Annabelle Fortune, known as Misfortune Annie is one of the fastest gunslingers in the west, despite being 15 years old. When Annie gets tangled up in a guide job gone wrong, she inadvertently stops the mysterious man known as the Locomotive Reaper from robbing and murdering an entire train full of people. Since she is the only person to have ever seen the Locomotive Reaper and tell the tale, the Secret Service asks Annie to sign up and help catch him. Annie is reluctant, but with the promise to find information about her father, she is swayed. Annie is paired with agent Beau Slokam who brings more trouble to the table than what they are chasing. Now Annie and Beau, with the help of Annie’s friend Wontoa must fend off the Doom Gang while tracking down the Locomotive Reaper.
A fast-paced, action filled adventure in the Wild West with a wonderful heroine. Misfortune Annie’s bravery and determination leap off the page from the first scene. She uses quick wits, intelligence and a little bit of luck to get out of sticky situations. I do wish that we got to know a little more of her past and backstory, there is definitely a mystery there that the Secret Service director begins to hint at, but in such a short story, we don’t get into anything like that. Also, I was definitely interested in the Locomotive Reaper himself, much like Annie was and I wanted to dig a little deeper into his character. A flying man in a huge suit added a little element of Steampunk to the mix, but it wasn’t out of place at all. With a fifteen year old heroine, this is an appropriate read for young adults, but has plenty of elements to keep adults interested as well.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )