Border Beagles

Border Beagles, the sequel to the scandalous Richard Hurdis, shows Simms continuing to explore the contentious relationship between the older, civilized tidewater south and the wild trans-mountain frontier. This builds on a theme begun with Guy Rivers and Richard Hurdis, but Border Beagles saw Simms decidedly scaling back the violence found in those two books, especially the latter. Here, the author's presentation of the chaos and dangers of the frontier is tempered by humor, with over-the-top backwoodsmen, vicious outlaws, and sundry grotesques coming into conflict with a civilized tidewater gentleman in an adventure that often borders on the slapstick.