Pirates of the Desert

By C.J. Sommers

Hale, December 2015

The locals call the sand dunes of the Arizona Territory south-land a white ocean. One man, Barney Shivers, carries the comparison a little further when he decides to monopolize the shipping industry. Ordering his men to attack any freight shipping that he does not control, goods are stolen and held to ransom on the high seas.

No one dares to fight back until one little old lady Lolly Amos, stands up to the bully. When the local law refuses to help, Lolly contacts her nephew, Captain Parthenon Downs of the Arizona Rangers. Restless to leave his desk duty behind, Captain Downs eagerly takes on the challenge. Little does he realize that his decision will draw him into a war between two bands of pirates, and a young woman with a Winchester rifle….

C.J. Sommers has created a wonderful cast of characters that will find themselves taking part in a lethal game, all due to the price of a bag of sugar.

Good, bad, male or female, the author soon has you rooting for or against them. The plot moves forward at an extremely fast pace and there are a few twists to the tale waiting to surprise the reader with the revelations they bring, not least as to the real identity of some of these characters.

It’s fascinating to see how Parth will bring down these land pirates, even though he knows, or believes he knows, who they are, getting the proof to arrest them is the hard part. Proving their guilt leads to plenty of gunplay as this tale weaves its way to its deadly conclusion.

I’ve read quite a few books by the author behind the C.J. Sommers pseudonym, that person being Paul Lederer who also wrote other Black Horse Westerns as Owen G. Irons and Logan Winters, and I’ve yet to come across one that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. If you’ve yet to try anything by this author then this book would certainly be a great place to introduce yourself to his writing, and I’m sure after you’ve read it you’ll be hunting for his other books too.

The Smiling Hangman

By Owen G. Irons

Hale, October 2015

The town of King’s Creek is in uproar. Young Matthew Lydell has been found guilty of murdering the beautiful Janet Teasdale, daughter of a local banker. Lydell, mute throughout his trial, is to be hanged.

But the town marshal has been delaying proceedings, and he has sent for a hangman from the county seat. The roughs in town try to rush the jail three times; they won’t wait to exact revenge.

When the hangman arrives, he does so quietly and unnoticed. The man in black tours the jail and the town, smiling, always smiling. What secret lies behind that smile and what intentions does he have for the Colt that rides on his hip?

Owen G. Irons blends western and mystery superbly in a tale that defies you to put it down before all the story elements are resolved, and, of course, this doesn’t happen till the end.

Why doesn’t Lydell defend himself? Janet Teasdale may be dead but why hasn’t her corpse been found? And what of the bank robbery that seems to be the perfect crime? Puzzles that will soon have you wondering as to just what is going on and whether these events are linked in some-way. As more questions arise during a savage gunfight to take Lydell from the jail and lynch him, you have to wonder if anyone will be left alive to provide the answers.

Owen G. Irons’ latest story moves forwards at a tremendous pace, mixing frustrations, explosive action and humour – the latter mainly provided by two waitresses methods to fend off unwanted attention. And then there’s Storm Hiller, the smiling hangman of the title. Just who is he and what does he really want? These questions are answered fairly early on but transform into the gripping problems of how he can succeed in his aims. 

Once more Owen G. Irons (a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer) has written a terrific book that again strengthens my belief that he is one of the best writers producing westerns for the Black Horse Western line today.

Crossroads

By Logan Winters

Hale, April 2015

When a wealthy rancher mistakes K. John Landis and a cantankerous ex-saloon girl for an honourable couple and offers them the opportunity to make some much-needed money, the pair jump at the chance.

Now, in charge of the rancher’s flighty daughter Landis is dragged down into the violent underworld of Crossroads. He had feared leaving town without a nickel in his jeans, now he fears he might never leave again.

As the author reveals this early on I don’t think I’m giving too much away when I say this story revolves around trafficking young girls. Landis finds himself up against a powerful saloon owner with only a small number of people backing him, three of whom are women, all with different reasons to see the saloon owner brought to justice, in fact one just wants to put a bullet through his head. It isn’t only this girl who wants revenge, things are further complicated by a vengeance driven father.

