Devil's Deal

By Lee Walker

Hale, March 2013

After barely surviving the Civil War, all Confederate sharp-shooter Ethan van Kirk wants is a quiet life on his homestead with his eight-year-old daughter, Lucy. Then a shadow from his past appears. Suddenly he is forced to use his deadly shooting skills again in a deal with the Devil. Ethan must kill an innocent man to save his daughter’s life.

And the clock is ticking….

This is Lee Walker’s third Black Horse Western and having read the previous two I was eager to read this.

The majority of the tale takes place during one morning, and Lee Walker creates an air of menace and tension superbly ensuring the reader will find this a very difficult book to put down before the end is reached. Ethan’s frantic struggle to save his daughter and not kill an innocent man seems destined to fail as he discovers those he thought were friends cannot be trusted and time is running out fast. Unknown to Ethan there are a couple a people trying to help but are they strong enough to do so? And even if they are can they act before the time Ethan has to squeeze the trigger?

I can’t really say more about the story without spoiling it for those who intend to read this book. What I will add is I’d highly recommend it to all who enjoy edge-of-the-seat plotlines that will have you guessing as to the books’ outcome. 

Lee Walker is a pseudonym used by Ed Ferguson and on the strength of this book and the two before it, this author has joined the top ranks of my favourite western writers.

Devil’s Deal is officially released tomorrow but is available now from the usual bookstores.

Pay Dirt

By Lee Walker

Hale, January 2012

Jim Payne, Sheriff of Cedar Springs, thinks nothing of it when he is asked by his Ma to deliver a letter to his estranged brother, Michael. However the trail leads him to Golden Gulch, a dangerous Californian boomtown, high on gold fever and in the tight grip of the ruthless conman, Coleridge Craven, and his henchman, Kid Cassidy.

When Jim hands over the letter, he thinks his job is done but it seems Golden Gulch just doesn’t want to let him go. An old family feud, a miner’s revolt and the murderous intentions of Craven and the Kid are just some of the trials he faces if he ever wants to leave Golden Gulch alive….

At last Lee Walker’s second BHW has appeared. After reading his first, Gun Law, I was looking forward to this one.

The book starts with a horrific prologue, which explains the animosity between brothers Jim and Michael Payne. The story then jumps forward a number of years and the reader joins Jim as he arrives in Golden Gulch. It isn’t long before he finds himself confronting Craven and becomes a target for the conman’s hired guns.

Lee Walker has come up with a great bunch of characters that are a pleasure to read about. The story moves forward quickly and is filled with well-written action scenes that paint vivid images within the mind. The final blazing showdown takes up a good portion of the book and provides an exciting conclusion to the story.

Lee Walker is a pseudonym used by Ed Ferguson, and he writes in an easy to read style that defies you to put the book down before the end. 

Once more, like after finishing Gun Law, I’m left looking forward to the third western from Lee Walker.

Pay Dirt is officially released on January 30th but is available now from the usual Internet bookstores.

Gun Law

As by Lee Walker
A Black Horse Western from Hale, December 2009

As a boy of fourteen, Jake Chalmers saw his parents callously murdered by two drunken cowboys in the street. Now a young man, he is determined to protect himself, even if he has to use his gun to do so.

On the run after killing in self-defence, Jake arrives in Sweetwater, a boomtown growing rich on cattle drives. His plans to keep a low profile soon go awry as he finds himself in the middle of a feud between the ruthless business man, Jordan Carter, and an elderly sheriff, Luke Gardner.

Finally, Luke is murdered by one of Carter’s henchmen and Jake must choose between the law of the land and the law of the gun…

As far as I know this is Lee Walker’s debut western for Hale. His writing style is very readable and the plot moves along at a swift pace with plenty of bursts of action along the way. Lee Walker’s characters are well created and will have you caring about what happens to them, will have you hoping that Chalmers doesn’t ride away and leave the girl, Elaine, behind as he seems scared to commit himself to anyone or anything.

The plot of the drifting gunman who finds himself standing by a lawman, newspaperman and a beautiful girl, against the power hungry bad guy who owns most of the town and has a bunch of gunfighters to back his play, is an often used storyline but Lee Walker makes it seem fresh, his story grabs the readers attention and makes the book very difficult to put down until the last page has been read.

If Lee Walker (real name Ed Ferguson) continues to write to this standard then I for one will be eagerly awaiting each of his books.

Gun Law has an official release of December 31st but should be available from Internet booksellers now, and if you fancy getting hold of a copy I suggest you get your order in as soon as possible as BHW tend to sell out fast.