Monday 31 October 2022

HANG McALLISTER


By Matt Chisholm
Cover art by Gino D’Achille
Panther Books, 1970
Piccadilly Publishing, March 2022

Rem McAllister was on one of the toughest missions of his violent career. He rode into Mexico – and found a whole heap of trouble brewing. For one thing, he discovered that there were some mean hombres bent on invading Texas. For another, he found himself mixed up in a vicious war. And soon enough his outsize talent for trouble got him into a situation where two different leaders and a whole army were bent on hunting him down. Even for McAllister, these were fearsome odds . . . 

This book is a must read for fans of Matt Chisholm’s McAllister. His father, Chad McAllister, was always vague about the identity of Rem’s mother, stating she was either a Mexican lady of high birth or a Cheyenne princess, depending on how drunk he was at the time of telling. Rem has never met his mother and now he might just discover who she really is when he meets an old lady named McAllister. That isn’t the only shock for McAllister regarding family as he also finds himself fighting alongside a man who claims he is Rem’s brother. At first McAllister is suspicious of both, even though they know enough about Chad McAllister to make their stories ring true. Could it be that Rem has finally found his mother and at the same time a sibling he was unaware of?

For both McAllister fans and those who just enjoy a good western read, then this book should satisfy all. From the opening scenes this book grabs the imagination, hooks the reader with questions, and creates tension with plenty of how is he going to get out of that situations. The action is almost nonstop, as McAllister battles vastly superior odds. The author doesn’t give his hero an easy time of it either as McAllister is viciously beaten a couple of times and imprisoned. 

Matt Chisholm is a pseudonym used by author Peter Watts, and yet again he’s written a book that is thoroughly entertaining. The story is packed with great characters and has a terrific plot revolving around an invasion of America. Profanity is minimal, and the violence is hard-hitting but not overly graphic. The author also has a neat twist at the end that clears up McAllister’s questions about his new found family members.

The McAllister series ran for 39 books and they can take some finding these days in paper form. If you don’t mind reading ebooks, then you are in luck as Hang McAllister and many others are available electronically.  

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Steve. I've read 3 McAllisters this year, based on your high recommendation. Easily one of my favorite series. I am trying to pace myself. They are real gems. Piccadilly started publishing more of them this year. Their current batch are all from 1970. Do your inside sources indicate how many more McAllisters they intend to publish? I've got my list from this site https://westernromane.blogspot.com/2014/07/matt-chisholm.html Also, I recently read The Bank Robber by Giles Tippette, and his first person tone and pacing reminded me of Matt Chisholm and McAllister. I think you will like it, too. I saw Pete Brandvold mention that it is one of his favorites. ~Wes

Steve M said...

Hi Wes,

I don't know how many more Piccadilly are going to publish, hopefully a lot more. You can always ask them on their Facebook page.

If you search the September 2013 entries on this blog you'll find my review of The Bank Robber... and, yes, I did enjoy it.