Logan Winters’ brings together a great selection of people in this extremely fast moving tale that sees Landis think he’s in control of his own destiny, but it soon becomes obvious to both him and reader that it’s the women who are moulding his future. When strong personalities clash there’s bound to be some excellent dialogue and Winters excels in writing this in a believable way.

The story builds well to its exciting climax that sees a quickly dreamt up plan of battle put into action that due to its haste doesn’t quite unfold as hoped. Winters brings the story to a close satisfactory and finishes with a uplifting, and humorous final paragraph that left me feeling thoroughly entertained and looking forward to reading his next book, something I won’t have to wait for as Logan Winters is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer and he has a second book, The Trail to Trinity, published by Hale this month too under the pen-name of Owen G. Irons.

Cougar Prowls

By Owen G. Irons

Hale, October 2014

Battle-hardened Carroll Cougar has finally made it home to his little ranch on Twin Creeks with his new bride, Ellen, after spending years with General Crook in the southwestern wars.

But Cougar and Ellen have left too many enemies alive behind them, and more have accumulated in Twin Creeks in their absence. With his home dangerously threatened, Cougar realizes his warrior years are far from behind him and the time has come for him to buckle on his guns and go out prowling, until he has defeated every last one of his enemies.

This book continues the storylines begun in Cougar Tracks and readers may like to read that one before this, although Owen G. Irons does include enough information for readers new to Cougar to understand what has happened previously.

The first seventy or so pages conclude the major story threads from the first book in a number of desperate and bloody confrontations that will also see Cougar struck dumb by some of the heart-breaking truths that are revealed and they surprised this reader too.

The rest of the book sees Cougar and Ellen attempting to begin a new life but trouble isn’t far away and Irons' uses this part of the tale to tie-up a situation that started right at the beginning of the first book.

Owen G. Irons is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer, and as expected this book proved to be extremely difficult to put down. Full of gripping action scenes, well-crafted characters, and mystery – such as who is sniping at Cougar’s homestead and why? The story comes to a satisfying ending and I’m left looking forward to Paul’s next book and hoping that, just maybe, we haven’t heard the last of Cougar. 

Cougar Tracks

By Owen G. Irons

Hale, May 2014

Carroll Cougar is a quiet, peaceful man living at home on his small ranch on Twin Creek after years of scouting for the US Army. But sometimes you can’t leave trouble behind. And, when a letter arrives from General Crook, signed by the President, who is fighting Apaches in the West, informing him that a coalition of Apaches, Comanches, white Americans and even some European forces are gathering, hoping to take the entire Southwest, it seems like one of those times.

Coupled with the information that one of the leaders of this new group is one Solon Reineke, the man who killed the only woman Cougar ever loved, he knows the opportunity cannot be shrugged away. He might have been able to ignore the President’s call to duty, but not the temptation to hunt Reineke. He must track the killer down and finally finish their blood grudge.

During the past few months it seems Hale are publishing longer and longer books, and this is one of the longest yet. They still have the same number of pages, just much smaller print and more lines per page. 

Cougar makes for a superb lead character, a tough man haunted by bad memories. Yet, as the story progresses, glimpses of his caring side are revealed. During his journey to find Reineke he finds himself riding with old friends and new, all of whom might be hiding dangerous secrets. And what of the various groups of trailing riders? Who are they and what do they want?

Owen G. Irons has long been one of my favourite Black Horse Western writers and with this book he has presented the reader with a fascinating storyline full of twists and turns. All the main characters are explored in depth making you want to discover more about them, find out what happens to them, confirm your suspicions about some of them. Which is just as well, as like the best serials this book leaves a number of threads hanging, left me cursing (in the best way possible) that you can’t end the book like that! Which lead me to discover that a follow up book, Cougar Prowls, will be released in October, and now I’m wishing my life away as that seems a long time to have to wait to see how this excellent tale continues.

