This book brought me new perspectives about a commonly discussed time period around the Civil War. What is different is this book has the setting of the Southwest United States. The author brings to life the priorities of surviving in the harsh environment and among the sometimes hostile neighbors found in the rough territories of Arizona and New Mexico. Despite their day-to-day struggles, Lorenzo and his family are aware of the turmoils within the country and they hold true to being helpful and respectful to all who come through their valley way station looking for a better life. They do suffer their own share of hardships, but these shape the family rather than destroy it.
As a reader, I enjoy historical fiction and follow the settings by referring to current maps and researching characters to see if they really existed. While the main characters are fictional, some of the supporting characters (Antoine Leroux, Kit Carson) are based on real life historical figures. In addition, references within the book to actual historical events, like the Civil War, Lincoln’s assassination, the Gold Rush, the Great San Francisco Earthquake, and other lesser known events add depth to the story of a family living through turbulent times. All these connections make the book intriguing for history buffs.
Now, I did have some concerns which influenced my rating. Early in the book, I felt there were some inconsistencies in the placement of descriptive paragraphs. These were enough to confuse make it unclear who or what was being described. My other concerns with the writing were misspelled words, unnecessary capitalization, and misplaced or missing quotation marks. My copy of the book is a first printing so perhaps that’s why there were so many errors.
Finally, Fear of the Gun did have enough suspense to keep people reading even if they don’t have as much interest in history and how people lived in olden times. Mysterious events pop up in the book to make the reader wonder how it’s related to the overall story line. You have to keep reading to find out how the mystery is solved and how the Brennan family became fully accepted and settled in the territory of New Mexico. ( )