American Spirit

John Janda
Academy Press (2006)
ISBN 1601450311
Reviewed by William E. Cooper for Reader Views (1/07)

This is a western, a story told in the first person about one person who was arrested by a local town marshal for a killing he wasn’t sure he committed.  It is a story of the person, who is written as an honest and apparently decent man, who cannot remember the details behind a dead man found in his hotel room as he slept.  He had interacted with the man the previous evening, but had no recollection of any action leading up to the death.  He is unable to defend himself and is ultimately hanged for a crime some of the main players don’t believe he committed.

This is a story of early criminal justice, about law enforcement officials who try to do what is right, yet don’t possess the knowledge or technology available to us today.  It is the story of a court system struggling for justice, again having to work only with minimal evidence, and a jury basing its decision to convict on evidence that today would certainly result in a not guilty finding. 

If you enjoy Old West stories, “American Spirit” should be in your library.

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