The Three Corner Rustlers

By: K Hamilton

Narrated by: John Pirhalla

Inspired by real-life events, author K. Hamilton artfully combines the elements of a Western with the 21st century. Paths intersect and twist from Silicon Valley, to Colorado, to the wide-open spaces of the high desert of the Three Corner country of Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada. Three Corner Rustlers is a contemporary story featuring an estranged daughter, Carson, who is returning to her childhood home; CJ, an ex-con whose life is changed by an unusual mentor a wild mustang named Rio; plus a criminal network of cattle thieves, federal agents, and a rancher whose livelihood is threatened. The journeys of these characters are woven together in this modern-day tale to surprising conclusions.

©2015 Kim Vogee (P)2016 Kim Vogee

I very much enjoyed the descriptive writing style!

I enjoyed this even though there were times I had no idea what was being described. I am not a horseman so I didn’t recognize some of the tools of the trade. I know the author is an experienced horse person and I loved how I was let in on how things can be done. I am so happy this book was on Audible because I listen a lot more than I sit and read so I am not sure I would have ever got to reading this even though it is on my wish list (to be the paper book). The narrator was great. I love it when the can do enough voices that it is easy to tell there are different people talking. I’m off the read the sequel.

Exciting to the end with more surprising twists

A modern day Western complete with cattle rustlers, mystery and deadly danger if the rustlers are discovered! Someone is stealing cows and bankrupting ranches on the three corners of Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada. The rich mixture of characters makes this story well-rounded. Each character is well developed. Each character connects to the plot and others are solidified through the action.

The characters range from a waitress with a shady secret, a recently released convict with an affection for his unique wild Mustang, federal agents, thieves, a lonely old man and many more. A small group of ranch hands go out to look for missing cattle and find so much more than they bargained for!

Hamilton builds her characters with a depth that makes them realistic. Her female characters are strong although they are not the “center” of attention, she highlights them in ways that make them appear strong and tough.

Exciting to the end with more surprising twists and turns than the Rio Grande! Author K. Hamilton does an excellent job of keeping the listeners interest making this audio a unique experience. Known for her ability to make her books visual through words, Hamilton does not disappoint. There were numerous times that I felt I was on the range riding with CJ, Ryker as well as being in the center of the story with Dale, Shiloh, and others.

Hamilton is a gifted writer and her strength lies in her ability to weave a story with intricate connections that one does not notice at first. Although inspired by real events, Hamilton is the perfect author to make this book more exciting than real life.

There is a violent rape in the story.

I do enjoy Hamilton’s other books and was excited to see her demonstrate her flexibility in other genres. Excellent book! It is an awesome listen! A definite must read!

The narrator, John Pirhalla did an excellent job performing the book. He spoke clearly and with ease. His voices were well done and with enough voice to keep the attention of the listener. I enjoyed his performance and look forward to hearing more by him.

There were no issues with the audio production of this book. However, the few times they added in sound effects were not impressive - I really did not enjoy hearing a character eating.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

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A Thanksgiving turkey!

I’ve always liked a good western to change things up and cleanse the palette. Three Corner Rustlers is a contemporary western that still retains the Old West feeling. Rustlers still exist in modern-day Nevada. Wyker is an old horse wrangler who runs a program for the corrections department training selected convicts to be wranglers. Wyker reminds me of a horse whisperer as he takes his time teaching the cons how to establish a trusting relationship with the horses. One of the cons, C.J. caught Wyker’s eye as he progressed with a horse named Rio. When C.J. came up for parole, Wyker arranged a job for him at the Two-bit Ranch run by a widow called Kissy. Rustlers have been stealing cattle from a dozen ranches in the Three Corner area; the border junctions of Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada. The loss of cattle is bankrupting many of these ranches, worrying Kissy that her ranch further north would be next. Wyker, an old friend of Kissy’s deceased husband, came to Kissy’s aid along with C.J… The story relates the efforts of the Two-bit ranch hands to discover who is doing the rustling and how they’ve been able to get away with it for so long. Kissy’s estranged daughter Carson plays a role in the story, returning home to renew her relationship with her mother. A waitress named Shiloh is involved by association and has a brief connection to the main plot. A few more characters appear but I feel like they’re more like filler, extending the length of the story. It’s a pretty good story with likable characters, although perhaps too many. My main misgiving is that I find it difficult to believe that rustling could go on for any length of time in the same general area in this age of electronic surveillance. I can think of several ways to observe and/or track the cattle, as the story mentions a couple of ways. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Three.point.five and hold the stuffing.

Loved it!

A delightful modern day Western! From cattle rustling, intrigue, murder and deadly danger! The characters include a waitress with a questionable past, an ex convict, federal agents, thieves widowed ranch woman and a lonely unhealthy old man and his dog.
The author gives her characters depth and personalities. This book has many twist and turns which keeps one's interest all the way through. The ending was such as there could be a sequel. I hope this was not her only endeavor in this genre.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Lovely Writing...Especially for Animal Lovers

Where does The Three Corner Rustlers rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It wasn't necessarily the best overall story I've ever read but the writing was quite lovely. I love words, so sometimes I get caught up in sentence-craft. This writer is certainly gifted. The characters are interesting and have completely different backgrounds that are described beautifully in the book as they come together. The chapters about horses were particularly beautiful. You can clearly tell the writer is not foreign to the equestrian world. Looks like this is a first book by Hamilton but she is worth the listen. The book often reminded me of Lonesome Dove but in the modern day.

One note of caution for more sensitive ears like mine: One chapter in the book is quite brutal and very raw as it describes a horrendous scene. I could only get half way through that chapter before I skipped to the next chapter.

What does John Pirhalla bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

As an avid book listener I get drawn in by a good narrators voice and this book has an amazing narrator who is quite adept at multiple voices and accents. John Pirhalla's voice for Wyker was so appealing I thought this ole gal might like to meet him one day. Wyker that is. :) I have a friend in my audiobook club who has listened to another book by this narrator and she feels the same way.

Modern-day Western

Although not usually the type of story that would interest me, this Western is definitely worth a listen - and K Hamilton writes rich and descriptive scenes. The journeys of her varied characters are woven together in this 20th century tale of intrigue, set out West. The narrator is great - John Pirhalla’s accents are spot on and bring the characters to life. I especially enjoyed the voices of the American Indian, the Hispanic men and C.J., the ex-con. Not overdone, but subtle and believable. Well done.

A Western feel!

From the beginning narrator, John Pirhalla did a great job of recreating a small western town vibe, with everyday runch life.
I did enjoy how the story was built. Every detail had its purpose, and it came together very nicely. The ending was a bit sudden, but altogether enjoyable story.

I was given this review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.