Guns

In his debut novel, Bowie presents the smart, cocksure Sam Bass, a man with a mysterious past. To the handful of inhabitants on a tiny island off the coast of North Carolina, including Valerie, the Cherokee widow whom he loves, Sam is a laid-back pilot-for-hire. When he becomes a local hero after rescuing an elderly couple from their storm-battered boat, the human interest story is picked up by the wire services and draws the attention of men from his past. Intent on killing him and addressing him as "The Cowboy," the mystery men fail to get Sam but unintentionally kill Valerie, leaving her young son orphaned and Sam hell-bent on revenge. He seeks out Valerie's grandfather and trains with him in the ancient Cherokee way of vengeance before setting out to administer violent justice. Though Bowie did the homework to distinguish his History of Violence -style plot—researching planes and gun running as well as Cherokee history and lore, and investing his characters with elaborate backstories—he leans on these details too often, slowing down what could be an absorbing, fast-paced tale. (Aug.)