Audiobook7 hours
The Branch and the Scaffold
Written by Loren D. Estleman
Narrated by Paul Hecht
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Legendary author Loren D. Estleman has built a distinguished career in both the Western and mystery genres. His historicalWesterns are instant classics, and The Branch and the Scaffold is another triumph. Brutally efficient judge Isaac C. Parker is determined to rid Arkansas and the Indian Territory of all manner of criminals. But his quest for justice and liberal use of the gallows earn him just as many friends as enemies and take a toll on every aspect of his life.
Author
Loren D. Estleman
Loren D. Estleman is the author of more than eighty novels, including the Amos Walker, Page Murdock, and Peter Macklin series. The winner of four Shamus Awards, five Spur Awards, and three Western Heritage Awards, he lives in Central Michigan with his wife, author Deborah Morgan.
More audiobooks from Loren D. Estleman
The Confessions of Al Capone Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bibliomysteries Volume 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Long High Noon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Billy Gashade: An American Epic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Journey of the Dead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mister St. John Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ragtime Cowboys Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Adventures of Johnny Vermillion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Aces & Eights: The Legend of Wild Bill Hickok Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Undertaker's Wife Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Gun Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Branch and the Scaffold
Related audiobooks
Eyes of the Hawk [Dramatized Adaptation] Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Eyes of a Hawk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stranger in Black Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Riders of the Silences Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bullet Creek Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBetween One and Three Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fire Dance at Spider Rock Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sun Stood Still Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Showdown at Hole-In-the -Wall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Many A River [Dramatized Adaptation] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Canyon Walls Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Branson Hawk: United States Marshal: Wichita Connection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Abilene Trail: A Ralph Compton Novel by Dusty Richards Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Joe Pepper [Dramatized Adaptation] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Medicine Wagon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fear of Morgan the Fearless Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRalph Compton Red Trail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5King of Rats: Westerns Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Horseman Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Buffalo Wagons [Dramatized Adaptation] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBucked Out In Dodge Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Captain Marsh's Gold Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dodge City Trail: The Trail Drive, Book 8 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Old Boys [Dramatized Adaptation] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Thousand Texas Longhorns Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConquistadore's Gold: Westerns Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Will Fain, U.S. Marshal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brush Country (1 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation]: Barbed Wire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stalked Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDo or Die: A Ralph Compton Novel by David Robbins Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Western Fiction For You
Raylan: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Comanche Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Showdown Trail: A Novel of Wagon Train Days Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5West of the Pecos: A Western Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rider of Lost Creek Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Trail Driver: A Western Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dance Hall of the Dead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Code of the West: A Western Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Highwayman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Louis L'Amour Collection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Patrick Flint Series: Books 1-3: Switchback, Snake Oil, and Sawbones Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Man Called Trent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5T. H. Elkman: A Western Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Deadwood: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5True Grit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another Man's Moccasins Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hell on the Border: The Bass Reeves Trilogy, Book Two Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dead Man's Walk Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Son Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Where Coyotes Howl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves: The Bass Reeves Trilogy, Book One Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Blinds: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Crossing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death Comes for the Archbishop Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Streets Of Laredo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Where the Lost Wander: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Rabbit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sing Her Down: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for The Branch and the Scaffold
Rating: 3.6666666666666665 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
3 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the story of Judge Isaac Parker, who was sent to Fort Smith, Arkansas, to relieve a corrupt judge and try to bring some stability to the unruly and lawless territory. I regret the timing of this read; I was listening to the audio whilst working on something else and my mind was too divided. I need a re-read to do an adequate review. The story did cover the judge’s time in Fort Smith, his dealings with Belle Starr and Cherokee Bill, among many others. He got the nuts and bolts right, and the setting was well done. I’m reserving judgment on characterization until my re-read. I did enjoy the narration of the audio version of this book.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Loren Estleman was on a recommendation list I've been reading through for both his hard-boiled detective fiction and his Westerns. I read his mystery The Left-Handed Dollar and by and large was impressed with his snappy dialogue and evocative prose. So when I saw this book, one of his westerns with a blurb boasting the author is a "five-time Spur-Award winner" I expected something impressive. Estleman also picked a fascinating real-life figure to center this novel on--the infamous hanging judge, Isaac Parker. Unfortunately this book fast sagged and made my eyes glaze over. The book begins with Parker and his wife Mary arriving at Fort Smith in May of 1875. Before a month is out, the newly appointed judge has sentenced six men to death--bursting into tears upon pronouncing sentence. I'm assuming the author got this detail from history--in his afterward he claims all his characters are historical. That detail hints at a complicated man--but the novel only skims the surface and Parker never comes through to me as a person. Short as this book was--about 250 pages--I lost interest before half-way through. Seen through several points of view, from the prosecutor, executioner, jailor and a marshall among others, I got much more detail (than I ever wanted) about how to prepare rope suitable for hanging men than any insight into the human beings in this tale--particularly Judge Parker.