be sure it'll shut her up. Jessica is smart and can take care of herself and notices things that her companions don't.

If you like Louis L'amour, Max Brand, Zane Grey or any of the great western writers, you'll like Tell Cotten. Pick up the Landon Family Saga today.

Entwined Paths is a great title for Tell Cotten's second book in the Landon Saga, for it introduces several new good guys, bad guys, guys who are both good and bad, and a couple very interesting women, who cross and join paths into exciting adventures--all crucial in the development of this, my favorite western saga, written by my favorite author who, as a seven-generation Texas rancher, knows his stuff. My wife and I are reading the Landon Saga together, learning patience as we wait for each next book in the series to be published, but being spoiled as we read them--spoiled because Tell Cotten's writing flows--as easy to read as it is to watch the story in our imaginations. Between each book we try to content ourselves by reading other books aloud to each other, some by famous authors, but find ourselves stumbling over the writing, sometimes even getting tongue-tied. It's just not as fun as Cotten's works. If you haven't read "Confessions of a Gunfighter" yet, read that first, then this, and then the rest. If you don't like them, you can hit me.

Better tighten your gun belt for this one.

Entwined Paths could have been called The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful. This story brings back many of the characters from Confessions of a Gunfighter—good guys and bad guys—and introduces two beautiful women tough enough for Texas.

Author Tell Cotten does not write for the squeamish, and offers no apologies as he throws his characters into the middle of trouble and conflict right from the giddy-up. Set in a time and place where human life is often worth only the cost of a bullet, they choke in the Texas dust, battle outlaws and Indians, and sometimes each other in this gritty, high-tension tale of the Old West.

Suspense begins on the first page and builds all the way to the story’s end. Or is it really the end? Just when you’re sure of what will happen next, it doesn’t. The only thing you can count on when you reach the last page is that you’ll want Tell Cotten’s next book as soon as you can get it.

Frank Allan Rogers, best-selling author of Twice Upon a Time

TC has continued the Landon Saga with characters from Book 1. The outlaw gang which was active in Book 1 return after hiding out and allowing law enforcement . The 2nd novel brings everyone up to date and they had been at rest when the stagecoach was robbed resulting in the deaths of the driver and guard. The chased is on as the Texas Dept of Rangers is on the job before going to sleep. This is an excellent read for the genre..... ER

The Landon Series is outstanding so far. This is book 2 and was a pleassure to read all the way through. Having read a lot of westerns I feel sometimes like I'm reading the same story with different character names. This story and series definitely does not fall into that pattern.

Being half-Texan, I appreciate Tell's capture of real Texas in his stories. The characters are reminiscent of L'Amour stories, and just as tough. Some good development over the series. Have sampled several newer authors, and find I'm right at home with Tell Cotten.

The entire series is excellent, you feel like your a part of events that take place, I've read 3 of the
Series and will read them all, you can't put em down, I felt bad after finishing the confessions of a gunfighter, didn't want it to end ...