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Robert B. Parker

Appaloosa (A Cole and Hitch Novel) Mass Market Paperback – Illustrated, June 6, 2006

by Robert B. Parker (Author)

768 ratings

Book 1 of 11: Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch

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When Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch arrive in Appaloosa, they find a town suffering at the hands of a renegade rancher who’s already left the city marshal and one of his deputies dead. Cole and Hitch are used to cleaning up after scavengers, but this one raises the stakes by playing not with the rules—but with emotion.

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Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date

June 6, 2006
Dimensions

4.2 x 0.8 x 6.7 inches
ISBN-10

9780425204320
ISBN-13

978-0425204320
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Like the Spenser books, it’s a study of Parker’s enduring themes: buddy relationships, the weight that honor and responsibility put on a man, the consequences of violence, the way good can shade into bad and vice versa…a melancholy and sometimes moving tale of a lost but fascinating era.”—The Seattle Times

“Dryly amusing…a conclusion that had to make Parker smile as much as his readers will.”—Los Angles Times

“[Parker] takes total command of the genre, telling a galloping tale…[a] classic western… magnificent. As always, the writing is bone clean. One of Parker’s finest.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“For…readers with a hankering for the Wild West, including a high-noon shootout and all the accoutrements.”—USA Today

“Beneath the trappings of this gunfighter novel, Parker really has something to say about the nature of men and women in the Old West. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal

“As always, [Parker] is a master…his plot gallops to a perfect, almost mythical ending. Like a great gunfighter, Parker makes it look easy.”—St. Petersburg Times

“If Spenser and Hawk had been around when the West was wild, they’d have talked like Cole and Hitch. Wonderful stuff: notch 51 for Parker.”—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Robert B. Parker was the author of more than fifty books. He died in January 2010.

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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0425204324
Publisher ‏ : ‎ G.P. Putnam's Sons; Reissue edition (June 6, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780425204320
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425204320
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.2 x 0.8 x 6.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #171,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,901 in Historical Mystery
- #3,701 in Westerns (Books)
- #23,838 in American Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
768 ratings

About the author

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Robert B. Parker

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Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) has long been acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction. His novel featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye Spenser earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim, typified by R.W.B. Lewis' comment, "We are witnessing one of the great series in the history of the American detective story" (The New York Times Book Review). In June and October of 2005, Parker had national bestsellers with APPALOOSA and SCHOOL DAYS, and continued his winning streak in February of 2006 with his latest Jesse Stone novel, SEA CHANGE.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Parker attended Colby College in Maine, served with the Army in Korea, and then completed a Ph.D. in English at Boston University. He married his wife Joan in 1956; they raised two sons, David and Daniel. Together the Parkers founded Pearl Productions, a Boston-based independent film company named after their short-haired pointer, Pearl, who has also been featured in many of Parker's novels.

Parker began writing his Spenser novels in 1971 while teaching at Boston's Northeastern University. Little did he suspect then that his witty, literate prose and psychological insights would make him keeper-of-the-flame of America's rich tradition of detective fiction. Parker's fictional Spenser inspired the ABC-TV series Spenser: For Hire. In February 2005, CBS-TV broadcast its highly-rated adaptation of the Jesse Stone novel Stone Cold, which featured Tom Selleck in the lead role as Parker's small-town police chief. The second CBS movie, Night Passage, also scored high ratings, and the third, Death in Paradise, aired on April 30, 2006.

Parker was named Grand Master of the 2002 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen.

Parker died on January 19, 2010, at the age of 77.

Customer reviews

5 star		70%
4 star		21%
3 star		6%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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A fantastic western story of which there also was a movie made from this book.

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2018

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When I saw the fantastic western movie Appaloosa, (starring Ed. Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons and Renee Zellweger) in 2008 I loved the simple but exciting western story. I did not realize at the time that the movie was based upon a book (Appaloosa) by Robert B. Parker who has a whole western series about the characters of Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch.

