The Ballad of Midnight and McRae
A historical love story takes on mythic significance in the moving novel The Ballad of Midnight and McRae.
A bandit and a lawman form a legendary bond in Jess Lederman’s engrossing novel The Ballad of Midnight and McRae.
Caleb is a Baptist Texas Ranger who is driven by his sense of justice. Henry, a rakish but educated English outlaw, learned skills from the Apache and is rumored to have donated loot to the Jesuits. When Henry is taken prisoner, Caleb decides to convert him.
Caleb shares gospel stories to which Henry replies, and he conveys his faith with clarity, eliciting Henry’s admiration. They have discussions about sin, the afterlife, and God, intrigued by each other’s perspectives. In time, the men learn what they have in common, and their contrasts become less consequential as they travel rugged terrain together.
As the novel continues, Caleb and Henry separate and later meet again; they have adventures, round up wild horses in Nevada, join forces as avengers, and reunite with people from their pasts. Their interactions are tinged with desire, too: Caleb wrestles with the dictates of his religious denomination in the face of Henry’s love, becoming anguished. He is candid about expressing his fears related to religious transgression and ends up moving toward ministerial work. As a result of his concerns and as time goes on, the emotional distance between the men increases.
Narrated at a distance and in apocryphal retrospect by Caleb’s ninety-four-year-old son, Matthew, the story is marked by scenes that strain credulity, showing how Caleb became a mythical figure in his son’s thoughts. At one point, a cougar appears to Caleb and Henry at the precise moment they need milk to survive. Elsewhere, they benefit from charismatic outsiders including a gun-wielding friar, a band of women warriors, and a shapeshifter. Such tall-tale flourishes are used to build suspense.
Matthew himself is a more sparing presence, though his recollections of his father’s stories include further hints that the truth has been blurred. Often, he functions as an interlocutor, anticipating possible audience questions to supply answers. His own story, which includes service in the Korean War and the investigation of rumored miracles, is hinted at, but these factors distract from the main plot; they are shared most to suggest that Matthew was influenced by Caleb’s adventures more than he cares to admit. Indeed, the nested stories he shares unearth a clear sense of what draws people together despite obstacles, and the relationships he details leave a lasting impression.
An adventure-filled novel about desire and forgiveness, The Ballad of Midnight and McRae follows a renegade and an aspiring minister as they learn to respect and love each other in a setting that is hostile to their connection.
Reviewed by
Karen Rigby
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