Cougar Tracks atAmazon.com

Cougar Tracks at Amazon.co.uk

Trace Takes a Hand

By Owen G. Irons

Hale, December 2013

Texas state marshal Trace Cavanagh has taken a big gamble: taking a prisoner – a notorious convict, called Raven – from the penitentiary to assist him in tracking down the deadly Arista gang and recovering the fifty-thousand dollars in gold they stole from a copper mining enterprise.

Luke Cason, ex-gang member turned traitor, is now living isolated with his daughter Sally but it won’t be too long before the Arista’s arrive, seeking vengeance. Now Trace must do his very best to track down Regal Arista, recover the money and restore the safety of the plains.

Most of the above blurb has taken place before the start of this book, in fact the opening scenes are of the Arista’s arrival at the Cason homestead. Sally’s escape provides some tense and gripping reading and her fear of blundering into the path of three riders makes for a taut encounter.

From that moment on the story becomes a race against time as Trace attempts to get to the Arista’s before they retrieve the gold. Along the way his trust in various people will be tested as will his ability with a gun.

Owen G. Irons is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer, a man who definitely knows how to hook a reader and keep them interested through excellent pacing, superb characters, exciting action, and plenty of twists and turns.

I’m certainly glad that Paul Lederer is a prolific writer, meaning I won’t have to wait that long before reading another of his books, under whichever of his pseudonyms it appears.

Whiplash

By Owen G. Irons

Hale, July 2013

Sandy Rivers was taking a well-deserved rest in the trail head town of Durant, Colorado when the dying man staggered to his saloon table. The injured man had been whiplashed half to death and then finished off with a knife in his back. He had come to warn Sandy of something but died before he could finish what he had to say.

If Sandy had let that be an end to things, he would not have been pursued across the desert, shot at, charmed and lied to by a beautiful woman, then witnessed the death of his home ranch’s owner, before finally meeting the killer with the whip.

This starts out as a fairly straight-forward storyline, but when Sandy heads out to stop the killer with the whip the plot begins to twist and turn with each new person he meets. It gets even more bewildering when Sandy finds himself riding alongside the daughter of his now dead ex-employer. All this serves to hook the reader and makes sure this is a difficult book to put down before discovering just what is really going on.

Owen G. Irons – a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer – has come up with a very entertaining read. The book is fast moving from the start and his descriptions paint vivid imagery within the minds’ eye. His characters will have you rooting for them, or not depending on which side of right or wrong they walk. And who will easily forget the beat-up old horse Sandy finds himself riding?

So, once more, I’m left looking forward to the next book by this author – under whichever of his pseudonyms it is published.

The Outlaw Life

By Owen G. Irons

Hale, November 2012

When Chase Carver dragged himself into Mammoth Springs he was cold, hungry and exhausted and any man in that condition will gratefully accept the help of a stranger. But the stranger led him to an outlaw stronghold, filled with cutthroats, thieves and gunmen. After joining the outlaws on a bank job, and earning himself the name ‘Mad Dog’ Carver, both the county sheriff and the army are now hot on his tail.

And by rescuing two young women from the ruthless Bandolero he has committed a crime against criminals and faces the entire outlaw contingent who are ready to take up arms against him. The outlaw life had been easy to fall into but there is going to be a fight to the death to try and crawl back out of it….

Owen G. Irons has created a very engaging character in Chase Carver, a man not afraid to jump into a fight, but his inexperience in many things makes him somewhat naïve, it’s this gullibility that will get him into some dangerous situations.

The book moves forward at a very fast pace as events sweep Carver along with them and he has to struggle to find a way out of them and stay alive in the process, for instance what seems to be an easy bank robbery has a fallout neither he or his partner in crime foresaw.

The latter part of the story sees Carver start to realise he may have been set up and you have to wonder how he’ll get out of it alive.