I decided to purchase this 276 page hardback copy when I saw it on Amazon for a bargain price. I was pleasantly surprised that this book was even better than the movie, even though it followed closely the movie version. The reason the book was so good is because it made you understand the characters much better. There is no doubt both Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch make a great team, but the difference is the Virgil Cole character is in my opinion has somewhat of a psychopathic personality. Everett has a conscious even though he has had to kill many bad guys in his profession.

In any case, I loved this book so much that I intend to purchase more of Parker’s western novels about Virgil and Everett.
If you like westerns you should check out this book and the movie. I think they are both great.

Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Training Alone in Combatives and Self-Defense).

10 people found this helpful

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Sandra

Lack of Authenticity, But a Decent Story

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2020

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At no time and nowhere in the 19th century did a gunman ever "flip off the hammer thong from his Colt in his tied-down holster." Neither hammer thongs, nor tie-downs existed in the old west. An excellent resource for 19th century gun leather is "Packing Iron: Gun Leather of the Frontier West" by Rattenbury. Like most western writers, Parker seems to have been overly influenced by western movie and TV. I am also not a fan of modern cussing in westerns (the reason I never watched Deadwood). I am, however, surprised at how well the movie followed the book and I enjoyed the movie. The story and premise are interesting and hold your attention, but I bought it to evaluate whether or not to get all 4 of his westerns (I have heard unimpressive things about the continuation of the series). Based on this one, I will be skipping the rest.

3 people found this helpful

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Joel

excellent

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2013

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I've read Robert B. Parker off and on for years and always enjoyed his books. When I found out he had writen some western books I had to read them. This book is writen from the veiw point of Evertt Hitch, as he observes and assists his long time friend Virgil Cole. The book is a first person account as most, if not all of Parkers books seem to be. My wife hates this style of writing and won't hardly read a book written like this? She doesn't know what she is missing.
Any way, the plot follows both Virgil and Evertt as they come to the town of Appaloosa to become the new local law after the previous town marshall is killed by a local tough "Randall Bragg". I won't delve to much deeper into the plot so as not to spoil it for those who've not yet read it or viewed the movie based on the the book.
The only criticism I would have for this book is that Parker made a few historical errors here and there. Mostly in regard to weapons and possibly who the local indians might have been? This might not have been Parker's doing as I have heard of pesky editors mucking about in one's writing. The movie adaptation of this book fixed most of that anyway. But its not a historical book and is very good in almost every other detail.
This is a story about a great friendship where the friends never seem to doubt each other. Its about men who will do for others with out having to be asked. Its about watching a friend fall in love with a flawed woman and just being there when that friend needs you to be there.

6 people found this helpful

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Greggorio!

A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2011

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If this is your first Robert B Parker novel, i can guarantee two things. Firstly, that it wont be your last Parker novel, and secondly, reading this book may well change your life. It did mine. I have gone on to read close to forty of Parker's novels with close to ten left unread. In between enriching my life no end, enhancing my knowledge of the detective and western genres, and providing hours of glorious entertainment, i can safely say Mr Parker's books have changed my life.

Parker's signature writing style is a perfect match for two gun totin' heroes Everitt & Hitch. So too, is the environment itself. Back then, two men enjoying respite from the heat of a dry summer would not have had much to talk about. In APPALOOSA, one could criticise Everitt for his blind devotion to his sweet heart, but love blinds all men so i guess this proves his manhood, if nothing else. The book is littered with witticisms, profound observations, elements of suspense, emotion and satisfaction. Of course by book's end you are either a fan of Spenser or you're not. The bad guys are dealt with (and this bad guy was B-A-D) and in one respect the good guys ride off into the sunset, but for Everitt, not all the world is a happy place. I know that did not much make sense but when you finish the story you will understand what I am trying to say without ruining the story line.

This book is a classic western written by a literary genius. Mr Parker's legacy continues with Robert Knott but nothing can match the sublime original. Interestingly, the movie was much more decisive than the book. It helps to read this first and then you can understand and appreciate the movie more. But five stars for this beauty.

