Photo Credit: © Gene Krebs 2008
Introduction by Ron Ciancutti:
Being a fan of western novels, I once read Louis L’Amour’s novel, Bendigo Shafter. I thought it so great that I tore into his entire library. None of them stacked up, so I felt compelled to write a review for Amazon.com. As with my essays in PRB, I caught some attention and had a few e-mails in response. One of them suggested I read a young but similar author, Kirby Jonas from Pocatello, Idaho, to see what I thought about his work. The writer suggested that if I contacted him, he might even send me a copy of his new book to review. Days later I wrote to him, and he forwarded me Death of an Eagle for free. I thought the novel was awesome.
In turn, I wrote another review for Amazon.com and received many responses thanking me for the recommendation. About six months later, Kirby called me personally and thanked me for the review. He was very tentative, though, and I realized he needed to say something. Finally, he admitted that he had written me under a false name all those months ago, suggesting I review the book. We laughed, and within minutes, a relationship was struck that has lasted since that review was printed in March 2000.