Instead of a 14-year-old girl like Mattie Ross, though, DC has Lily Granville - nearly 20, with a friend, Charles Mason, who expects her to marry him (but she's not so sure about teaching in China). After her father is murdered by the family lawyer, Lily talks Charles into escorting her west on the railroad to track the killer -- she believes the lawyer stole a valuable deed to a gold mine.
I love trains, and chose the year 1869 as the setting. The Union Pacific and Central Pacific joined tracks in Utah in May of that year. For the first time, people could travel from New York City in the East to Sacramento, California. From several months to a 4-5 day journey? Incredible! The trip did have some dangers and inconvenience.
So where does Rooster Cogburn come in? Despite Charles' presence, Lily soon realizes that she is no longer the hunter but the prey. With the killer following her, she needs someone used to violence, who's used his fists, who has a gun and knows how to use it. Enter "Ace" Diamond, ex-Confederate soldier, poker player and down-on-his-luck wanderer. Is he trustworthy? Will she be betrayed in the long run?
Read my version of "True Grit" on a train -- and then rate it on Goodreads and Amazon! Let me know what you think via the comments here. Friend me on Facebook and Twitter! Thanks for reading.
