Robert B. Parker's Ironhorse (Cole and Hitch)

Yep, you read it right -- 113 *very* short chapters. I was really looking forward to this continuation of the Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch series, since they've been my favorite Robert B. Parker books, even more so than Spenser. Ace Atkins' solid and fun continuation of Spenser boded well, but I've seldom been as disappointed in a book as in IRONHORSE. The action moves at a snail's pace, and the most delightful part of the previous novels, Virgil and Everett's laconic dialogue, is replaced by two frontier chatterboxes, who just yammer on and on at each other and everyone around them, saying what they're going to do, exactly how they're going to do it, and what the results might be once they do. When the dialogue finally stops, the narrative tells us again in detail how they're doing what they just said they were going to do. In short, this feels like a novella excruciatingly padded to novel length. The sequences of moving trains and train cars go on like a slow freight, with Knott seemingly using every bit of research that he's so assiduously gathered, to soporific effect. Even the moments of violence, so sharp and shocking in their simplicity in the actual Parker novels, are lifeless. With its dreadful pacing and cardboard characterization,it's almost like an *anti*-Parker. This iron horse travels in iron shoes, and provides a flat and charmless ride.

While reading this on my Kindle, I was struck by how chatty Virgil has become. He comments on anything and everything, and appears to be morphing into "Spenser". Sadly, this series has not survived the passing or Mr. Parker. Dialog is off, there are profanities and obscenities that are out of character (and wrong for the period), and the magic is gone. It's still an entertaining read, but nowhere near the quality of its' predecessors.

I grew up in Oklahoma and hunted deer and quail in the Kiamichi mountain area that is the setting for this wonderful book "Ironhorse" by Robert Knott - I was so impressed by Mr. Knott's ability to capture the writing style of Robert Parker (who I was always a big fan of) and the way he captured the feeling that I had wandering through the wooded areas and creeks and along the old railroad tracks in that Choctaw Nation area of Oklahoma - I am also a big fan of the characters "Cole and Hitch" and devoured their adventures in "Brimstone", "Resolution", and "Appaloosa" - In this book, "Ironhorse, I felt like I was living with Virgil Cole, as played by Ed Harris in "Appaloosa", as he and Hitch dealt with the Railroad Bandits around Half Moon Junction - The backwoods characters are real and jump to life with dialogue that I haven't heard since attending my Uncle Elmer's "Hootenannies" down in Southeastern Oklahoma - I can't wait to read the continuing adventures of Cole and Hitch when they ride back to Appaloosa and deal with unfinished business with his woman -
Thanks Robert and Robert -
Oklahoma Kid

Ironhorse by Robert Knott has an underlying sadness to it, not for its storyline, but rather for its attempt to capitalize upon the legacy of Robert B. Parker. From the oversized name of Mr. Parker on the cover, with Mr. Knott's much smaller and at the bottom, the novel misleads the reader into something that can never be: A new and engrossing work by Mr. Parker. Ironhorse is a weak imitation of Mr. Parker's unique style and insights into human nature.

Mr. Knott gives the trapping of the Old West: The look, the feel, the vocabulary, the eye for natural detail, even the slang of the times. He also has somewhat of a sense of what Mr. Parker was able to create. Instead, of clearly fleshed-out characters, though, Mr. Knott has created mere cutouts of Everett Hitch and Virgil Cole. Mr. Knott attempts to reflect the terse dialogue used by Mr. Parker between Hitch and Cole, where a word was able to covey a depth of insight and mutually-agreed-upon courses of action; in Ironhorse, we see overused words with little impact, such as the word "is." Unfortunately, what we end up with is something much like the façade of the ranch house in the film, Giant: A magnificent structure when viewed head-on, but upon turning a corner, all we see is the plywood Hollywood set. This may be due to Mr. Knott having written the screenplay for Appaloosa, which attempted to synthesize the complexity of the two characters in under two hours, but didn't succeed in doing so: The highpoints of the novel are there, but the depth of characters is not.

There is a problem with the dialogue. Hitch and Cole speak in a wooden imitation of Mr. Parker's crisp style, which employed single words or phrase to show that each understands the other so well that few words are needed; under Mr. Knott's hand, Hitch and Cole lack that relationship. While Mr. Knott uses simple words and syntax that suggest that the surface is only the top of the character--that much more lies beneath--it is an empty promise.

The is also the related problem with Hitch who provides the narration and does most of the taking, especially when he is used by Cole to either verify what Cole wants to do or is asked to suggest a course of action. The level of spoken language used by Hitch is quite basic, perhaps a third grade level. Yet, when Hitch describes the other characters or scenery, or narrates events, he suddenly uses a language sophistication that is considerably higher. It is curious that Hitch can describe a magnificent sunset, the blowing clouds of steam that come off a train engine, or the natural beauty of the Indian lands, yet seems almost illiterate when he has to speak. His character is a glaring contradiction, placed squarely upon Mr. Knott's shoulders.

Underlying the above issues is a weak plot, dealing with the efforts of Hitch and Cole to rescue two young women captured by a ruthless escaped convict who has a violent history with Virgil Cole. These interlocking storylines should invite considerable action and create intense emotional and physical tensions. Yet, the story plods along, much of it held back by the tedious dialogue between Hitch and Cole. Where we should have had a rousing hunt for the robbers and kidnappers, instead, we are given a luke-warm tale that flatlines early.

The novel, though, contains several fascinating secondary characters who move through the action, then are gone, such as: Jimmy John, the Choctaw Indian; Sam, the woman who runs the train depot in Half Moon Junction; or Jenny, the telegrapher in the same town. They are brilliant shooting stars that move through the landscape, serve their purposes, then are gone into the night; they are, though, much more real than either Hitch or Cole. The reader is still trapped with almost 400 pages involving Hitch and Cole, which could easily have been cut by a third. Given the short lines of text and the excessive white spaces, Ironhorse takes only a few hours to read; in this reader's opinion, a much welcomed relief. Had Mr. Parker written the novel, the reader would certainly have wished for a great deal more...and received it

We must also deal with the ongoing--and overdone--problem of Virgil Cole being in love with Ellie, a whore who freely gives herself to anyone with the money. For a supposedly smart man, Cole comes across being incredibly blind, naive, and/or trusting. Cole also reveals a different side; he no longer shares all secrets with Everett Hitch. After prodding by his friend, Cole finally mentions a telegram he had received concerning Ellie, the lady of ill repute, who has taken up with one of Cole's deputies back in Appaloosa. This subject is not resolved in Ironhorse; it will, of course, be explored in a sequel.

Unfortunately, even Hitch falls into the same sort of "veil of fog" view of women as experienced by Cole. Hitch feels an immediate connection with one of the two kidnapped women soon after meeting her, only to discover that it was an illusion: The woman was grateful for being rescued, and shows that type of love to Everett, but it is not a romantic love. At the end, both men are still the loners, looking for some kind of peace, even though their lives will never permit that to happen.

Finally, a question must be asked about the motives of the Parker Estate managers: Are they guided by a need to perpetuate Mr. Parker's name by hiring writers to extend his significant contributions to his various literary genres...or are they merely motivated by making a few dollars by selling anything under Mr. Parker's name? Other deceased writers are still selling their work, miraculously, with varying degrees of success; the money is there because of the name, but is that right? If, indeed, Mr. Knott is the author of the Ironhorse, his name should be there in bold letters with Mr. Parker's much smaller, perhaps with an accompanying notation: Inspired by characters created by Robert B. Parker.
Should Ironhorse have been published? In this reader's opinion, No. It is, as Shakespeare said, "Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

