#NetGalley Book Review: Came A Horseman, A Hard Ride In A Fierce World by Paul McHugh

This mixes some philosophy with mystery and action in an interesting dystopian society.
Came A Horseman, A Hard Ride In A Fierce World
by Paul McHugh

ASIN : B08Q1VMH6G
Publisher : ElkHeart Books (December 20, 2020)
File size : 3689 KB; 261 pages
Genre: Dystopian, Mystery
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

Ten years after Earth's electronics were fried by an immense solar flare, most human technology has turned useless and civilization has begun to fail. But one thriving pocket is a valley on California's coast, where farmers in a religious cult dwell. A tribe of local hunters protect them. But this arrangement gets upended when a young refugee, Kyle Skander, wrecks his kayak there as he seeks to paddle north to Arcata. Kyle finds himself accused of murdering a young woman from the commune. To win freedom, he must find the real killer. His combative personality and a background in logic and philosophy helps Kyle make headway at this task. His investigation begins to uncover the valley's deepest secrets. Then, buried rivalries erupt into a battle that alters forever this enclave's fate.
"Came A Horseman" re-imagines the Western as a post-apocalyptic adventure, with a murder mystery at the heart of its plot.

Review:
Kyle was a professor before technology crashed and society disintegrated into groups trying to survive. Kyle left his beloved wife in Arcata to travel south to rescue her father, Roy. Roy had become Kyle’s mentor in all things philosophy from the logic thinking of Socrates to the war strategies of Sun Tzu. Kyle will use these lessons through his adventure. After reaching Roy, Kyle sets out in a kayak to return home, hoping to avoid the land-based dangers. Instead, he crashes onshore during a storm.

He finds himself on a reclusive commune with several cooperative tribes. The main community consists of farmers in a religious cult. Above their town are the horse stables with a handful of stablemen. Then moving further up the mountain there is the rough tribe of hunter warriors and tree dwellers. When Kyle stumbles into the farmer town, he becomes the prime suspect of a recent murder. After the local Sayer decides that Kyle may not be the murderer, he is given the opportunity to prove his innocence by investigating the crime.

Initially, Kyle is met with skepticism, reluctance, and resentment. But he begins to win others over as he treats them with respect while showing bravery, commitment, and effective, successful techniques. Just as Kyle is prepared to expose the true murderer, a new danger arrives on the scene in the form of a convoy of men seeking to take over the commune.

I generally prefer to be entertained in an adventure rather than having to push my mind to thinking. However, this adventure combines a variety of characters and an interesting mystery while requiring concentration to find the way through the philosophical arguments and discussions of strategy. The full package is ultimately engaging. I recommend this to fans of dystopia and mystery with the understanding that it involves philosophical arguments.

Source: 2020 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021NetGalley and 2021Alphabet goals.