The Ballad of Midnight and McRae by Jess Lederman

The Ballad of Midnight and McRae by Jess Lederman
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Azure Star, LLC (July 24, 2025)

REVIEW BY PRISCILLA BETTIS

This is going to be a divisive review for a divisive book because The Ballad of Midnight and McRae is a Christian Western with a gay protagonist.

Matt is a contemporary man who tells the story of his gay Texas Ranger father, McRae, and an outlaw named Midnight, but it’s Matt’s story, too. Between Matt, McRae, and Midnight, The Ballad of Midnight and McRae becomes a study of masculinity in its various forms (swords and rifles, spiritual leadership, Korean War fighter pilots, protection of family, fiery explosions, pursuit of wisdom, pursuit of justice, and wrangling mustangs). The story is epic in scope, spanning from the late 1800s Wild West to the early 2000s. 

Supporting characters include women who are supernaturally dangerous in their knife skills, a priest who hides six-shooters under his robe, a philosophical ex-slave, and bad guys who think they are shape-shifters, above the law, or are the law.

Despite the Korean War diversion and the modern-era scenes at the end, a majority of the book is squarely set in the Wild West. In the following passage, Midnight and McRae are riding horseback through the barren Great Plains with a Paiute Indian man:

The trio stopped at midday to rest, warm up by a fire, and eat a meal. “You’re welcome to share our grub,” said my father. “We’ve hardtack and jerky, and I’ve got coffee grounds boiling that haven’t been used more than three or four times.”

-Jess Lederman, The Ballad of Midnight and McRae

There are explorations of theology from Hopi beliefs (surprisingly similar to the Bible) to traditional Roman Catholicism to hellfire-and-brimstone Baptist sermons to contemporary progressive Christianity. When McRae falls in love with another man, he must reconcile his traditional Christian beliefs with his newfound love. Fr. de Souza (the six-shooter priest) comforts McRae with a bit of LGBTQ-friendly theology:

“That you love a man is not the issue; it is the quality, the substance, the depth of your love [that matters]. The Lord demands that you love well.”

-Jess Lederman, The Ballad of Midnight and McRae

Lederman himself says the character of McRae was inspired by sympathy for the LGBTQ Christian community. I am rather conservative, and my own doctrinal views were not shaken by reading this book. The way I figure, to have a conversation with people of different beliefs, I don’t have to agree with them, but I have to understand their positions, and that requires listening (or reading in this case). Also, I wasn’t offended, and I think that’s because Lederman truly presents 360 degrees of Christian theology without making it clear which element he supports. It doesn’t feel like Lederman is out to shame the reader; he just offers thoughts for consideration. (I’ll admit here that I took off half a fish because I’m struggling to write this review. The religious themes of the book are SO complex.)

The book is divided into five parts. In Part 3, major characters die. The story could have ended there, but then we’d miss out on the Korean War and the nuclear arms race and Matt’s own story. Then, in Part 5 of the book, things come full circle. So when you near the end of the book, you need to remember the details of the good guys and the villains in Part 1. It’s a huge payoff.

A quick warning to sensitive readers (I mean besides the LGBTQ issues): there are a few instances of gore, which you can expect when a story includes women warriors with supernatural knife skills and characters who think they can shapeshift into toothy animals; there is much death, which you can expect when a story has Korean War scenes; and there are strong cuss words, about one every 100 pages.

Overall, this is a complex, well-written, immersive, thought-provoking read. As a woman I enjoyed the book, but its obvious audience is men who like gritty, gory, action-packed quests for justice. I give The Ballad of Midnight and McRae 4.5 impressive fish.

I read The Ballad of Midnight and McRae through Kindle Unlimited.