Death at Dark Water

By John D. Nesbitt

Book Overview

JOHN D. NESBITT

FOUR -TIME WINNER OF THE SPUR AWARD

Devon Frost is an artist who goes to a remote place called Tinaja, in New Mexico Territory, to draw old fallen-in buildings and to try to find his artistic vision.In Tinaja, where everyone speaks Spanish, he hears of a picturesque old church on a large hacienda. The owner, Don Felipe, gives him permission to spend time at the site and sketch the church. The owner's stepdaughter, Petra, comes to visit with him, and the stepfather trails her.Before long, Ricardo, the son of the landholder of another large rancho, and a suitor of Petra's, is found dead on the plains of his family's ranch. Don Felipe is a suspect, as is Carlos, Petra's cousin and weepy would-be suitor. The stepfather's jealousy and the girl's resentment smolder beneath the surface as Ricardo's father and two brothers look for vengeance.Devon is drawn into the conflict. Although he, too, finds Petra attractive, he can tell that her mind is not free. Nor is his search for his artistic vision perfect. However, he sees some things here at Rancho Agua Prieta, Dark Water Ranch, that have made a difference in how he sees life.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DZF47FHC
• ISBN13: 9798890222732
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Speaking Volumes LLC
• Length: 226 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Fine nontraditional Western

Traditional Westerns are great, but every once in a while a nontraditional one is a nice respite from the sameness of many novels in the genre. (For example, I could never again read a book featuring Doc Holliday and be just fine.) John D. Nesbitt's Death at Dark Water is not going to get your heart racing, but it is a thoughtful portrait of a small town shaken up by an uncommon event. I also enjoy it when an author offers up a character of a more creative bent, such as the typesetter protagonist in Johnny D. Boggs's The Big Fifty. In Death at Dark Water, Nesbitt introduces us to Devon Frost, a sketcher and painter who has come to Tinaja, and specifically the Rancho Agua Prieta (translation: Dark Water Ranch, named after the shady pool that was originally the water source), to study and draw the ruins. Nesbitt takes his time setting up the atmosphere, and fans of more traditional Westerns (especially those who enjoy the monthly series -- I'm a fan myself) may be wanting him to "get on with it," but I enjoyed the leisurely look at Tinaja and its intriguing cast of characters. These include Petra, the daughter of the original owner of Rancho Agua Prieta, and her conniving stepfather Don Felipe. A little less than halfway through, one of Petra's suitors, Ricardo Vega, is murdered, and Death at Dark Water becomes a sort of mystery novel with Frost playing detective. Most novelists would have put Frost and Petra in bed together, but Nesbitt gives his hero another interest in the form of local prostitute Ramona. She and Frost develop a friendly business relationship while he does his best to figure out who killed Vega. Death at Dark Water certainly wasn't what I was expecting when I picked it up, but that actually turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It expanded my expectations of what a Western can be: that it doesn't have to be all about gunfights and trail drives, but that the pages of a Western can also contain a more classical kind of story. I'm intrigued to try more of Nesbitt's work.