RAMSEY'S LUCK

THE RAMSEYS 
Book 2 of 18
By Will McLennan
Cover art by Bill Dodge
Jove, September 1989

The War Between the States was long over. But the fighting spirit lived on in Matt Ramsey – and kept him roaming for five restless years. So, when his old friend Knox Wapley signed him on as a ranchero, Matt was glad of the chance to stay in one place for a while and keep out of trouble.

But trouble is something that just can’t leave a Ramsey alone – and Matt soon finds himself dodging bullets in a full-blown range war. Only this war is one that Matt Ramsey isn’t going to lose!

The first three books in this series were written by Gary Clifton Wisler. Three other authors then wrote behind the pseudonym of Will McLennan, these being Ed Gorman, Robert J. Conley and John Legg – the latter writing most of the books. 

This story takes place over a number of months and sees Matt enjoying being in one place, becoming friends with Wapley’s family. Matt invites one of his younger brothers, Bucky, to join him and the Wapley’s. Life seems peaceful but Matt senses that there is something Knox hasn’t told him. It soon becomes clear that a neighbouring rancher, Nash Emery, is trying to buy the Wapley ranch and various mishaps are causing problems. Matt also gets on the wrong side of a gambler known as the Kansan. 

It isn’t long before the bullets begin to fly, fired by snipers mainly. Even though Matt knows who is behind the attacks he can’t prove it, as Emery is always seen elsewhere when the shooting takes place. It isn’t long before Knox is killed, and Matt decides to stay and protect Wapley’s wife, Gail, her children, and Knox’s father. But can two men, a woman, and a bunch of children take on Emery and his riders, especially when he hires himself some gunfighters? 

Wisler’s tale begins on a slow burn, the tension mounting as the pace increases, building towards the inevitable showdown. There are some hard-hitting action scenes and some surprising victims, but other than that this is a traditional range war western – and there’s nothing wrong with that. I find Wisler’s writing to be very readable and I’m enjoying seeing the character development of the Ramsey brothers. On finishing the book, I was left looking forward to reading the next one as soon as I can.

The Ramseys

By Will McLennan
Jove, May 1989

Kyle and Matt Ramsey were lucky to return home alive from The War Between the States – Kyle wore his empty left sleeve as a badge of honor. Crossing the Texas border, the fearless brothers expected a heroes’ welcome. Instead, they found that their fight for freedom had only just begun.

War profiteers had taken over the town and plundered the Ramsey homestead. As the family’s future lay in jeopardy, Kyle and Matt squared off for a shoot-out the carpetbaggers would never forget…

Having read a few of the later entries in this eighteen-book series I’ve been keen to go back to the beginning and discover how it all began. The first three entries were written by Gary Clifton Wisler, an author I don’t remember reading anything by before. Three other authors would then write behind the Will McLennan pseudonym, these being, I believe, Ed Gorman, Robert J. Conley and John Legg, the latter writing the lions share.

When Matt and Kyle return home I was surprised to discover how young their younger brothers were but as the book progressed it covered a couple of years so I could see how the brothers would grow if each book continued at this pace.

Like most of those I’ve read Matt is the center character, a man who hoped to find peace when returning home from the horrors of the Civil War. Yet a combination of carpetbaggers, family tragedy and white hooded riders calling themselves the Knights of the Silver Circle soon wipe away happiness and replace it with bitterness. An anger that can only be satisfied by hitting back but will this be enough to cleanse that resentment?

Gary Clifton Wisler has written a very readable book, his study of changing emotions as equally gripping as his action scenes, and some of the latter paint very vivid images in the minds-eye and are extremely hard-hitting. 

The close of the story promises new adventures for the surviving Ramsey’s and on the strength of this opening tale I’d certainly be wanting to read more. 

Beat to a Pulp

ROUND 1

Edited by David Cranmer and Elaine Ash

2010

Looking at the cover, with its terrific artwork by James O’Barr, you might be wondering why this collection of short stories is being featured on a blog about western fiction? Simple answer, it contains a number of western stories, and authors whose western work is regularly reviewed here write many of the other tales. A full list of stories and authors can be found at the end of this review.

