Rating: 
Summary: see the movie
Review: Robert Parker started out with the 'Spenser' series and they were great, at first. But as they became more and more popular, they began to read like treatments for a movie-of-the-week on TV, lacking the satisfying depth and characterization of his early works. Books that used to be a solid 350 pages, 125,000 words, now are barely 300 pages of widely spaced lines, probably not much more than 60,000 words. They're beefed up on thick paper to make the books look thick, like the old ones, but believe me, it's mostly pulp. I won't read the Parker books anymore, because they are disappointing, one long wise-crack with no suspense at all. "Gunman's Rhapsody" reads like the screenplay of "Tombstone" - some of the incidents depicted in the novel could literally have been lifted off the movie screen. There was nothing in the book that hasn't been in the movies, no new insights into the Earps or Tombstone or the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. I hate to say of it an author that I used to revere, but I think Mr. Parker has grown lazy, cashing in his reputation and writing about half as well as he is capable of. He needs to get back to his old self and write novels as good as he used to do.
Rating: 
Summary: Light version of the old west
Review: Robert Parker writes a novel telling the tale surrounding the exploits of the Earp brothers in Tombstone, Arizona in the 1880's. He does so in a very simply written style reminiscent of the simple pace of life in the old west. Parker is not one for intensive and in depth character profiles and the main characters are portrayed in a shallow and wooden manner. The story is seen through the eyes of Wyatt Earp. We are introduced to the Earp brothers, Virgil, Morgan, James,Warren, and their significant others as well as well known old westerners like Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson. Unfortunately, we never get to know them. The story chronicles the famous feud between the Earps and the "cowboys" (Clanton brothers, McLaury brothers etc.), that led to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Unbelievably, the gunfight is covered in one page of text. Parker does very little to add to what we already know after having seen movies like Tombstone and Wyatt Earp. At least it was a book that can be read relatively rapidly.
Rating:
Summary: Robert Parker's first western
Review: Robert Parker's novels have always focused on tough, self-sufficient characters, so the idea of the author writing something in the Western genre seems a natural fit. (Indeed, Parker's last Spenser novel, POTSHOT, is little more than a modern retelling of THE MAGNIFICANT SEVEN.) Surprisingly, GUNMAN'S RHAPSODY, a fictionalized account of the Earp-cowboy feud that occurred during the 1880s, fails. There are, I think, a number of problems: The first is Parker's insistence on patterning the novel's characters upon his previous prototypes. Thus, for example, in a bedroom conversation between Wyatt Earp and Josie Marcus, the characters spout lines that seem uncomfortably reminiscent of dialogue we have previously heard from Spenser and Susan Silverman. Second, Parker errs fundamentally, I think, in writing about Earp and his brothers. The popular culture has been more or less inundated with information about this subject over the last decade (specifically, the release of two films, Lawrence Kasdan's lengthy biopic, WYATT EARP, and George Cosmatos' less historically accurate, but more enjoyable TOMBSTONE). By choosing to write about people and themes with which we are so familiar, Parker highlights the fact that he has seemingly little that is fresh to say on the subject. This staleness even filters down to the novel's repetitive descriptive passages where we are treated, for example, to endless scenes of Wyatt drinking coffee (with both hands on the cup) or to descriptions of gunfights in which events are reduced to slow motion (leading, incidentally, to Parker's brief and shockingly banal description of the shootout near the O.K. Corral). While I applaud Parker for having the courage to try something a little different, this was, in my opinion, a failed experiment.
Rating: 
Summary: Please get over Spenser, people!!
Review: Stop comparing this book to the Spenser series! Looking at it objectively, I was mesmerized by the lean, spare prose and the affecting simplicity of the writing. It's not meant to be a witty, wisecracking, buddy book a la Spenser. I can't believe the negative reviews! Expand your horizons, folks. I read a review that negatively critiqued the OK Corral scene as being too lightly emphasized. I was impressed with the decision to make this event less "historical." For the Earps & Doc it seemed to be just another shoot out. What a great direction to take. I'm a huge fan of the Spenser series, and think his Sunny Randall and Jake Stone books have also been very good. But, I've got to say that Gunman's Rhapsody is his best.
Rating: 
Summary: The Earp Brothers vs. The World
Review: That is exactly the impression you'll get after reading this book. The Earps are like the Musketeers (you know, "all for one and one for all"). The type of loyalty presented between the brothers will leave you nothing short of incredulous. Enough about that....just an interesting theme within. The book.....if you've seen "Tombstone" and "Wyatt Earp," you know the storyline. Regardless that, READ THE BOOK. Parker, in his storytelling genius, brings the reader inside Wyatt's head (sometimes a strange place to be). You learn of the stoicism, fearlessness, total control and, you'll even see the romantic in Wyatt. To read this book is to understand Wyatt. For that, Parker has done fans of Westerns a favor. Lets face it, Kirk Russell and Kevin Costner is not what I have in mind when I think of Wyatt Earp (although both actors played excellent parts). This book only received 4 stars if for no other reason than the public, including the reading public, has been inundated with Wyatt and his brothers. Parker does a wonderful job with the story as he does with most of his offerings. Forget those that will tell you that its JUST a regurgitation of the movie. They didn't READ the book. They just scanned it. READ it, you'll KNOW Wyatt Earp.
Rating:
Summary: The Boston Bullet
Review: The Boston Bullet delivers a .44 magnum punch shot throughout Gunman's Rhapsody...Wyatt and his bros casually crack skulls as they lazer stare you past midnight leading you rapid fire through pages of pure delight...Old Dutch has got to like this one..me too...Come on Leonard, dust off the ten gallon and return us to the days when your word must have counted otherwise you were rendered speechless...Don't stop now, Bullet, one secondary character from the old west could clean sweep the streets of Boston with a stare...
