The Colonel's Lady

The Colonel's Lady is an outstanding look into one of the genre's most frequently scrutinized topics: weakness.

Reardon is an ex-Confederate officer. The war is over, and, at the start of the book, he's on his way out west to join the US Army. Joining the cavalry out west isn't much different to a prison sentence. It is a remote post, surrounded by hostile Indians, with extremely limited food, drink and access to the ladyfolk. It is normally the last respite of desperate men. Reardon's reason is also his weakness - he spotted his ex-love, Caroline, on the arm of an army colonel. Keen to see her again her, he joins the regiment. The book follows his training and his first few missions as a scout.

Reardon is surrounded by other fascinating characters, all with their own secrets. Caroline is also the soft spot for more than one man in the regiment. Reardon, her colonel husband and a love-lorn captain are all completely obsessed with her. In turn, her weakness is a selfish, ignoble need for survival. Caroline will do anything to survive, often clawing her way out of dark places through even darker methods. Even the minor characters are brought to life through their flaws. Reardon's drill sergeant, for example, is a bear of a man and a tyrant of the training ground, but the thought of poison brings him trembling to his knees. He can't stand the idea of an enemy that he can't face. Although the book's major conflict is between the cavalry and their Apache neighbours, the real battles take place within each of the characters' hearts. To Mr. Adams' credit, the end of the book is never a forgone conclusion. Whether or not Reardon, Caroline or the colonel ever overcome their own devils is left to the final pages.