When sitting down to write this review I thought maybe all I need to do is just ask Bill Crider for permission to copy his wonderful forward to the book and post it here, as I don’t see how his words can fail to encourage any reader into diving straight into this excellent collection of stories.

The twenty-seven tales within cover a broad range of genres, taking in westerns, crime, sci-fi, fantasy, pirate, ghost and war. Of course there are stories here that I like better than others but all are extremely well told. Most explore the darker side of life, of human nature, and after reading the first two or three I gave up trying to guess how each story would end, as many finish with neat twists, Patricia Abbott’s story leaving me laughing out loud.

I enjoyed finding out what type of story the western writers I regularly read had decided to write, some turning to genres I knew they write in alongside their westerns, others – mainly those who write Black Horse Westerns (and there’s a few of them in this collection) – providing welcome surprises in their subject matter.

Some of these stories have been published online, others are appearing here for the first time – one being a recently discovered unpublished story by Paul S. Powers who had many tales published in the pulps of old.

The book ends with a fascinating look at the history of pulps by Cullen Gallagher and short profiles of all the authors.

David Cranmer says in his introduction, “I am optimistic we have put together a collection that has something for everyone.” I would say you definitely have succeeded David, and I, for one, am already looking forward to Round Two.

Beat to a Pulp: Round One is now available here, or can be bought from Amazon.

Contents:

1. Maker’s and Coke Jake Hinkson

2. A Free Man Charles Ardai

3. Fangataufa Sophie Littlefield

4. You Don’t Get Three Mistakes Scott D. Parker

5. Insatiable Hilary Davidson

6. Boots on the Ground Matthew Quinn Martin

7. Studio Dick Garnett Elliott

8. Killing Kate Ed Gorman

9. The Ghost Ship Evan Lewis

10. The Strange Death of Ambrose Bierce Paul S. Powers

11. Heliotrope James Reasoner

12. The Wind Scorpion Edward A. Grainger

13. Hard Bite Anonymous-9

14. Crap is King Robert J. Randisi

15. The All-Weather Phantom Mike Sheeter

16. Pripet Marsh Stephen D. Rogers

17. Ghostscapes Patricia Abbott

18. Off Rock Kieran Shea

19. At Long Last Nolan Knight

20. A Native Problem Chris F. Holm

21. Spend it Now, Pay Later Nik Morton

22. Spot Marks the X I.J. Parnham

23. Hoosier Daddy Jedidiah Ayres

24. Anarchy Among Friends: A Love Story Andy Henion

25. Cannulation Glenn Gray

26. The Unreal Jesse James Chap O’Keefe
27. Acting Out Frank Bill

Death Ground

By Ed Gorman

Leisure, November 2009

The bank’s been robbed, two men are dead, and there’s a $1,000 reward on the head of a mountain man called Kriker. Leo Guild is just as eager as anyone to collect the bounty. But he also knows—from personal experience—the law has been wrong before. He wants to hear Kriker’s side of the story before making any rash judgments. So he sets off through the icy wilderness to track his quarry. The deeper Guild goes in the mountains, the more he realizes that in this case the law and the truth are not at all on the same side. If he wants justice, he’ll have to find it for himself…whatever the price.

To my knowledge this is the second of Ed Gorman’s Leo Guild books, and the second to be reprinted by Leisure. The story is superbly written and has a very dark tone to it. Guild carries his own ghosts, there are a couple of characters hiding their own pasts, and an outbreak of cholera hangs over them all.

Ed Gorman spends quite a bit of time fleshing out his characters back stories, writing some lengthy passages about their past life and how they came to be where they are, particularly in the case of Kriker and the little girl he calls his own. Then there is the Bruckner brothers, one you’ll soon detest and the other, perhaps, feel sorry for.

Guild’s quest to discover the truth of who killed who, and why, makes for some fascinating and well thought-out reading. Once Guild has these answers he finds himself in a race against time to free a kidnapped, and very sick, little girl.

The story is filled with hard-hitting scenes as it moves towards its tragic and emotionally charged ending.

Death Ground has made me realise I’ve overlooked some great reading by never having read any of the Guild books before, so I can only hope that Leisure continue to reprint the remaining books so that those of us who missed out the first time can join the ranks of those who enjoyed them first time around.