PS If you look closely at the European cover, you can see at least two errors on the cover. Not the author's fault of course, but I guess the publisher put them in deliberately for added interest for completionists as well as readers with super good eye sight. More fun and value added for this outstanding purchase.

BFN Greggorio!

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Bertolt

Like this rather a lot

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2018

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I'm not a reader of westerns but I liked this rather a lot. I like the clipped, clever writing, where the meaning lies in the attitude of the language, rather than what is explicitly said. I liked the central metaphor of the Appaloosa stallion, how it reflects the plot. I liked the characters. It made me realise how the inept the film had been. Harris was excellent as Cole, but Mortenson (who I otherwise admire) made for a rather laconic Hitch, and both being somewhat silent made the whole thing rather mute; equally, Zellweger made a quite simple role into something perplexing and skewed the whole thing. Do read the book, which is much better

One person found this helpful

Ray Coull

Cole & Hitch

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2018

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I have just finished the third Cole & Hitch book and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Howver I,m a bit suprised at the authors lack of knowledge regarding the firearms of that period. The Colt 45 revolver did not have an opening cylinder for loading. It has a solid frame and loaded through a gate on the right hand side. The Winchester rifle is mentioned a number of times as using the same cartridge as the Colt 45. However Winchester never made their rifle in the 45 pistol cartridge. That only happened with the 44/40 calibre. A bit nit picky maybe But I still enjoyed them. The movie too. Ray Coull

cimic

A classic Western short story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2013

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"Appaloosa" by Robert B Parker is a short story of the Western genre, set in the fictional town of the same name located somewhere near the US-Mexican border. The action takes place in the 1880s.

Virgil Cole (great name) is an itinerant lawman who gets hired to bring law and order to towns in the lawless Wild West. Cole is a practical man of action with a black-and-white moral code, not a man given to reflecting too deeply on the mysteries of life. Everett Hitch, Cole's sidekick, is also observer and narrator of some of the action. A former soldier, good with a gun and equally fearless, Hitch is laid-back, more reflective and worldly-wise than Cole. He's loyal and content to be Cole's number two; together they make an effective team.
Hitch first met Cole in a frontier town called Trinidad, outside the Rattlesnake Saloon. Cole was punching out a drunken, buckskin-clad buffalo skinner who went for his gun. Mistake. Cole shot Buffalo Man dead but found he was on the wrong side of a misbegotten group of bystanders intent on revenge. Hitch decided to back the lawman and together they faced down the crowd.

By the time the action shifts to Appaloosa, Hitch and Cole have been in partnership for 15 years. Cole becomes Appaloosa's marshall, having been recruited by the town's leading citizens after the previous lawman was gunned down by local rancher cum bully-boy, Randall Bragg.

No Western is complete without a Woman - enter Mrs French, Allie to her familiars, an impecunious, piano-playing saloon hostess with an uncertain past. Although not without charm and reportedly good-looking, Allie is needy, attracted as if magnetically to the head honcho - whoever he happens to be - and in the first instance he happens to be Virgil Cole.

Much of the rest of the story is concerned with Cole and Hitch's attempt to bring Bragg to justice - and at one point they capture him - culminating in a gunfight at an unnamed corral. Bragg, however, escapes and the gun-toting duo return to Appaloosa without their prisoner. Time passes...Cole becomes more deeply attached to Mrs French (although the word `love' doesn't belong in his vocabulary) and Bragg re-appears in the town, with a Presidential pardon and with plenty of money, claiming to be a reformed character keen to use his wealth to make Appaloosa a great town. The townsfolk fall for his blarney and soon Bragg, with interests in ranching, mining,a hotel and gambling looks set to `own' the town. Mrs French's eyelids are fluttering in Bragg's direction and Cole and Hitch could find themselves without a job... (I have deliberately truncated my description of the action and omitted the `sting in the tail' ending so as not to give too much away.)

What are the strengths of Appaloosa as a piece of writing? In the first place, I like the plot: simple, effective and neat, pretty much a classic Western story. However, in my view, the novel's strongest suits are the characterisation and the laconic dialogue.

Cole is a man of extreme reticence, but he is more than the stereotypical strong, silent type. He is quick to assess a situation and possesses sound judgement (notwithstanding his association with Mrs French). He has an endearing habit of using some words inappropriately. The character of Hitch is also well-drawn; he is tough but not aggressive, brave but not reckless, a keen observer of what goes on around him with a good insight into human behaviour. There is a strong bond between the two men based on liking, respect, trust and loyalty. If ever you were in a tight jam you would wish to have someone like Cole or Hitch on your side.

Much of the short story is in the form of dialogue, a form of writing at which Robert B Parker clearly excels. Here is one of the many entertaining, laconic exchanges:

"So, tell me, Mr. Cole," she (Mrs French) said. "How long you been killing people for a living."
"Call me Virgil," he said. He always said that and, to tease him, she always started out calling him Mr. Cole.
"Of course, Virgil. How long?"
"I don't kill people for a living," Virgil said. "I enforce the law. Killing's sometimes a sorta side thing of that....That ain't what I want to say. What am I aiming at, Everett?"
"By-product," I said.
"Killing's sometimes a by-product," Cole said.

To conclude my review, I regard "Appaloosa" as a good Western short story; it's definitely worth reading. But in my opinion it is not in the same literary league as Cormac McCarthy's "Border Trilogy" or Larry McMurtrey's "Lonesome Dove".

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Classic Parker Writing - First rate novel with depths

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2012

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Sadly Robert Parker won't be writing any more PI Spenser books so I gave this one a go. Don't usually read `cowboy books' but this was super.

Told by Everett Hitch, its fifteen years since he teamed (or hitched?) up with Vernon Cole to watch Vernon's back and be at his right hand. For 15 years the two inseparables have worked as Town Marshal and Deputy in the wild west, taken on to tame rough towns by force of Cole's personality, his six shooter and Hitch's shotgun. Job done, peace restored and they move to the next wild town. Cole works within the law, he's fast with his guns but killing has to be justified, has to be `lawful.' Of course, it helps that the law Cole enforces was drafted by Cole.

The men need little: their job pays enough to live with sufficient for whisky and to cover an occasional tumble with a saloon girl.

Enter into this happy life one Allison French, an attractive widow, who sets her eyes on Cole. He can tame towns, fight off bad men, gunfighters and hostile Indians but his pistols are no defence against a pretty woman who wants to tame him.
Can the men's long close relationship survive an intruder?

At first narrator Hitch appears to be very much in the shadow of the famous Vernon Cole but as the story develops we see he has his own steel and a greater understanding of what is happening than Cole. And it is Hitch who makes the sacrifice.

This is a terrific tale with gunfights, an Indian raiding party and a chameleon like bad guy who - despite Coles best efforts - seems will destroy Cole's reputation and happiness as well as take back the town.

The book's title has two references. The town is called Appaloosa and similes are drawn with a wild appaloosa stallion in the hills with his harem of mares.

The writing is tight with a more description that Parkers recently overly pared down Spenser books. This is classic Parker writing, rewarding and satisfying.

Seems there are other books featuring Hitch and Coles but unfortunately none are on Kindle. I'll buy them as soon as they are.

Robert Potter

Utterly brilliant western series from Parker

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2012

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If you like Parker's other books,- Spenser, Stone - you'll love this series (Brimstone, Resolution, and Blue Eyed Devil complete the set). Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are lawmen called in to protect the town of Appaloosa from a rapacious local rancher. They are upright men; Hitch more educated than Cole, but happy to let the latter take the lead (because he is the fastest gun around). A woman complicates the picture: Cole likes her, but so does the rancher, and she herself is drawn to the strongest man - mostly Cole, but sometimes the rancher. It all ends bloodily, of course; but the pleasure is in the laconic but humorous interaction between Cole and Hitch, just as Spenser's dialogue is a major feature of those books. Read them all, this one first, then Resolution, Brimstone, and Blue Eyed Devil, in that order.

The film of Appaloosa (Ed Harris & Viggo Mortensen as Cole and Hitch) is terrific, and follows the book closely.

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