HANGING MOON

SHELTER

Book 2 of 33

HANGING MOON

By Paul Ledd

Zebra Books, 1980

On a tip, Shelter is heading into Arizona territory hunting down a man named Plum, a sergeant in the death-battalion who had double-crossed him seven years before.

On his way he takes a job leading a small party of travellers through to Fort Bowie. Much to his surprise and delight, the group includes a luscious-looking young woman named Drusilla, who makes no secret of her availability and desires.

But there is a special reason why the party wants Shelter and deadly guns along: beneath the floorboard of the wagon lies a cache of gold. And when Shelter finds out who hid it there and why – the pleasure trip to Bowie becomes a trip to hell!

The above is the blurb from the back of the book, and the third paragraph isn’t exactly correct as the travellers don’t want Shelter along to protect the hidden gold. In fact, hardly anyone knows it’s there. It always amazes me when book blurbs don’t tie in with the story and I have to wonder how editors allow this to happen.

Hanging Moon begins shortly after the ending of the first book, Prisoner of Revenge. It’s at the end of that story that Shel discovers the whereabouts of Sergeant Plum and it’s also when he met Linda, the girl whose company he is enjoying at the beginning of book two. The Shelter books are classed as adult westerns so that means there are some explicit sex scenes to be found within. After the opening sexual encounter, these scenes don’t take up too many pages and can be easily skipped if you so desire. 

Shel takes a job as a stagecoach guard as the stage is heading in the direction he needs to go. The stage is held up and gold is stolen. Shel manages to get the stagecoach back from the outlaws but not the gold, he’s not concerned about that as the coach driver is badly wounded and needs attention fast. Arriving in town, Shelter is accused of being in cahoots with the outlaws but the law doesn’t have any proof, so Shel leaves town with a small group of Quakers, most of whom resent him for tagging along. Soon Shelter discovers the wagons are being followed but he has no idea who by. Could it be the law who believe he will lead them to the outlaws who stole the gold from the stagecoach, our is it the Chiricahua who are raiding in the area?

The author writes a fast-moving tale filled with action and includes many tense scenes, especially those depicting the crossing of the desert whilst in desperate need of water. He also fills in the reader as to why Shel is so determined to track down and kill the soldiers who double-crossed him, so there isn’t any need to read Prisoners of Revenge before this book. Shelter is an interesting hero in as much as he is only interested in finding the men he is after and won’t be distracted by stolen gold or women. Sure, he’ll enjoy the latter but he’s always going to ride on and leave them behind. Although most of the story played out as expected, the end wasn’t quite as I imaged and that came as a welcome surprise.

Paul Ledd is a thinly disguised pseudonym for Paul Lederer, an author whose work I’ve always enjoyed. I wouldn’t put Hanging Moon up there with the best of his work, but it did hold my attention throughout and entertained me enough to want to read the third Shelter book at some point.

BLOOD ON THE MOON

RUFF JUSTICE

Number 3 of 28

By Warren T. Longtree

Signet, December 1981

With her father dangerously ill, lovely Baroness Sophia Mancek was desperately determined to track down her missing sister. And once she’d decided that Ruffin T. Justice was the only man for the job, Sophia made him the kind of offer no real man could resist. But Ruff soon realized the seductive Sophia had roped him into much more than he bargained for, as he found himself riding a trail that led through treacherous snow-filled passes and straight into a bullet-blazing battle with gunrunners and renegade Indians….

Warren T. Longtree is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer. I’ve read a lot of books by him and enjoyed them all so was this one as good? The book seems to have a straight-forward plot but it isn’t long before the author throws in some twists and the bodies begin to pile up.

Sophia Mancek’s train carries an interesting variety of people and shortly after the journey begins Justice finds one of them dead in his sleeping compartment. Why has he been killed and who did it? After Justice disposes of the body, he’s surprised that no-one seems to miss the dead man. Justice soon has his suspicions about some of his fellow travellers, and this leads to him being on the wrong end of a savage beating. Pounded to a bloody pulp with broken ribs you have to wonder how he can survive, never mind find Sophia’s missing sister. 

Lederer’s descriptions of land, people and action are very good. He soon had me wondering just who was telling the truth about anything and what their real motives were. It seems as if Justice shouldn’t trust anyone and he soon finds himself driven by his need for vengeance due to the death of a friend. 

Ruff Justice is an adult series so the book contains some explicit sex scenes but these only last for a couple of pages so don’t take up too much of the story and can be easily skipped if you don’t like reading this kind of thing.

There were a couple of scenes that stretched my belief a little, such as what Justice manages to do whilst suffering from broken bones and a battered body, but who wants to let reality get in the way of a good yarn? Because of this Blood on the Moon is probably not the best book I’ve read by Paul Lederer, but it was still an entertaining read and I was left looking forward to seeing what kind of scape Ruff Justice gets into in the next book in the series.

Easy Company and the Blood Feud

By John Wesley Howard

Jove, March 1983

The Wilsons and the Blantons fled the Texas drought together, the best of friends. But they arrived in Wyoming as warring enemies – and now, Seth Wilson and Maybelle Blanton must hide their passionate love in the night’s darkness.

