Review: Clea's Moon

Once upon a time, when Westerns were strictly B-movie fare and the cowboy heroes were beloved by kids everywhere, Sierra Lane ruled the cinemas. As played by John Ray Horn, he was tough and macho but still a good man who could beat the bad guys but stay true to himself. Unfortunately, Horn is a hell of a lot more flawed than that. When we first meet him, he's fresh off a two year prison stint and a broken marriage. Studios wouldn't dare touch a fallen cowboy hero and give him another break. It's only because of an old movie buddy, Joseph Man Crow, that Horn can pay the bills.

A few days later he runs into another friend from the past. Scotty's father has just passed on but not without leaving behind some incriminating and dirty pictures of little girls. One of them looks an awful lot like Horn's former stepdaughter, Clea. Although the pictures are deeply unpleasant, Horn doesn't make too much of it until Scotty is found dead, thrown over a balcony. Is his death connected to the pictures? It sure looks that way after Horn pays a call to his ex-wife Iris, now remarried. When he asks after Clea, he's told she ran away.

The action unfolds rather leisurely but it allows Wright to take his time, letting us get to know Horn and all of his flaws. He loves his stepdaughter but is guilty that perhaps he never made much room for her during his tumultuous marriage to Iris. He has a code of honor, but often wonders how much he has blurred his Sierra Lane persona with reality in order to do what he feels is the right thing. The supporting cast is no slouch, whether it be Joseph and his secrets, Iris and her haunted past, and the title character, who manages to be elusive even when she is right there on the page. Perhaps my favorite bit part player was Addie, Clea’s childhood pal; she’s still a teen but all woman, who teases and maddens and vexes, but disappears all too soon. Perhaps she’ll be back in a future installment. I certainly hope so, because she carried an extra spark whenever she appeared.

CLEA’S MOON was the Debut Dagger Winner of 2001, an honor that was completely deserved and then some. It is, simply put, an amazing book. I closed the final page having fallen in love with the protagonist and most of all, with Wright's writing. It is wistful, lyrical, and extremely assured, and heralds the debut of a wonderful new voice. Although John Ray Horn may not be the most typical series protagonist, he is so wonderfully drawn that I’ll follow him from adventure to adventure. He may not be the larger-than-life Sierra Lane, hero to little boys and girls, but he’s something much more, and much richer.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Sarah - RAM

Book Review: Clea's Moon