So, once again Owen G. Irons (Paul Lederer) has come up with a great read that leaves me looking forward to his next book.

Tanglefoot

By Logan Winters

Hale, July 2012

It was a long way from Kansas to Las Palmas, New Mexico Territory, but Chad Dempster had trouble brewing at home and was hoping the trip would be worth it. He wanted a new town, new ways, and a new name. On emerging from the Overland Stage, he got all three at once, but not in the way he could have expected. He stumbled out, hit the ground and became the immediate butt of the local wits who dubbed him ‘Tanglefoot’.

Fortunately, or so he thought, Glen Walker, one of the town’s first citizens came to his aid, dusted him off and offered him work. What Chad could not have known was that Walker had chosen him as the ideal dupe to help him loot the town of Los Palmas, using a badge and a gun.

Logan Winters once more comes up with the goods in this fast paced book that has greed as its central theme. Greed made legal by hastily re-written laws that it seems cannot be opposed or changed. So even though Chad and his new friend deputy Byron Starr, who has a dubious past of his own that could be his undoing, it seems that this is one new law that they can’t beat.

The how Chad and Starr save the town from Walker’s law provides fascinating and gripping reading. Walker also has numerous gunmen on his payroll so the story has plenty of gun action too, as Walker decides he needs to dispose of Chad. There’s a humorous element in that Chad is a little clumsy and not very good with a gun, yet through circumstance he is seen to be the opposite.

At the close of this story I was again left with the feeling of being extremely well entertained and looking forward to the next Logan Winters’s book, but, like other times, I don’t have to wait as Logan Winters is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer and he also writes as Owen G. Irons and it just so happens that Hale have published one of these books this month too: The Rose Canyon Gang.

Both books have an official release date of July 31st but are available now from all the usual Internet bookstores.

Derailed

By Owen G. Irons

Hale, April 2012

In an unimaginable turn of events an outlaw gang had kidnapped the Colorado & Eastern train, leaving the passengers afoot in an early winter blizzard.

Tango and Ned Chambers are the men hired to prevent such things happening. They are left alone on the frozen prairie with the wealthy and attractive widow Lady Simpson and a brother of the vice-president of the United States as their charges.

Now all they have to do is recover the train, get through to Denver, and bring to justice those responsible for the outrage, without allowing harm to come to Lady Simpson and the politician.

Owen G. Irons has come up with an unusual twist to a kidnapping plot by not having humans taken for ransom, but a train. Why? I can’t spoil the reason by revealing that here, but like me, I believe you’ll have fun finding out, for this is a very entertaining book full of action and excitement.

If you like trains you’ll find plenty of enjoyment here, for most of the book revolves around the train in question. Obviously its kidnapping and then an attempt to steal it back, and how to get a train up a mountain side along snow covered tracks for instance.

Tango and Chambers make for a great couple of heroes who find themselves having to cope with getting the train back and/or saving the abandoned passengers. Both Lady Simpson and the vice-presidents’ brother have their parts to play, and it soon becomes evident that they could both be targets for different reasons.

I find Owen G. Irons (a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer) to be very readable. He writes fast paced books with plots that often have a twist or two waiting to surprise the reader, and this story does just that. After finishing Derailed I once again find myself eagerly looking forward to his next book.

Derailed is officially released tomorrow, but is available now.

The Hellrakers

By Owen G. Irons

Hale, January 2012

Meeting the Van Connely gang was like coming face to face with hell. Skyler Lynch had hired them, along with his old friend Randy Staggs, to help him drive a herd of horses southward to the Pocono country, where he and his daughter, Kate, had a little ranch.

Van Connely didn’t take long to steal the herd and murder Lynch, before setting off on a rampage across the Southwest. He wasn’t the kind of man to reflect on the past but perhaps he should have.

After all, he had left Randy Staggs alive, and Randy had vowed to track him down even if he had to follow him to the ends of the earth….

This book follows both Staggs and the Connely gang, switching between them so the reader can follow the paths of both. Most of the action comes from the Connely gang as the reader witnesses their trail of destruction and mayhem.