Ed Gorman is definitely a writer who should be on all western fans must read list.

Death Ground should be in the stores any day, although it is available from Internet sellers now.

The Trailsman #334

COLORADO CLASH
as by Jon Sharpe
Signet, August 2009

When Skye Fargo comes across a dead young man near the town of Cawthorne, Colorado, he figures he’ll do the right thing and take the body to town for burial. But he learns soon enough that lately dying has been real easy to do in Cawthorne. Someone in town has developed a taste for murder – and the Trailsman might just be the next course.

Finding the dead man is just the start of Fargo’s problems, seems he knows Cawthorne’s lawman too, and it’s this Sheriff that tries to persuade the Trailsman to help him find the killer. Fargo wants none of this, just wants to ride on, but the author (Ed Gorman) soon has Fargo facing three tearful women who ask for his help in tracking down the killer, and Fargo soon finds himself saying yes.

This is when the book turns into a detective novel as Skye Fargo tries his best to work like a Pinkerton agent. And this is the type of storyline that this particular author writes so well. He soon has Fargo struggling to unravel a web of lies as his list of suspects grows, and two more murders come to light. Seems the three dead men may have held up a stagecoach just before their deaths.

Ed Gorman packs the story with great characters, most that could have something to do with the murders and I soon had my choice for the guilty person – which changed and then changed back again. But I should have known better than to try and work out one of this writer’s plots as the story worked swiftly through twists and turns, half-truths and misdirection. Of course the killer wasn’t who I thought, in fact came as a welcome surprise.

For fans of Ed Gorman and/or The Trailsman, make sure you don’t miss this one.

Interview: Ed Gorman

Known as much for his crime novels as his westerns Ed Gorman has written many highly acclaimed books in both genres. I must take a moment to thank Ed for agreeing to answer my many questions and hope you all find his comments as interesting as I did.

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

From second or third grade on that’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to be. Jack London hooked me and then Ray Bradbury and then I began writing my own little stories. I’ve worked in advertising, written and produced tv campaigns for politicians, written and produced industrial films but I never lost sight of my goal. So for the last almost thirty years I’ve been writing fiction full time and have been lucky indeed.

What was the first novel you had published and if this wasn’t a western what was your first western?

My first three novels were suspense but I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to do the first drafts of three different western series novels. I learned a lot from that experience and more importantly it gave me the confidence to write my own western, which was Guild.



Which writers influence you?

I’m never sure how to answer that. Dozens of writers have influenced me over several decades of reading. As for western writers influencing me I’d have to say Loren Estleman, Brian Garfield and Elmore Leonard.

Which past western would you like to see back in print and why is this?

Right now I’d opt for Clifton Adams’ Desperado and A Partnership With Death--Partnership has one of the most gripping first pages I’ve ever read. It’s not action, it’s introspection—how the bleak landscape defines the protagonist.


You’ve won the Spur Award, what was this for?

That was for my short story “The Face” which is an anti-war story based on my reading of the journals of a Southern doctor who performed battlefield surgery. Though I don’t think he intended it to be, it’s a powerful anti-war statement. (The Face can be found in the two books below)





Are you planning to write more books about Guild and Dev Mallory?

Afraid not. There’s just no market for them. The Dev Mallory books not only earned out I made some royalties but it didn’t matter because they cancelled all their westerns.

You wrote the Brothers in Blood series as David St. James. I always wished there were more than three, why did the series come to an end?

I’m smiling at your question first because I don’t know how you ferreted out that pen-name and second of all because they died without a trace. I got a number of angry reader letters about them. Too much sex, too much back story and too many liberties with the Canadian Mounted Police. Of course I got a few letters from people who liked them, too, one from an Australian man who’d written a number of Mountie novels himself. He seemed to like them especially. But as I said they went nowhere.

Do you prefer writing stand-alone stories or series books?

Stand alones. I like the fresh start number one and number two I hate having to look back through previous novels to get character histories etc. right. I’m lazy for one thing and for another I tend to see all the things I could have done better when I reread.

Do you prefer writing in the first or third person?

