"Custer's Brother's Horse"

[Diane Merkel]

I'm quite sure I will never read this book, but I thought I'd pass along one short review of it:

Way out West with a British rogue

Edwin (Bud) Shrake's picaresque, violent and at times wildly funny novel about a lawless Texas in the waning days of the Civil War is an unexpected delight. "Custer's Brother's Horse" is like some weird amalgam of "Cold Mountain" and "Flashman" -- loony but irresistible.

Shrake's colorful characters are wonderful, especially Edmund Varney, British novelist, adventurer and ladies' man at 52. He's on the run for stealing the horse of Lt. Tom Custer, younger brother of George Armstrong. Varney is convinced the horse once belonged to him -- in Afghanistan. Improbable? Much of this novel is, but never mind. Shrake scores by combining gritty realism with flights of fancy.

JOCELYN MCCLURG,

USA Today

Review: www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080120/FEATURES05/801200518/1030/ENT

[zekesgirl]

**A year later** Thanks, Diane. I will definitely scratch it off my list.