Urraca Mesa Redemption

A Supernatural Wild West Tale

Fiction - Western
140 Pages
Reviewed on 09/30/2021
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Urraca Mesa Redemption: A Supernatural Wild West Tale is a work of novella-length fiction penned by author Daniel P. Douglas. The book is best suited to a mature adult reading audience due to some graphic content. It tells a gritty tale of terror in the Old West with a supernatural twist. We meet Marshall and protagonist Winslow Murphy: a man running from the nightmares of his past and seeking to right injustices wherever he sets foot. When he meets the mysterious Jacinta Cortez and discovers she is currently chasing the same outlaws as him, the pair team up, but it soon transpires that Jacinta’s reasons for vengeance are deeper and darker than Winslow could ever have imagined.

Author Daniel P. Douglas has crafted a masterful work of suspenseful western storytelling, encompassing some fantastic supernatural, horror, action, and thriller moments into its vivid storyline. One of the features I especially enjoyed about this work was its atmosphere, which is set and elevated in such a concise amount of words for the plot’s length. I could see the dark vistas of New Mexico and the shadows on the horizon and feel every visceral moment of fear and fighting as it happened. The central pair of characters were also exceedingly well-penned to deliver realism and empathy, each with fully thought-out backstories that informed their decisions in a relatable and emotive way. I especially enjoyed Winslow’s redemptive arc and related to him more deeply than the typical western marshall hero figure. Overall, I would highly recommend Urraca Mesa Redemption for historical action fans everywhere: a scintillating read.

Jon Michael Miller

In Urraca Mesa Redemption by Daniel P. Douglas: A Supernatural Wild West Tale, Winslow Murphy, outlaw turned U.S. Marshal, is on the trail of a murderous gang that has brutally killed his brother Jacob. A twist is that Winslow was once a member of this gang, searching for one of two maps that mark the X of long-lost Mexican gold rumored to be buried on the infamous Urraca Mesa in northwest New Mexico. Legend has it that this place is the gateway to hell. Marshal Winslow’s former gang had broken into a house and mistakenly shot the family, leaving a young girl, Jacinta, who vows revenge in the quest for the map. Winslow, now guilt-filled, was there and longs for redemption. Not only that, his brother Jacob, a Pinkerton agent, was killed by the gang during a train heist, and now Winslow is hot for justice, using the haunted mesa as a meet-up point.

Usually when I write a review, I open the book, read a sentence or two, then jot down the title, the author, a quick style assessment, and then continue reading properly. However, for Mr. Douglas’s tale, I opened the book, and before realizing it, I was halfway through. Notes be damned, I couldn’t put it down. Mr. Douglas says he writes “pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat” books, so therein lay my problem. His use of present tense, short declarative action sentences, powerful verbs, and vivid western imagery had me hogtied. Rough, gritty, uninhibitedly violent, and a tad sentimental, Urraca Mesa Redemption: A Supernatural Wild West Tale by Daniel P. Douglas will be unsurpassed for readers of this genre. I suggest a hearty lunch before you open it; it’ll be a while before you put it down.

Nicholus Schroeder

Urraca Mesa Redemption: A Supernatural Wild West Tale by the talented author Daniel P. Douglas is a western with supernatural elements. The book is set in a time where all a man needed to solve his problems was a quick draw and his trusty six-shooter. One particular man, our protagonist Winslow Murphy, a former outlaw turned state marshal, has had his hand nicknamed the “lightning bolt.” He earned that moniker thanks to his lightning-fast quick draw. Having left his life of crime behind, now what was once feared by the good is used to strike down evil. As a marshal, Winslow is seeking to rid the lands of outlaws, one bullet and bounty at a time. However, his normal routine is disrupted by news of his brother’s passing at the hands of his former gang. After paying his respects, he rides like the wind to pursue his prey and in pursuit of vengeance. Will his former gang escape the renowned lightning bolt? Or will Winslow have his revenge?

Urraca Mesa Redemption: A Supernatural Wild West Tale kept me immersed and vested in its tale from the first page until the last. The plot was very interesting and fun, plus the ending was also rather well written and satisfying. As for the pacing, well, it’s been quite some time since I read a book with such immaculate pacing. The speed at which this wonderful story unfolds is just perfect. It couldn’t get any better than this. The classic shootouts and stand-offs that we love westerns for are also present and well-choreographed. Picturing these action scenes unfold is a breeze thanks to that amazing choreography and Daniel P. Douglas’s descriptive writing style. Winslow Murphy serves as a great protagonist, and his favorite phrase to a bleeding outlaw that goes, “you don’t need a doctor, what you need is an undertaker,” never gets old. The other characters are also great and equally unique. Winslow’s former gang, in particular, was a diverse and very developed band of characters. In conclusion, this book is the best western I’ve read to date, and I’d definitely recommend you give this book a shot if you love westerns with a great story along with amazing and memorable characters.

NummieSkull

The coolest adventure! metaphysical scaries and old-west be-waries!