Dead Man River

By Tyler Hatch

Hale, January 2015

It seemed like a wonderful solution to Dave Brent’s troubles: exchange identities with the dead man he found floating in the river and that should be the last he would hear of the Vandemanns, who wanted his blood.

But the dead man was more popular than he reckoned – and a lot of men wanted to find the man now using his name: if they caught him, he could choose to die either by torture or a quick bullet. Dave didn’t want to settle for either choice.

This extremely fast moving story illustrates how making rash decisions can bring even more problems down on your head, meaning this tale is full of twists and turns and how is he going to get out of that situations.

There’s plenty of action involving both guns and fists, as Dave struggles to clear his name of both the deadly trails he straddles, and he finds no-one is to be trusted.

The reason people are hunting the dead man Dave finds can’t be revealed here but I will say it sets the book up for a terrific ending that has an excellent final sting-in-the-tail.

As many regular readers of this blog will already know, Tyler Hatch is a pseudonym used by one of the best western writers in the business; Keith Hetherington. Once again he has written a superb tale that has me eagerly waiting for his next book to be published. If you’ve yet to discover his work then Dead Man River would certainly be a highly recommended place to start. 

Mr Gunn

By Tyler Hatch

Hale, February 2013

He was called ‘Mr Gunn’. A good name, he’d earned it – but it wasn’t his name.

That was the trouble: he didn’t know who he was. He learned he had once been called ‘Laredo’ but it stirred no memories. There were other names, too – so many he seriously thought of carrying a notebook to write them in…. One of them surely must tell him why so many men wanted him dead.

But he had to learn his true name, even if it meant he could face a hangman’s noose when he did.

Tyler Hatch writes some superb opening scenes to this tale, telling of the destruction of a prison camp towards the end of the Civil War where both prisoners and guards must all be wiped-out. But there is one survivor, the man who will become known as Mr Gunn. His frantic struggle to stay alive makes for gripping reading.

Gunn’s frustrations at discovering his true identity are portrayed extremely well and soon had me wondering as to just who he was. Tyler Hatch reveals little hints as Gunn finds himself in more and more danger. Being a Southerner during the Reconstruction isn’t a help either.

There’s plenty of action as Gunn falls foul of being framed for murder, becomes a target for a jealous man, whilst attempting to find out about his life before being imprisoned in the war. Even when he does think he’s finding the answers doubt is thrown over his discoveries.

Does Gunn find out who he is? That would be telling and really would spoil the excellent conclusion to this book, so I guess you’ll just have to get yourself a copy if you want to find out.

Mr Gunn has an official release date of February 28th but should be available now from the usual Internet bookstores.

Fargo's Legacy

By Tyler Hatch

Hale, September 2012

Craig Fargo was barely fifteen years old when he killed his first man.

By doing so he saved his father’s life – but only for a few more minutes. And in those minutes he was committed to a quest that would take him eight brutal years to complete.

The road is long when you’re alone, and that first dead man had a lot of company as Fargo’s legacy kept his fists ready and his guns blazing. But when he reached the end of the trail and the gunsmoke cleared, his legacy was not what he expected….

This book begins with the killing of Craig Fargo’s father that sets the young man on his quest, following a trail that doesn’t really make any sense to him, that gets stranger as those he seeks are dying just before he finds them. Who is killing them and why? It’s these questions that kept me glued to the pages as Tyler Hatch expertly keeps the answers hidden, heightening the mystery elements of this very fast moving tale.

Tyler Hatch is one of the pseudonyms used by prolific author Keith Hetherington, and this book contains one of his excellent brutal fistfights. There is also loads of gunplay and a superb villain – someone I’m not going to say anything more about so as not to spoil anything about the gripping plot.

A mistake provides a slim opening and a dramatic race against time that begins to put the pieces of the puzzle in place, leading to a terrific final confrontation that ties everything up neatly, and violently.

