THE KILLING SHOT

By Johnny D. Boggs

Pinnacle Books, October 2010

Deputy U.S. Marshal Reilly McGilvern is hauling criminals to Yuma when his prison wagon is attacked. Three guards die violently in a hail of gunfire and McGilvern is left locked inside to die. When another outlaw gang comes upon the scene, Reilly McGilvern thinks he’s lived to see another day . . . but his problems are just beginning.

Bloody Jim Pardo wants to avenge the Civil War – and to steal the kind of weapons that will let him do it. Riding with his mother, his trusted killers and two hostages, Pardo thinks McGilvern is a fearsome criminal. Now, to stop Jim Pardo’s bloody madness, McGilvern needs to play his part perfectly. And when the time comes, make every shot a killing shot . . .

Johnny D. Boggs has created a wonderful set of characters for this all-action tale. Pardo, his mother and other members of his gang. Pardo’s hostages, especially ten-year-old Blanche, who at times provides some comic relief and McGilvern. Boggs certainly doesn’t believe in giving his lead character an easy time of it. Once rescued by Pardo, McGilvern’s nerves are stretched taught as he plots to free himself and the hostages. At anytime he, and the reader, expect his cover to blown and there are many instances when I was thinking this is it, this is when Pardo finds out who he really is. This makes for a lot of tense scenes and when they are added to the threat of death in the many exchanges of gunplay, a train robbery that goes wrong, an Apache attack, freeing an imprisoned explosive expert from an unusual prison, transporting nitro-glycerine over very uneven ground, and more, everything combines to make for a gripping read.

Boggs also includes a rifle that I haven’t come across very often, the Evans. This is McGilvern’s gun and it causes its own problems for the marshal, in that it is unreliable and ammunition is hard to find. Will it let him down at the wrong moment?

With all the twists and turns this story takes, I just couldn’t predict how it would end and who would be left alive, if anyone, when I reached the final page. What I do know is that I want to read another book by Johnny D. Boggs as soon as I can. 

Ghost Towns

Edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davis

Pinnacle, July 2010

The sound of a crowed saloon… The cry of a train coming through the night… The pounding of horses ridden by friends or foe… From the searing sun to snow-steeped winters, towns called Sentinel, Iron Mountain and St. Elmo stood strong and fierce – before they finally died.

From a soldier on the run from the fires of war… From a gambler who has long since played his last hand to a solitary, singing rifle man protecting a besieged town… With dreamers and schemers, with men and women of courage, conscience and faith – here is a collection of adventures that see these ghost towns return to life.

Contents:

The Water Indian by Steve Hockensmith

The Ghosts of Duster by William W. Johnstone, with J.A. Johnstone

St. Elmo in Winter by Margaret Coel

Mr. Kennedy’s Bones by Johnny D. Boggs

Gunfight at Los Muretos by Bill Brooks

Iron Mountain by Candy Moulton

The Defense of Sentinel by Louis L’Amour

Paradise Springs by Sandy Whiting

Silent Hill by Larry D. Sweazy

End of the Line by Lori Van Pelt

The Town That Wouldn’t Quit by Deborah Morgan

Now We Are Seven by Loren D. Estleman

Contention City, 1951 by Jeff Mariotte

The Ghost of Two Forks by Elmer Kelton

Kiowa Canyon by James A. Fischer

This anthology brings together a fine selection of tales that are all extremely well written; all offering elements of the supernatural thus blending the western with ghost stories. Like any collection I have my favourites and there are a couple I wasn’t sure about – in fact there was one I gave up on. Not all the stories are set in the Old West, some are set right up to the present day, although these do have links to the past.

Most of the authors above will be familiar to western readers and fans of the Johnstone books should be pleased to discover that the story The Ghosts of Duster features Bo Creel and Scratch Morton from the Sidewinders series. Similarly fans of Steve Hockensmith’s two would be detectives, Big Red and Old Red from his excellent Holmes on the Range series should be equally pleased to find another story about them here.

I’ve always found it disappointing that the editors and/or publishers of anthologies like this feel the need to include yet another, already widely published, story by Louis L’Amour. The only reason I can see for doing this is hoping his name will help sell more copies of the book. L’Amour’s story, as expected, is well told and is in fact one of my favourites in the collection, but it is the tale that doesn’t quite fit in with the theme of ghost towns as well, if at all, as the others.

Other than wanting to read all the work I can by authors I enjoy, the main reason I read anthologies is to try writers that are new to me, or those I’ve been meaning to try for some time. And, as should be the case, I know have a longer list of authors I want to explore further.

Law of the Gun

Edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davis

Pinnacle, November 2010

It’s an American icon: the Western shootist, living by skill, courage and a willingness to spit in death’s eye. Now, the greatest names in Western literature turn this mythical character upside down, inside out and every way but loose…

Law of the Gun is about journeys, vendettas, standoffs, and legends that end – or sometimes just begin – with the roar of a gun…

Contents:

The Trouble with Dudes by Johnny D. Boggs

Uncle Jeff and the Gunfighter by Elmer Kelton

The Devil Doesn’t Sleep by Deborah Morgan

Destiny’s Gun by Jory Sherman

As Good as the Bad by Ken Hodgson

Inferno by William W. Johnstone, with J.A. Johnstone

Waiting for Mr. Griffith by Tom Carpenter

The First Ride of Monday Happenstance by Russell Davis

Ricochet by Don Coldsmith

Bounty Hunter by John Duncklee

The Wanted Man by Rita Cleary

Dead Man Riding to Tombstone by Andrew J. Fenady

Hap by John D. Nesbitt

Gunfighter’s Lament by Ellen Recknor

Shootout at White Pass by John Jakes

The Long High Noon by Loren D. Estleman

The Two-bit Kill by C. Courtney Joyner

For me, this anthology is filled with tales by a terrific selection of authors, making it virtually impossible to say which story I liked best. If pushed I’d probably choose Loren D. Estleman’s tale, the length of time the story takes place over giving it that little extra appeal. Ask me tomorrow and I’d more than likely single out a different story. Yes, there are a couple I didn’t like as much, but that is to be expected when reading such collections. I’ve read most of these authors before, and of the two I hadn’t, one will certainly have me checking out more of their stories as soon as possible.

Fans of William W. Johnstone / J.A. Johnstone Last Gunfighter stories will be pleased to find that Inferno stars Frank Morgan in a tale set before the first book in that series, The Drifter.

Law of the Gun is definitely a great way to introduce yourself to authors that may be new to you, and for those already familiar with them, make sure you pick up a copy of this book as it contains some excellent stories you won’t want to miss.

Western Fiction News

For those who enjoy westerns with strong mystery storylines then keep an eye-out for these two books coming from Leisure. Killstraight by Johnny D. Boggs will be released in December 2009 and Crucifixion River by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini will be published in February 2010.




If my review of Gunsmoke has you eager for more of T.T. Flynn’s work, then I’ve been informed that Leisure will be publishing Last Waltz at Wild Horse in May 2010.




For those who follow the adventures of Deputy U.S. Marshal Custis Long, Clint Adams and John Slocum, you’ll be pleased to know the next giant editions in all three series will be hitting the shelves during the next three months.

Longarm Giant Edition #27: Longarm and the Lone Star Trackdown has a publishing date of October 2009.

The Gunsmith Giant Edition #14: Lincoln’s Revenge has a November 2009 release date.

Slocum Giant Edition #15: Slocum’s Great Race has a release date of December 2009.

All books in these series, including the Giants, usually appear towards the end of the previous month than during the actual published date month, and the Longarm book has been out for a while now, in fact it will be reviewed here in a few days time.