To make matters worse, the Sioux are attacking the night patrols and a buffalo hunter is shooting Indian cattle in their pens. It’s up to Lt. Matt Kincaid and Easy Co. to stop all the shooting and bring peace to Thunder Basin – before there’s nobody left!

Book 26 in this excellent series involves a number of separate incidents, all taking place at the same time, that are only linked by Easy Company having to resolve them all with as little bloodshed as they possibly can. Frustration, deadly confrontations, and a medicine show complete with an enticing young lady, means there isn’t a moments peace for the men of Easy Company.

By having so many problems to deal with, the author is able to utilize most of the soldiers who make up Easy Company, along with scout Windy Mandalian, so if you have any favourites you’re sure to find them having a role to play in this book.

The author behind the pseudonym of John Wesley Howard this time is Paul Lederer, and he sure knows how to write a fast-moving tale that holds interest from the first page to the last. Action scenes are tough, frantic and exciting, dialogue is snappy and believable, and everything is tied up neatly.

The more deadly situations are nicely balanced by the girl from the medicine show who soon has a number of soldiers believing she wants to marry them, this leads to some very funny moments and also allows the book to end on a comical note. 

Overall, this is a very satisfying and entertaining read that has left me eager to discover just what problems Easy Company will have to face in the next book as soon as I can.

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.

Longshot

By C.J. Sommers

Hale, December 2014

More than a decade ago the Red Butte boys had been one of the most powerful and deadly gangs in Arizona Territory; pulling off the Big Springs robbery and netting $50,000 in gold certificates, before disappearing. Since then, no sign of the gang or gold certificates had been seen and it was assumed that the gang was living off the proceeds of the heist in Mexico.

But when one of the certificates surfaces in the town of Bisbee, the Bank Examiner’s Office hopes that the trail of the robbers can be traced. And who better to take on this ghost hunt than the tenacious Laredo?

Laredo makes for an intriguing lead character, a man who thinks of retiring after each case, a man who enjoys the chase but not the killing. But this assignment may be too much for him; just how do you find a gang that vanished so long ago?

C.J. Sommers’ story moves forwards at a tremendous pace, filled with action as someone doesn’t like Laredo nosing around. Hidden identities are one of the problems Laredo has to figure out and there’s also a couple of neat twists along the way. And what of the talkative Alicia? How much does she really know and what angle is she playing? Obviously I can’t answer those questions here, but I will say she is part of a surprising ending for someone.

As I’ve revealed a number of times on Western Fiction Review, C.J. Sommers is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer, a writer who should be on the reading list of all fans of the western genre. If you’ve yet to try his work then this book could well be the ideal starting place.

For some reason I cannot find this book for sale at Amazon.com

Ebook News

John Legg, who has had many westerns published under both his own name and a variety of pseudonyms, is now putting some of his back catalouge out as ebooks and is releasing some brand new work alongside them. You can find an interview I did with him here.

January 5th 2015 sees the publication of the first three in a brand new multi-author adult western series called Blaze! All three are available for pre-order.
"J.D. and Kate Blaze are two of the deadliest gunfighters the Old West has ever seen. They also happen to be husband and wife, as passionate in their love for each other as they are in their quest for justice on the violent frontier!"

Paul Lederer has now made is highly acclaimed five book Spectros series available as ebooks. Whilst not strictly Westerns as they cross the genre with fantasy they have always appealed to western fans, so if you fancy something a little bit different then these are well worth your consideration.

Tony Masero continues to put out brand new material, both series westerns and stand-alones. Tony is perhaps better known as a cover artist first rising to prominence in the western field when he painted the U.K. covers for George G. Gilman's books. As well as painting his own covers his excellent artwork can be seen fronting many of Piccadilly Publishing's releases. An interview with Tony can be found here.

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. 

The Shoestringers

By C.J. Sommers

Hale, August 2014

Benedict Trout, long-time foreman of the big K/K Ranch, has been cut loose for being old, and Eddie Guest, a new hire, has been fired for being too young. So with nowhere to go, Trout and Guest are riding west.

When they reach the RU Crooked Ranch they discover a place in terrible shape: run by a widow and her young daughter, the women are broke and without expectations. Standing at a crossroads, the ranch is coveted by the boss of a nearby town, Cyrus Sullivan, who is keen to investigate reports of a gold mine on the land.

The four unlikely allies are in this for the long haul, and must sit tight and fight long and hard to defend their shoestring operation against outlaws, thieves, and the greedy gold hunters.

This tale deals with how rumours can get out-of-hand; whispers of gold becoming truth without proof. As the believers gather to take the mine away by force so the tension rises. Just how can two men and two women defend the ranch against such strong opposition?

The story is told mainly through Trout, a man who just wants to ride on, but keeps finding an excuse to stay on the RU for just another couple of days no matter who much he says he wants to leave. This adds a gentle touch of humour to balance the coming threat of violence.

C.J. Sommers is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer, and he has created some very likeable characters that you hope will all survive, and if they do, will hopefully return in another book. The story builds well, at an ever increasing pace to where Trout decides to take the war to Sullivan single-handedly.