I think my natural voice is stronger in the first person though if I can really connect—really find the human center of the book—then the third person is preferable because you can do so many more things with it. I have a very long very dark suspense novel coming from Leisure in July called The Midnight Room. I spent seven months on it. I’d been writing first person straight on for several years so I struggled with Midnight at first. But when I finally got going I told a far richer and far more suspenseful story than I ever could have in first person.

Do you write more than one book at a time?

Not really or not exactly anyway. I may write a chapter or two and start thinking of the plot for a forthcoming book—I’m doing that right now—but I prefer to stay “in” the book at hand. I need that intensity of focus.

Many of your westerns have strong mystery/crime elements, is this something you consciously plan or is this just the way you’ve developed as a writer?

The mystery element just developed. I wasn’t even aware of it. The crime element is conscious. I have an enormous book that contains something like 500 brief biographies of all types of criminals in the 1800s. East, west, south, midwest. While there were certainly crimes particular to the west (cattle rustling etc.) most of the criminality was the same as that in New Hampshire.

Do you find it as easy to write books in a series created by someone else, and that is multi-authored under a single pseudonym, as it is to write a series of you own?

All books are a struggle for me. I have a reputation for being prolific but as my friend James Reasoner says a professional does the best job he can with whatever project is at hand. I’ve spent just as much time with series books as I have with my own stand alones. It’s frustrating as hell but that’s just my process. The multi-authored series I’ve worked on didn’t require anything more than minimal consistency of character for the hero so in effect the books were stand-alones. That was a blessing. I worked on a suspense project once—only once--where the rules were so rigid it sapped all the pleasure out of doing the work.

You’ve written a fair number of Trailsman books as Jon Sharpe, do you think the adult content of these, and similar series, is still a major selling point for these books and do you think these series would still sell well without it?

Well, look at the Gunsmith books by Bob Randisi. He’s written more than three hundred books in the series. Bob developed an approach that has now spanned three decades and is still going strong. He’s a great storyteller—really inventive--and his readers have never tired of his approach.

Which of your westerns would you recommend to someone who hasn’t read any of your work yet and why?

Well one that’s easy to come by right now is Guild, which Leisure just republished. The other one is Ghost Town which they’ll have to order from a used site online. Ghost Town and Wolf Moon are the westerns that pretty much achieved what I tried to do.

You’ve co-edited a number of anthologies, how did you decide which authors to ask to write for them?

There are so many good writers in all genres, so many writers I’m excited about reading, that it’s easy to make a list and start pounding on their doors.

Many anthologies include stories by Louis L’Amour, why is this?

Because he’s the only big name in western fiction. There’s Louis and there’s everybody else. At the time of his death he had something like 75% of all available rack space for westerns.

Do you think paper produced books will ever be replaced with electronic books?

I’m a Luddite but yes, I think some form of electronic reading will come to dominate the market some day. Technology will make it easy and simple. But I think there’ll always be books. Look at music. The industry figured out how to soak us with CDs—much cheaper to produce than vinyl and yet they charge much more than vinyl. But vinyl’s coming back. More and more new releases appearing now because music on vinyl sounds better. I can’t tell you why but my son—who prefers vinyl—sure can.

What do you think of the western genre today and what do you think the future holds for the western?

I'd have to say that right now the future looks bleak. Not because of the writers. There are more good western writers today than ever before. But it's the perception of the publishers that the field is played out in terms of major sales. To me that's true in this sense: Dashiell Hammett said that the private eye was really the cowboy hero brought into the city from the range. Now cops-especially violent ones-are the new cowboys because we're an urban society. There may be a way to reinvigorate sales of our field but I don't have a clue as to how to do it.

What is your favourite western movie and why?

That depends on the day you ask me. Right now I’d say the westerns directed by Anthony Man, The Naked Spur in particular. I know I’ll get kicked out the church for saying this but I’ve never been much for John Ford. Too much Irish cornball for me, the exceptions being My Darling Clementine, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence and of course The Searchers. I also like the Randolph Scott-Budd Boetticher movies very much. Burt Kennedy, who wrote the majority of them, really knew what he was doing.

Finally what do you read for pleasure?

Just about everything. On my night stand now I have The Collected Stories of Irwin Shaw, Tender is The Night by Scott Fitzgerald, The Goodbye Look by Ross Macdonald, The Listening Walls by Macdonald’s wife Margaret Millar, the horror stories of Robert E. Howard and two Gold Medal westerns from the Fifties by Marvin Albert. Plus I have four or five new comic books. So it’s a real hash, my reading habits.

