Death Head Crossing

by James Reasoner

Pinnacle, August 2007

Death Head Crossing is just the name of a little town in Texas – until the population starts shrinking one body at a time. But the deaths are as mysterious as the face of the murderer. Gunslinger Hell Jackson's curiosity makes him the ideal man to put a stop to these killings even with the aid of an unwanted partner: Everett Sidney Howard, a cub reporter from New York City looking to make a name for himself riding alongside a famous gunman.

James Reasoner has written a gripping novel in Death Head Crossing. A book that is as much a murder mystery as it is a western. The burnt off faces of the victims making for horrific deaths, which hook the reader with wanting to discover how this happens and why.

Jackson and Everett make for an unlikely partnership but work very well as a team as they start to compile a list of suspects as the body count continues to grow. The discovery that the killer calls himself “The Hand of God” leading to all kinds of possibilities. And as the hunt of the killer escalates the reader begins to wonder as to the true identity of Hell Jackson. All this allows James Reasoner to plant all kinds of red-herrings and twists to the tale which in turn draw the reader deeper into the story.

Death Head Crossing is one of the best westerns I’ve read by James Reasoner and I’d urge all fans of westerns – and mystery murders – to give this one a try. I’m sure you wont be disappointed.