Not only does Staggs have a vengeance quest to fulfil, but he also has to break the news of Lynch’s death to his daughter. Staggs’ also has problems with a horse, and it’s this that will make this an appealing book to all horse lovers, as this animal is as much a star of the story as any of the human characters.

Like always, Owen G. Irons (really prolific author Paul Lederer), presents the reader with a fast moving, easy to read story that revolves around a well thought-out plot, that will keep the reader hooked.

Although the final showdown between Stagg’s and Connely is as expected the method of the outlaws’ death comes as a complete surprise, and is one I haven’t read of very often in a BHW, or indeed any other western, making for a neat ending, that once again left me looking forward to the next book by this author.

The Way Station

By Owen G. Irons

A Black Horse Western from Hale, September 2011

Cameron Black knows that it is time to pack away his guns. He and Virginia need to put their past behind them and when Cameron accepts a job running a quiet way station in the desert, it seems like the perfect way to forget about old enemies.

But Cameron soon realizes it is never that easy to leave trouble behind. A stagecoach arrives at the way station. On it is an outlaw smuggling fifty thousand in gold and a young woman named Becky Grant, who is on the run from a rejected suitor. On their trail is Sheriff Beaton, Becky’s wide-eyed suitor and rival bandits in pursuit of treasure.

Now, as a menacing dust storm gathers that threatens to keep them captive in the way station, Cameron Black knows he must use his guns once more….

June 2009 saw the publication of an Owen G. Irons book called The Outpost, which I reviewed here. That book ended with a question mark over the future of two of its leading characters. The Way Station picks that story up and answers that question and once more Cameron Black and Virginia find themselves fighting to stay alive.

Owen G. Irons brings together a great set of characters, each having an important role to play in the outcome of this story. As the different plot threads bring everyone to the way station some of threads entwine making this book difficult to put down before discovering how everything will play out. This in turn leads to plenty of action as outlaws, lawmen, runaways, and bandits trying to go straight, clash.

The book is extremely well paced and all threads are neatly tied up by the end, once again strengthening my belief that Owen G. Irons is one of the best Black Horse writers working today. September was a treat for fans of this author’s work – real name Paul Lederer – as a second book was published under his other pseudonym of Logan Winters: The Killing Time.

The Lost Trail

By Logan Winters

A Black Horse Western from Hale, May 2011

John Tanner is returning home after serving two years in prison for shooting a man – but he pleaded guilty only to protect the young and pretty Becky Canasta, whose finger actually pulled the trigger.

Now John arrives home to find that her father has had his safe looted and all his savings taken. Moreover, the robbers have taken Becky!

Desperate to find her, John begins his quest in pursuit of the outlaws. News is out about the lost treasure and dozens of men are on the trail, battling with John to be the first to the riches. But for John there is something much greater at stake – the treasure is his only clue to Becky’s whereabouts and her part in the robbery. Treachery and violence do not deter John – he will follow the trail to Hell if that is what it takes….

This really is an action packed read. Nearly every chapter has some kind of fighting within it, be it with fists or guns. The prose is straight-forward and flows smoothly as the author presents what a first seems to be a fairly traditional plotline, yet still manages to keep an air of suspicion over many of his well-drawn characters.

John Tanner makes for an interesting hero, a man who is perhaps a little too trusting. A man who once his mind is set on something will do anything to see he achieves his aim. A man who slowly begins to recognize that everything might not be as black and white as it first seems.

As the story nears its end Logan Winters springs a surprising revelation about a couple of his characters that I didn’t see coming. A twist that immediately explains much of what has been going on, yet still leaves some confusion for Tanner to try and work out.

After finishing this story I’ve been left looking forwards to Logan Winters’ next book, but know I don’t have to wait that long to read another tale by this author for Winters is a pseudonym of Paul Lederer and he has a second BHW out this month under his other pseudonym of Owen G. Irons: a book called The Predators.