I have read all of Robert Parker's books about Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall, and Virgil and Everett. I have less than a dozen Spenser books left to read. I was sad to see Parker die, but very pleased with Ace Atkins, Michael Brandman, and now Robert Knott for continuing the series. Of all of the Parker series, there was no question for me that Parker's westerns were the slowest. Knott changed that with 'Ironhorse.' I couldn't put it down and read it quickly over the weekend. It is a great story of Virgil and Everett chasing the bad guys and coming out, once again victorious. I hope this one will be made into a movie like Appaloosa was. I don't remember that Parker used the 'F' word in his western books. If I could have changed anything, it would be that Knott could have left out that word. Other than the unnecesary use of the 'F' word, it was a great story that anyone could read.
I would really like to see the Parker family find someone to continue the Sunny Randall series as well. Ace, Michael, and Robert, you have made Bob proud. Keep 'em coming.

I love the characters created by Robert Parker in this series. I was worried about someone continuing the series after his passing. No worries. This a great read. It is well written. As with most books, I downloaded it from audible.com and, for me, this is always the best way to enjoy a book. The audio book version is excellent (although I don't see why they have to read the chapter numbers when doing an audio book)and added to my enjoyment. I recommend this book by Robert Knott highly.

This book grabbed me from the moment I started reading. This was like watching a great film unfold as I read, It comes alive so visually. Virgil Cole and Hitch are such great characters that you long to hang out with these guys. When I was a kid and would watch a great film, like a John Ford western, at the end you were so drawn in I was always wishing I could be with them to share their lives. At the end of this book I felt the same way. I hope there is much more of Cole and Hitch to come, especially with great stories like this.

I've read every Robert B. Parker book so I admit to bias but I suspect many people looking at this book are in a similar situation. Evey year I'd wait for Spenser, Jesse Stone, and Virgil & Hitch. Each year it was like an old friend(s) coming to visit. So far Jesse Stone has been adequate with potential. Atkins' Spenser was terrific. But Ironhorse is easily the worst.
First off, this story just doesn't fit into the timing of the other books. It's like some weird alternate timeline. I had to go to Wikipedia just to verify I was right. Thought I might have forgotten something.
Second, I'm pretty sure Virgil Cole has more dialogue in the first five chapters of this book than he does in all of Apaloosa on the whole. Virgil says what he needs to in as few words as necessary. He's a straightforward man that does what he says. He just rambles in this book. And as for Hitch, he feels more like a second rate sidekick simply there to tell the story rather than actually help move it along. No, these are not the characters I've come to know and love. Their "voice" is totally off. It's as if this book was written previously and they simple used to Find/Replace to put in Cole's and Hitch's names.
I certainly hope they find a different author if there is to be another novel. No offense to Mr. Knott but he just doesn't seem to get the characters...how they speak, who they are and most importantly why they do what they do.

Ironhorse is a major disappointment. Virgil would never utter "it's what we do" or use the word predicament. I understand that it's the author's first book - perhaps he would do well to think about what the reader wants to read - strong characters, great dialog - and not what he wants to write, esp. if you're speaking for Virgil and Everett. The book is silly, fragmented and poorly written. I'll be returning it to the library and filling the spot in my bookcase with the latest Lawrence Block.

It's daunting to be asked to carry on part of Robert B. Parker's beloved legacy. I therefore approached this book carefully. I was surprised at how good it is. The western material about trains, telegraphy, and much else is authentic and interesting. The outlaws are appropriately evil. And Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch continue to be great heroes as they attempt to save passengers on a train from a gang of robbers and rescue two young women. The writing is crisp. The adventures move along at a quick, Parker-like pace. All in all, this book is surprising in how satisfying it is.

That's not to say the book is perfect. The book should have begun with the last paragraph of the third chapter where the story genuinely commences. There aren't enough plot twists and surprises. Robert Knott has chosen to imitate Parker rather than build on his creation. Still, I have a simple test for all the attempts to carry on the three Parker series: do I want to read the next book? In this case, I very much look forward to it. It would be interesting for the author to explore Cole and Hitch, dig deeper into their characters. Whatever he does though, I'm going along for the ride.