Rating: 
Summary: Western History Lite
Review: This book reads more like a story outline than a genuine novel. The book starts out strong and then dribbles away into a series of disconnected conversations. Anyone who is in anyway familiar with the actual events or has even seen any of the movies on the subject will be disappointed in this book. The complex story of the Earps, Holliday, Clantons, et. al., is condensed into a series of short chapters (several are only 2 1/2 pages long), occasionally interrupted by bits of historical trivia (for example, the Boer War and death of Jesse James is mentioned). Instead of describing the world and culture of the times, they actually distract from what little connecting plot line exists. Historical events significant to the Tombstone saga are mentioned briefly and then drift away completely unresolved. For example, the accusation that Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton conspired together to capture some stage robbers is discussed in chapter 27, a plan is arrived at, and then never mentioned again! Anyone with a genuine interest in the Earps would be much better served by Casey Tefertiller's biography of Wyatt or Paula Mitchell Marks' "And Die in the West" or even Stuart Lake's much maligned "Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshall." Gunman's Rhapsody, like Mr. Parker's characterization of Ike Clanton, promises much - but delivers little.
Rating:
Summary: A winner - mostly.
Review: This is a well-written book, with effective pacing and artfully, though sparingly, crafted characterizations. As fictionalized Earps go, Parker's version of Wyatt and brothers is solidly realistic. To this amateur student of frontier history who has read most of the historical and fictional accounts of Tombstone over the last forty years, his take on the political/economic/social currents of 1880's Tombstone seems about right. The relationships between the protagonists and antagonists seem authentic, not overdrawn or stereotypic. He presents interesting and believable interpretations of some of the "unexplained" events from this period, such as the mysterious death of Johnny Ringo. My one quibble is that Parker gets the guns wrong. Colt peacemakers do not have swing-out cylinders; Winchester rifles were not available in .45 Colt caliber until the modern era, apparently due to the case wall design and thinner rims permitting blowback of gasses through the rear of the action with the blackpowder loads of the day. (Modern reproductions are made in that caliber for Cowboy Action shooters, some of whom occasionally experience the blowback problem with some loads). For the average reader I suppose these anachronisms would have no impact, but for me it made an otherwise first-rate piece of western fiction feel just a bit off-key. However, I would still recommend this book for its well-crafted prose and well-drawn sketch of life and death in 1883 Arizona.
Rating:
Summary: A Rich, Rewarding Historical Novel about Wyatt Earp
Review: This is an appealing novel for those who would normally not read westerns. Robert Parker has taken the well-known shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona and turned it into a well-developed, rich tale of family, honor, love, career, and the taming of the West. While many other writers have treated this material before, none have provided so much background to put the event into its proper perspective. The Earps, Doc Holliday, the Clantons, Bat Masterson, and many other Western legends come to life as real people you would recognize if you met them in a saloon. You will also learn a lot about the Earp women, both the wives and those they love. The story continues on to tell about what happened after the shoot-out. Mr. Parker writes about these characters as though he were a contemporary, but without the exaggeration of a dime novel. In fact, the spare prose of the Spenser series here becomes stronger without the quips and irony that pervade those stories. The writing style will remind you of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, and that's intended to be a high compliment for his accomplishment here. The story also evokes many of the good qualities of The Virginian. The story pivots around Wyatt Earp's fascination with a performer who draws his eye, Josie Marcus. Never expecting to see her again, he is startled to find her on the arm of aspiring lawman, Johnny Behan. Josie is a modern woman in many ways, drawn to the stage and Johnny for the excitement they seem to offer. She ends up being disappointed in both. For her, though, Wyatt is the real thing. Their relationship is complicated by Josie having let Johnny move into a house her father has bought her in Tombstone, and Wyatt having lived with Mattie (Celia Ann Blaylock) for a number of years. The hurt feelings lead to a polarization in the politics in Tombstone and in Wyatt's relationship with his brother Virgil's wife, Allie. The economic interests in the Tombstone area arrayed the ranchers against the rustlers, and the townsmen against those who wanted to raise a ruckus in town. The political interests split along North-South lines, reflecting the Civil War. Also, the cowboys tended to be southerners, and the Earps were northerners and townspeople. The character of Wyatt Earp, as portrayed by Mr. Parker, will fascinate you. He is seen as a man of effortless, relaxed precision. He enjoys his card dealing as much as his target-shooting practice. Both a discomfort with alcohol and a preference for being in control have him constantly sipping cups of coffee to keep his vigilance sharp. He is above all a man of honor, which means sticking to his word and to his family. Many of the plot complications are a result of that honor, and you will enjoy thinking about the price that has to be paid. Mr. Parker also does a remarkably good job of capturing the peril of being a law officer. You not only have to disarm the bad guys, some of them will come after you. If another law officer or citizen falsely accuses you, you can then have a posse chasing you. The Earps had plenty of experience with all of these problems. My only complaint about the book relate to the Chronicle inserts that outline other events happening at the same time. There is too much of this in the book, and the significance of the events is mainly from the perspective of our time. So the effect of reading them is to take you away from the story in time and space. Unless you happen to enjoy the first ones you read, I suggest you skip over these for a more enjoyable read. The moral choices involved in this book are interesting. How would you have decided between Mattie and Josie if you were Wyatt? If you chose Josie, how would you have handled the break-up? What promise would you have made to Josie about Johnny? If you were Josie, would you have released Wyatt from his promise? Be a straight-shooter!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put this one down.
Review: This is not a candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature, but it is a really good read. I found myself drawn into the lives of the characters, and my only complaint is that the book actually seemed too short. Thanks, Mr. Parker, for a smoking good time.
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