The Highwaymen

By Owen G. Irons

A Black Horse Western from Hale, January 2011

The Chicolote highwayman, notable for his odd habit of returning his ill-gotten gains after terrorizing passengers and stagecoach drivers, had long been responsible for disrupting coach travel and gold shipments along the line.

Now he was dead, or so the story went, but his body was never found and the stick-ups continued as before. Could there be a second man imitating him? Or perhaps more?

The robberies always happened on the same stretch of the same dangerous road, with the same precision. The banks were getting nervous about sending anything of value on the Chicolote and the passengers feared for their safety. Someone had to stop the hold-ups….

It was a job for Laredo.

Owen G. Irons has come up with an excellent plot and read with this story. The action moves along at a very swift pace and I found the book very difficult to put down.

Irons lets the reader in on what is happening, although at first you don’t know the motives behind the robberies. I found it fascinating to discover the reasons behind the hold-ups and why others try to use the legend of the Chicolate highwayman for their own gain. All these different wannabe robbers making this a difficult case for the hero, Laredo, to crack. Just when he thinks he’s solved the problem the Chicolate highwayman strikes again…

Not all the highwaymen are bad people, although a couple sure are, some are forced into trying their hand at robbery as they see no other answer to their problems. This is something Laredo recognizes and it was interesting to see the different ways he dealt with them when he finally caught up with them.

Owen G. Irons is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer and he has once more come out with a very entertaining story with The Highwaymen, one that has me looking forward to his next release. As it happens I don’t have to wait until the next Owen G. Irons book hits the shelves, as Paul Lederer has a second BHW released this month too, The Tanglewood Desperadoes as by Logan Winters.

Smuggler's Gulch

by Logan Winters

A Black Horse Western from Hale, September 2010

The dark-eyed lady wanted wandering Jake Staggs to collect the bounties on twenty members of an outlaw band. Maybe she was a little crazy, but Jake had no choice but to try things her way since his only other option was the hangman’s noose.

Anyone, even a wanted man like Jake, could ride into the rustlers’ camp at Smuggler’s Gulch, but if Kit Blanchard didn’t want you to leave then you weren’t going to make it out alive. Jake had cheated fate there once before and now he was ready to make a second attempt for the sake of a madwoman.

Of course, somewhere in the distance Marshal Trouffant would be waiting to hang Jake if he failed….

Logan Winters sure knows how to grab his reader’s attention. Here it’s with the amount of dilemmas that Jake Staggs finds himself confronting, all of which could see him ending up in jail, or dead. As well as outlaws he has to deal with three women, two of who prove to be quite mad. All these characters, including Marshal Trouffant, are extremely well portrayed.

The plot swept me up and I found the book difficult to put down before I discovered just how Staggs was going to get out of the mess he finds himself in. Winters also adds a few moments of humour, namely when Staggs tries to get himself arrested, thinking being behind bars will allow him to escape the troubles the wait for him outside.

There’s plenty of action, some surprises as to who kills whom and why. The final showdowns coming across in believable ways, and not just as a convenient way to solve Staggs problems, neatly tying up all the threads to the fast moving story.

Logan Winters is a pseudonym for author Paul Lederer, and for fans of his work this month proves to be a treat as Hale are also publishing a second book by him called Long Blows the North Wind put out under his other BHW pseudonym; Owen G. Irons. Both of these books have an official release date at the end of the month but are already available from the usual Internet bookstores.

The Legacy

as by Logan Winters

A Black Horse Western from Hale, May 2010

There was nothing special about the J-Bar ranch in Colorado…except that it has thirty-five thousand acres of prime land and its previous owner had just been murdered leaving $50,000 and hidden gold.

