Death Comes at Dawn

The Drum Series, Book 2

De: W.R. Benton

Narrado por: Robert Thaler

Book Two continues the story of Civil War veteran Jeb Patton, now settled in the Rocky Mountains. Starting anew as a farmer in the wilderness is a difficult task and one that takes both gumption and lots of raw determination.

Jeb and Speaks Much, his new wife, learn from Sioux chief Hump that war with the white eyes may be inevitable if the buffalo hunters continue to decimate the herds the tribes depend upon for their survival.

Patton befriends a pioneer family in trouble and helps them get a start in the Montana territory with help from his friends Abe and Moses. But tranquility is not to be as a renegade killer named Crawford comes their way - out for revenge. With war on the horizon Jeb will cross paths with more old allies, mountain men Ty and Jarel.

©2005 W.R. Benton (P)2016 W.R. Benton

Had to love it

What made the experience of listening to Death Comes at Dawn the most enjoyable?

Honestly I am part of a Soap opera fan club and Robert, the narrator, at one time was a big star in the Soaps a while back. I heard he was doing this so I ran out right off and bought the audio when I heard about it. I am not a big audio book person but wanted to hear what he would do with this because he was such a special actor as I remember

What was one of the most memorable moments of Death Comes at Dawn?

The writer pens a good number of gunfights in this and they are all exciting but the stuff with the slave girl Faye is especially good and also the Sioux Chief Hump. I thought the funeral scene was touching

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

Like I said Robert was a popular soap star at one time and I loved his acting. In this book he is so versatile and unusual. He reads and plays black slaves, Indians,old mountain men, a great and funny Buffalo killer, some women, a prostitute,,some young cowboys you name it I was blown away but then knowing him from t.v. I kind of expected that

If you could rename Death Comes at Dawn, what would you call it?

I don't know but I did like the book quite a bit it sort of fixed my attention since the writer was not all that predictable

Any additional comments?

There is humor in this book and the fella who wrote it does a good job of talking some about the conflicts that rose out of the buffalo skins trade, the railroads and race relations on the old frontier. You get a feeling for what it must of been like then. The gunfights come pretty often there is plenty of action that keeps the book flying so I was really surprised and pleased

I love a good story

What made the experience of listening to Death Comes at Dawn the most enjoyable?

Its full of action and adventure. The character Jeb sticks with you . He's the kind of guy most men would like to be and would like their sons to be. He is brave and honest.

What other book might you compare Death Comes at Dawn to and why?

The story is probably as good as some of Louis Lamour stuff

Which character – as performed by Robert Thaler – was your favorite?

this is my bone of contention. Don't pick an actor to read the book. This one is too showy and I just want some body to read the thing to me and let me figure out what is going on. Like a reality show. I cant agree with the other reviews on this point

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

this hits lots of areas of interest so yeah I could finish it in two days

Any additional comments?

Benton seems to have a pretty great imagination so I'm glad I took a chance on this one its a kick of a story and I didn't want it to end. Semper Fi

pretty hot

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

sure would, it moved fast and true

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jeb is the man, a tough guy like they used to be

Which character – as performed by Robert Thaler – was your favorite?

hard to say, there were many,

the Buffalo man was crusty as hell, loved the Sioux chief

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Benton was pretty funny in parts in a off hand way that fit the book

Any additional comments?

I listen to a lot of these when I work, I don't know why Benton isnt better known. He knows how to write for sure. this one is much better than most Westerns there's so much comin at you.

the narrator fella did it all a big service and was right on the money, crazy guy
I couldn't ask for more from this thing

Great read

Would you listen to Death Comes at Dawn again? Why?

My sister is listening to it now and maybe then my dad. It felt real like I was there. Lots of action and good guys and bad dudes,

What was one of the most memorable moments of Death Comes at Dawn?

I liked when Buffalo Watkins talked with Ben about the War. Quite a bit in the book about race relations during that time way back. I thought the writer treated it well.

Which scene was your favorite?

Buffalo Watkins fighting off an Indian attack with only his Sharp's rifle. The gun fights. Jefferson the x-slave quick draw stuff. that Indian war chief was scary but wise and he made real sense to me, he fought for his own. the scalping and torture scene of the bad killer was pretty heavy.

