Solid plotting. Terrific, vividly alive, characters, in a seamless collaboration.I haven't read a collaboration, involving the American west, this smoothly executed since Larry McMurtry and Dianna Ossana were working together. Although I first came across the work of John A. Aragon and Mary W. Walters in 2007 (ABNA contest), and I'm familiar with their individual voices / styles, in Don Valiente I can't really tell where one leaves off and the other picks up the narrative. To me, that's a hallmark of deft literary craftsmanship.What do you seek in a novel? Layered plot? Nuanced characters? Drama? Adventure? Humor? Pathos? Action? If you've answered, "all of the above," then DV is the book for you.Don Valiente and Roz are beautifully conceived characters.Is DV a madman? Perhaps, but his dementia lies in his perception / distortion of tangible detail. As far as his metaphysical grasp of the universal truths goes, you couldn't find a more astute intellect, a more intact integrity. He's a rare soul, one who can maintain an aura of dignity even when being thrown by his stalwart (but skeletal) stallion, Relampago.Quite simply, Roz is a joy. Rawhide tough, crude on the outside, she's a young woman coming of age, with all the self-doubt, vulnerability, and naivety shared by all adolescents. Unfortunately, Roz has no one; parents, relatives, friends, to guide her. Until DV comes into her life.Once DV and Roz team up, the scenes / dialogue they share are priceless. Often hilarious, always poignant, their interaction alone is worth the price of admission. Don V and Roz could carry the whole narrative if needed, so well developed are they, but all the better for readers there's no need, they've got lots of help.DON VALIENTE AND THE APACHE CANYON KID has a plethora of supporting characters; lawmen, convicts, cowboys, whores, politicians (is there a distinction between the latter two?), a famous actress, the first lady of New Mexico, gunslingers, lawyers, and a gunslinging lawyer, that are all well developed, and encompass the entire spectrum from appealing to revolting.Among the most revolting, a terrible trio of villains: Kruger, Leta, and Crawford `The Beast.' A moral dilemma for these three animals is . . . whether they should shoot a family of settlers before they burn them, or, should they burn them alive.You won't find Don Valiente tilting at windmills, but he won't hesitate to ride straight at, and empty both blazing six-guns into, a charging Pierce-Arrow. This victory over the brujo "Bat Nose" brought DV the fabled war bonnet of El Mimbreno. If you ride along with DV and Roz will you get your own legendary war-bonnet? Maybe not, but you're sure to have an amazing and wonderful trip.