as by Cy James Panther, August 1964
A story that takes place during the last days of the Civil War, a gritty tale of the struggle to keep a wagon full of gold from the Union Army. Mayhew has been given the task of that job but he’s not doing well as we join him as he attempts to re-capture the wagon from the Union.
Both sides are weary of war and their hearts aren’t really in the job but Mayhew manages to persuade his last four men, the rest dead or in one case deserted, to attack the slightly larger Union patrol who have the wagon and the confederates horses!
Unknown to both side a gang of outlaws are waiting to pounce and do so after the Confederates ambush the Union soldiers. The outlaws capture the wagon and the few survivors on both sides and it’s then that Mayhew discovers he’s been nothing but a decoy, set up by his superiors.
If you want a read that’s filled with action from the very start, that never lets up until the end of the story, then try to find this book. You’ll find you’re not sure who you should be wanting to come out on top, so engaging are the soldiers on either side. This is a well written and entertaining read, well worth a look.
8 comments:
I've an old paperback copy of this in my library. Never actually read it but I will next.
Cy James (a pseudonym for Peter Watts - along with Matt Chisholm) is one of my all-time favourite western writers.
Some of this genre stuff is expensive! I looked at Cy James on Amazon and many of the paperbacks were $10 or more.
Can you find them at used bookstores for less?
It's great to have your blog as a resource. I've seen books like this before, but never knew which ones I should spring for. Now my list will be too long, but no harm in that!
Chris, What a coincidence! I've just posted a comment at James Reasoner's blogspot touching on the point you make.
The best places (leastways, in New Zealand) are charity shops and book fairs. But sadly these are also haunted by dealers who grab great handfuls of the bargains just to re-sell them through their commercial operations for a profit. It's a way of living, I guess.
One lady dealer I questioned at a book fair said the charity (I think it was Age Concern) and its book donors didn't care who bought the books. Which I suppose was true.
It does bemuse me when I see one, secondhand copy of a book offered for almost half of what the publisher originally paid the author.
We all have to envy Steve, who had the good sense to amass such an astonishing library of westerns . . . thousands of them!
Chris, not sure whether you know that I'm in the UK so these older books are easier/cheaper to find here - although some dealers are starting to up the prices on the more sort after books. Most sellers on Amazon seem to fall into this category. Try ABE, that might be better price wise.
Keith, thousands in correct - but I'm running out of room...
Liking the titles and labels Steve! I see the individual posts are showing up in Google searches for the book titles now - good job.
That's good to know Roy, thanks for the tips.
Thanks for the tips, guys. I'll check out ABE.
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