The whole territory joins the hunt for the missing fortune and violence and murder become commonplace, but it is only when three heirs arrive from the East that true chaos erupts…

Logan Winters has created some extremely well drawn characters in this very fast moving story, most of whom are fuelled by greed, deserting their jobs to join the frantic search for the missing money. Then there’s the hero of the tale, Glen Strange, who, along with his partner, find themselves swept up in the crazy situation they ride unwittingly into. Are they the only people who find it strange everyone is hunting for the gold without the least bit of concern over who killed J. Pierce Buchanan, and why? This isn’t the only mysterious element to the story for Strange is soon wondering what secrets others are hiding, such as their relationships with the now grown girl who was found abandoned on the ranch when a baby. And who is the man who introduces himself as Wichita?

Of course in a tale such as this not everyone can have a happy ending and a number of them die violently in well-described gunfights. One of these shootouts being particularly memorable due to it taking place in a pitch-black barn where no one can actually see their opponents. Yes, for some, the ending was exactly as I suspected it would be, although I didn’t even come close as to where the hidden fortune was hidden, like I didn’t guess the answers to most of the questions the plot challenged the reader with.

As with the other books I’ve read by this author (Logan Winters being a pseudonym of Paul Lederer), The Legacy once more proves he’s a writer who produces entertaining books time after time.

The Legacy isn’t the only BHW officially published this month, on May 31st to be exact, by Paul Lederer, as he has another released under the pseudonym of Owen G. Irons called Ransom. Both these books are available now.

Ransom

as by Owen G. Irons

A Black Horse Western from Hale, May 2010

Banker Amos Fillmore’s life is shattered by the brazen kidnapping of his pretty daughter, Anita. The kidnappers, led by the notorious gunman Earl Weathers, demand a ransom payment that can only be raised if Fillmore raids the assets of his Crater, Arizona bank. In the end, even that payment is not enough.

Duplicity and violence rage while Anita remains hostage in a cave carved deep into the hills of the desert wilderness. Her safety is secondary to avarice, and even those tasked with upholding justice are inept and overcome with greed.

It seems as though neither Anita nor her ransom will ever be recovered from the grip of the desert. That is until the territory’s top gun, Laredo, steps in….

This book starts after the kidnapping has taken place as Amos Fillmore helps himself to some of the banks money and the story never lets slows down after the opening scenes throw all kinds of questions at the reader. There are many well-drawn characters, none of who seem to trust each other, and indeed many are planning to double-cross each other. All these twists and turns making this book very difficult to put down before everything is resolved.

The action is well described as are descriptions of people and location. The pace of the tale moves from a trot to a canter to a gallop swiftly, grippingly, before the final dramatic shootout. But then I’d expect all this from Owen G. Irons (a pseudonym for author Paul Lederer) as I’ve yet to read a BHW from him I’ve not enjoyed.

Ransom has an official release date of May 31st but should be available now from the usual Internet sources. Fans of Paul Lederer’s work will also be pleased to know this isn’t the only BHW of his out this month as The Legacy, as by Logan Winters, is out now too.

Dead Man's Guns

as by Logan Winters

A Black Horse Western from Hale, January 2010

The killer Frank Lavender was dead, so how could it be that he was involved in a gunfight at Hoyt’s Camp, a logging town along Wyoming’s Snake River? Either Lavender had found a way to cheat Death or it was someone else using the gunman’s name.

Lyle Colbert didn’t like it either way for Frank Lavender, or whoever it was, had come to town to destroy Lyle Colbert, supposedly out of love for the pretty Tess Bright. It wasn’t certain if Tess reciprocated the gunman’s love, but it did not matter for she would have no time to make up her mind. Colbert was determined to kill Frank Lavender. Again.

Logan Winters begins this book with an exciting chase that leaves a man near dead, and without a memory of who he is. Once found by a family struggling to make a living as loggers, the father sees an opportunity to solve his problems through deceit – although he considers himself both “fortunate and ingeniously clever” – tricking the stranger into believing he’s someone he’s not.

And so begins an exciting tale of a logging war and discovery; the latter being of the stranger trying to piece his past life back together and finding out who he really is, and that of love. There are plenty of memorable characters, not least the stranger, there’s also Tess and her brother, Andy. Then there’s the hired gun Santana with his own code on who he’ll kill.

