The Treasure of Jericho Mountain

Judd's ( Jerusalem Camp ) brilliant characterizations demonstrate that there still are marvelous stories to be spun from the time-worn conventions of the western. In the untamed frontiers of late-19th-century Colorado, aging cowpoke and Confederate Army veteran Jeremy Prine gets embroiled in a no-holds-barred quest for a fortune in stolen gold. Led by the son of a trusted Civil War buddy, Prine and his companions soon find dangerous competition from a ruthless gang of outlaws headed by an enigmatic young woman. The trail to the treasure--stashed in the deserted mining shafts of Jericho Mountain--is studded with deadly encounters, and the pursuit is chronicled with passion and relish. Here greed, deception and betrayal are expertly counterpointed by loyalty and filial respect. The classically suspenseful, neatly ironic ending is flawless. (Feb.)