If you could take any character from Death Comes at Dawn out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Jarel would be it. A tough old s.o.b. , he was a mountain man and knew the ways of the land but there was something kind and funny there to him

Any additional comments?

gotta take my hat off to the writer for imagining all this and I do commend the narrator for all the different characters he did, it must take real talent, both guys were just flat out powerful

a good listen for sure

What made the experience of listening to Death Comes at Dawn the most enjoyable?

the reader saves this and makes it run. Its like a lot of good Westerns, bad guys , heroes , dead guys, gunfights but I have to say its quite a bit more interesting than that first book the writer wrote the Drum book, this one takes off from there but has more to it at least in my way of looking at it

What other book might you compare Death Comes at Dawn to and why?

William Johnstone writes good ones. I bought Preacher's Justice not too long ago and its part of the mountain man subject he does. I would compare Benton to that one he's got some mountain men in this new book too

Which scene was your favorite?

I did like the Butterfield guy who is a hoot. He's an old coot who runs a trading shop in town and the guy has a big heart and likes his whiskey, anytime he came on it was funny

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I won't give away what happens but there was a funearal and a hanging in this one and they were on the money to my mind

Any additional comments?

Look this book is quite a bit better than that first one Benton wrote in what you might call the series, its got a better pace and it packs some real surprises, the first book was o.k. but I knew what was coming but this one some of the characters caught me off guard and the reader sunk his teeth into them

Pretty terrific

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Sure would. The writing is good but I was ahead of it a bit and kinda knew what was coming. I listen a bunch to these things. But the damned narrator was pretty incredible and made the whole thing work I mean the Indian Chief he read was real and the Bufalo hunter sounded like out of a movie, the mountain men too and the guy even read some black slaves that sounded just like they probly sounded

What was one of the most memorable moments of Death Comes at Dawn?

the black man Jefferson a quick draw guy gunning down the hombres in the bar

Which scene was your favorite?

Bufalo Watkins fighting off the Sioux with his speciality carbine I know guys like that

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

who the hell knows, I would just buy the damn audio its good

Any additional comments?

Benton who wrote this was told to me by somebody else I think he's good and has an imagination but he repeats himself too damn much and that slows down the action we don't need that the narrator actually makes this thing powerful and I'll look for his stuff here on out most of those guys just read the book and its o.k. that way I guess but this dude played the characters big difference

the Genuine article

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Wow. I sure would. This one came and surprised me. I move trucks on the road and bought this one for the hell of it. It was different and I just kept tuning in. The writer jumbled together a lot of action with many wild characters not like your typical western with maybe one or two main guys. It made the whole thing interesting like I didn't know what was up around the bend.

What other book might you compare Death Comes at Dawn to and why?

Well its got some Ralph Cotton in it and listens like a movie cause the characters all talk different. Like your listening to a good t.v. show on the radio

Which scene was your favorite?

Anything with Buffalo Watkins in it. The writer really created a character there he was both good and bad in odd ways.I especially liked when the black man named Jefferson hires on the sweet black girl to come and raise his kids with him. That was real and it was tender too and a bit funny.The guy who read this stuff,- the narrator was special because he had to be able to read a bunch of characters but keep them true and all different and he really did it

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt a little like I was right out West when I was listening and like I understood where these folks were coming from. And the character who was the owner of the trading post made me laugh a bit. The writer had good affection for that character, he was an old man filled up with piss and vinegar.

Any additional comments?

No. I don't think I ever wrote a review before but wanted to send a shout out here cause I thought the whole thing really deserved it. If the writer was better known this thing would be flying off the shelves I think no doubt about it.

Dead On

What did you love best about Death Comes at Dawn?

Gunfights

What did you like best about this story?

the guy pulled no punches, wasn't anything fake about it

Which scene was your favorite?

the Blackfoot hanging the dude out over the fire,

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

there was a lot going on, I liked stretching it out the surprise element

Any additional comments?

I'd buy it again in a second, the fella who wrote it is pretty real and has a real imagination so its something different from your typical Western. I 'll look for his stuff again

Over Simplistic

No time is spent on character development to get you into the characters, and instead the first chapters are spent with stereotyped, one dimensional characters that we aren't given any means to relate to or care about. Representations of Native Americans which only a non-native ignorant to the actual cultures would write... I wasn't looking for an accurate historical representation, but just a good western. Unfortunately this is just too all around simple for my tastes.