The action scenes are first rate and Winter’s writing is easy to read and well paced, as I’d expect having read other books by this author – which meant the small continuity error near the end came as a bit of a surprise, still this did nothing to spoil my enjoyment of the book and wont keep me from reading more of his work.

Dead Man’s Guns is officially released at the end of January but can be pre-ordered now from the usual Internet sources. If you are thinking of buying this book then you might like to know that this author – real name Paul Lederer – also has a second BHW published this month called Quinn’s Last Run as by Owen G. Irons.

Beyond the Crimson Skies

as by Owen G. Irons
A Black Horse Western from Hale, September 2009

Kendo was looking for salvation as well as retribution. Of these two retribution was the simpler to exact. Losing Frank Pierce’s horse herd to raiding gunmen had not been his fault, but it was bound to ruin Kendo’s reputation which had already been severely darken by past failure.

Left alone and afoot on the open plains by treacherous companions, he needed to track down the outlaws and recapture the horses, the sale of which Pierce was banking on to save his small ranch. That alone was a vast challenge and Kendo couldn’t know how much worse it could get before he encountered the beautiful woman who was intent on building an outlaw empire in the far country.

Having really enjoyed the previous books I’ve read written by Paul Lederer under the pseudonyms of Owen G. Irons and Logan Winters I was really looking forward to reading this one.

Like his other books Beyond The Crimson Skies takes off like a shot and doesn’t let up in pace, sweeping the reader along on a roller coaster ride of a fast moving plot and even faster guns. After only a few pages you’ll be wondering, like the hero Kendo, as to who is behind the theft of the horses and can Kendo retrieve them?

The book is filled with an excellent selection of characters, of both sexes. Kendo also finds himself facing past demons. Descriptions are superbly written, be they of landscape or action, and the dialogue is handled equally as well. Although the story doesn’t have any real twists or surprises to the outcome, the book is as good a read as I hoped and I’m looking forward to Paul Lederer’s next.

Beyond the Crimson Skies was officially released on September 30th, and due to how fast BHW seem to sell-out these days, I’d suggest getting your order in soonest so as not to be disappointed.

The Outpost

as by Owen G. Irons
A Black Horse Western from Hale, June 2009

Cameron Black figured he was due for some luck. With a posse on his trail and the desert crawling with hostile Indians he finally managed to make it to the isolated army outpost. The trouble was the post was manned only by a skeleton crew of weary soldiers, among them three would-be deserters waiting for a chance to steal the army payroll. Also trapped inside by circumstances were a US marshal and his young prisoner and a group of female camp-followers. Among them was Cameron’s old-time lover. Even with the Comanches gearing up to attack the outpost, Cameron felt like making a dash across the desert, because there was nothing here but certain trouble.

Owen G. Irons brings together a great mixture of people, some of whom are at conflict with each other, but all sharing that need to survive – and some will do this at the expense of their companions lives. Old friendships are rekindled, whilst others begin new relationships. But can any live through the ever-growing menace of the gathering Comanches?

Lieutenant Young, the soldier left in charge of the outpost, has more to worry about than just the Comanches. His young wife is in desperate need of medical attention as she fights to live through a breech birth. This threat to her life, and the child within her, makes for some tense scenes, which strain the relationship between the Lieutenant and Black.

As you’ve probably gathered the book is character driven and Irons (real name Paul Lederer) well-crafted prose soon has you caring about them, even some of the “bad” guys – after all the books hero, Black, is an outlaw.

The book is very easy to read, the plot moving along at great speed, and even though the end is pretty much as expected, I liked how Black and Virginia’s future together is left under a slight question mark. All in all a gripping and exciting read.

Owen G. Irons is fast becoming one of my favourite BHW writers.

The Outpost has a publication date of June 30th, but is available now, and I’d suggest getting your order in as soon as possible before it sells out.