The Trailsman #270

 COLORADO CORPSE

as by Jon Sharpe

Signet, April 2004

Some low-down varmint in Mountain View, Colorado, has framed Curt Cates for murder. And when Skye Fargo goes in search of the truth to set matters straight, he ends up in the same lot of trouble – only worse. After suffering a blow to the head, Fargo can’t remember a blasted thing about himself…or that dead girl under the bed. To trap the real killer, the Trailsman has to fill in the blanks. But the whole town is after him for killing the girl – and all he has to go on are his instincts…

This is a fast moving story with plenty of action that has a collection of intriguing central characters, some involved in a sub-plot. As time begins to run out for Cates you will find yourself wondering if Fargo can save him, especially after rumours begin to come out that perhaps Cates is really guilty after all.

I found this to be a hard book to put down as the did Cates commit murder or didn't he questions began to surface, and if he didn't who did the killing. The book also includes some suspensful scenes such as when Fargo is trapped in a dark cellar with three rattlesnakes for company. All the story threads are tied up neatly by the end. And was Cates guilty? You'll have to read it to find out the answer to that question...

I believe the author behind the pseudonym of Jon Sharpe, for this book, is Ed Gorman.

Well worth hunting down a copy.

Stagecoach

edited by Ed Gorman and

Martin H. Greenberg

Berkley, September 2003

Immortalized in film and legend, the stagecoach was a colourful, hard-driving transport that linked far-flung places the railroads didn’t reach. Now, Stagecoach is galloping into town with a strongbox full of eight action-packed stories celebrating this icon of the American West, written by some of today’s top Western writers. Each tale follows an enigmatic stranger who arrives by stage at Tombstone – the town that was too tough to die – where they encounter the likes of the Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday.

Contents:
Bluff Creek Station Louis L’Amour
A Fresh Start Don Coldsmith
Hearts Richard S. Wheeler
Nate’s Revenge Robert J. Conley
The Fly on the Wall Judy Alter
Killer in the Dark Ed Gorman
The Story Robert J. Randisi
Hangman’s Choice Loren D. Estleman

Anthologies are a good way to try authors you’ve never read before, and for me this collection contains stories by three such writers, Alter, Conley, and Wheeler. Two of which inspired me to read more by them.

All the stories were very readable and, even though some feature the same real life characters, were all very different in content.

Some have a traditional approach, a couple managed to touch my emotions, others include humorous moments, one doesn’t contain any gunplay but is non-the-less a compelling read, a couple contain great twists, one or two are quite dark in their themes.

So a great mix of stories, those by Gorman and L’Amour being the standout tales to me. In fact L’Amour’s story being the best work I’ve ever read by him - and this is the only story to have been published before, the others being written for this anthology.

Ghost Town

 by Ed Gorman

Berkley, April 2001

Bryce Lamont’s hot on the trail of his former partners in crime. He wants a share of the loot that got them rich – and put him in prison. Surprisingly, he finds his old gang riding the straight and narrow in Wyatt, Wisconsin. He also finds that an outbreak of malaria is taking down Wyatt’s townspeople one by one…

Getting his money is easier than Bryce expected. But things get more complicated when a gang of thieves cleans out the bank, robbing Lamont of something money can’t replace. Now he’s ready and willing to make them pay. But can he fight the fever long enough to make the outlaws burn?

After a slow start Ed Gorman begins to add more and more questions to his plot that, although working well in hooking the reader, were a little easy to work out for both his hero and the reader. But it’s the finding of proof so that the guilty can be charged is what makes this a fascinating read. A book that comes over more as a mystery novel than a western - at times I felt I was reading a detective novel rather than a western. Even Nick Carter gets a name check. Ed Gorman wrote this book in the first person and his style is hard-boiled, which adds to the feeling that this book is more a pulp thriller set in the late 1880’s rather than a western.

Having said all that it is an entertaining read and I liked the fact that Ed Gorman’s hero is battling against malaria whilst trying to solve the mystery behind the bank robbery.

Definitely worth a look.