Does Trout survive? Do his allies? Is there a gold mine on the RU? I can’t answer any of those questions here, but I’m sure you’ll be as entertained as I was finding out the answers.  

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

White Wind

By C. J. Sommers

Hale, April 2014

Spuds McCain is convinced the White Wind brings disaster to all those who sense its message, although Hobie Lee is sceptical. But bad things do happen to the Starr-Diamond Ranch and Hobie is hoodwinked and ambushed into trouble when his charge, Ceci Starr, disappears on a trip to town, and he falls foul of a loud-mouthed bully of a silver miner.

The White Wind blows away the rest of his common sense as he determines to restore the reluctant Ceci to her father, and it takes a maelstrom of death and double-cross before the White Wind blows itself out and Hobie can find peace.

C. J. Sommers begins this story with some of the calamities that befall the hands of the Starr-Diamond Ranch as the White Wind blows. In some-ways these add a light-hearted start to the tale, as does the banter between the hands as to whether they believe in the White Wind or not.

Hobie makes for a great hero, and once Ceci goes missing, he is driven by fear for his job but has no idea how to find her. He does have many questions though but answers are also hard to come by.

C. J. Sommers moves his plot forward at ever increasing speed, piling problem upon problem for Hobie, not least as to the identity of who shoots Hobie and puts him out of action for a while, which in itself might have a silver-lining.

There are some great action sequences, an attack on a cabin being particularly well described.

C. J. Sommers is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer, and once again I enjoyed reading his book and am left looking forward to his next.

White Wind at Amazon.com

White Wind (Black Horse Western) at Amazon.co.uk

Black Horse Westerns are produced for UK libraries, but some do go on sale through various bookstores and Internet sources, which means getting hold of them can be difficult at times if you’re not quick off the mark. For anyone interested in reading C. J. Sommers’ books but have been finding it hard to get hold of a copy, you may be interested to know that the author has begun putting his older titles out as ebooks.

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 Reluctant Gun Hand

By Logan Winters

Hale, January 2013

Jake Worthy was not born to be a gunman. His sole shooting offence was firing back at a crooked gambler in a Tucson saloon. For that he received a six-month sentence in the notorious Yuma prison. He meant to serve out his time patiently until he could return to Rio Lobo and Becky Holland, the girl who waited for him there.

Bushwhacked along the trail home, he was taken in by a gang of thieves who wanted him for his gun. Led by a beautiful, money-crazed woman named Yvonne and a cold-eyed killer, Bill Davenport, they meant to pull a big freight office job, but were short of gun hands. It was join up with the gang or be left in the mountains to die.

Urged on by Yvonne, Jake was led along a trail of treachery, violence and murder which destroyed his chances of finding a peaceful life.

This book is filled with a terrific set of characters, not least the hero Jake Worthy who sees his dreams being destroyed by events out of his control. Even when he seems to have come up with a way to get his life back on track Logan Winters springs one hell of a surprise that sends Worthy’s hopes spiralling downwards again.

Many BHW have a strong woman as part of the cast and so does this one, but Logan Winters adds to that by having three great female characters, all of whom will play decisive roles in the future of Worthy. 

This fast moving, action packed book proved to be unpredictable in the direction the story would take, who would die, who was planning what double-cross and whether Worthy would rekindle his romance with Becky or start an new one with either of the other main female characters….if indeed he would find happiness with any of them.

I’ve long been a fan of Logan Winters (a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer) books and would put this one right up there with the best of his Hale westerns.

The Reluctant Gun Hand has an official release date of January 31st but is available now. (Even though Amazon has it listed for March 1st in the UK)

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.

Travelin' Money

By Logan Winters

Hale, November 2011

At the end of a long cattle drive, Joe Sample runs into a little bad luck. A cantankerous steer pins him against a fence post, breaking his leg. So, Joe is laid up in the infamous Dog Stain Hotel next to Yuma pen. His money and the management’s patience has run out when the door of the hotel restaurant burst open and a wild-eyed man named Pierce Malloy walks in, his boot leaking blood. Malloy wants Joe to find a buried cache of money and give it to Tess Malloy whose husband had been hanged that morning. What choice does Joe have, being broke and about to be evicted?

He had accepted a little travelling money minutes before prison guards arrive and gun Malloy down. With the money and a map to the treasure, Joe starts out to fulfil his promise to a dying man. Things do not turn out as planned however; the map leads him in to a nest of thieves and an earthly hell.

Logan Winters really puts his hero through a tough time in this book. Bad luck piled upon back luck. Stolen from, knocked unconscious, lied to, tricked, all these many times over and more. Much of this seems befall him because Joe Sample is a nice guy, a gullible and far too trusting man. He’s also an admirable man due to his determination to see his promise through to the end, no matter how many problems this throws up, it’s no wonder Sample begins to believe the money is cursed.

There’s plenty of action, great supporting characters, and a fast moving plot that contains more than one twist. There are also some great moments of humour, particularly in the story of how the hotel got its name Dog Stain.

As I’ve come to expect, Logan Winters – this being one of Paul Lederer’s pseudonyms – has once more come up with a great, entertaining read, and I’m again left looking forward to his next book.