1851, the wild west, and notorious killers Eli and Charlie Sisters are going to California with murder on their mind. The story is told by the younger and more troubled by their line of work of the brothers, Eli, in an archaic voice that is at once formal and immediate, and also often droll; the novel's appeal is difficult to pin down, but has a lot to do with that voice. It's bloody, funny and sad (but not depressing); it's easy to imagine the Coen brothers, say, making a movie of it. Potential not fully realised, but still a good read.