So, once again I’ve found myself being thoroughly entertained by a Tyler Hatch book and am left very much looking forward to Keith Hetherington’s next novel.

Cut-Price Lawman

By Tyler Hatch

Hale, October 2011

They wanted a sheriff they could control, to run the town their way. Chris Cade seemed to fit the bill – a drifter, drunk, stupid with toothache, and broke. It was easy to pin a badge on him.

However, after that it got harder. Cade had his own agenda, his own set of rules, a pair of hard fists and a fast gun. They figured they’d got him for a cut-rate, but the price they had to pay put them deep in the red – and the well-turned soil of Boot Hill.

If you’re not a fan of dentists, the opening chapter to this extremely fast moving book will have you squirming in your seat: “Why anyone’d call it laffin’ gas beats the hell outta me!”

It soon becomes obvious to Cade that everything isn’t quite on the straight and narrow as he begins life as a lawman and discovers the fate of his predecessor. Also there are questions about the disappearance of Duggan; a man surveying the surrounding land. And where has a missing wagon and its army escort vanished too? Plenty of questions ensure the reader won’t be putting this book down before the end, and the reason behind the mystery’s came as a surprise to me.

Tyler Hatch is one of the pseudonyms used by Keith Hetherington, a writer who became a favourite author of mine after only reading a couple of his books. Once more he doesn’t disappoint with this tale. His fast flowing style, hard hitting action, and twisting storylines just keep me coming back for more, and leaves me eagerly waiting for his next book.

Lonesome Range

By Tyler Hatch

A Black Horse Western from Hale, June 2011

He had many names – but only one told who he really was – the fastest gun in Texas, Colorado or just about anywhere. Sometimes he was recognized, no matter what the name and then the challengers would come, guns would blaze and he’d ride away from yet another dead man.

Then came the day where he’d killed one too many and the fastest gun had to swap his colt for a sledge on the rockpile – for ten long years.

He wasn’t ready to give up just yet though – and when a chance for freedom came along, he was prepared to grab it with both hands….

The above blurb has all taken place before the beginning of this book, and the reader meets the man as he struggles to survive a desert crossing. It’s here he finds himself siding a small rancher against a much larger one. Even though the story has a backdrop of a range war the main plot is about the identity of the man, and once this is found out it’s how he deals with more people gunning for him. The mystery gunman having to not only deal with the land-hungry rancher, but treachery from his own side, and a vengeance hungry daughter of one of the men he killed a long time ago.

The story is extremely fast paced and packed with action that is quite brutal at times. The odds against the survival of the man makes for gripping reading and you have to wonder if this is one anti-hero that won’t be alive by the books end.

Having read many books by this author – Tyler Hatch being one of a number of pseudonyms used by Keith Hetherington – I knew I’d be in for a cracking read and that’s exactly what I got. If you’ve never read one of Keith’s many books then this could be a great place to introduce yourself to this writer’s talents.

Lonesome Range is officially released tomorrow but is already for sale at the usual Internet bookstores.

Interview: Keith Hetherington

My latest interview is with an author who has had a very impressive number of books published (with more to come), mainly in his homeland of Australia, some of which have been published in America too. These days Hale, in England, publishes his westerns under their Black Horse Western banner. The man in question is Keith Hetherington, so over to Keith…

First I want to thank you for agreeing to answer my questions.

Thanks for asking me to do the interview.

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

Always liked writing little vignettes, trying to describe 'action' sequences I saw in a film or the Saturday Afternoon Serial at local cinemas. Used to 'make' my own books when I was about 12, pasting the pages together (no office staplers in those days, though sometimes I removed staples from old comics or books I didn't want and used them.) Had a few essays read out to classes and one went the rounds of the entire school - something called The Dahlia, as I recall: I was amazed, for the last thing I was interested in at that age was flowers and gardening - used to bust a boiler trying to get out of mowing the lawns at weekends. It was wartime, so most stories I wrote were military-oriented, with lots of blood and guts.



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

Had an accident at work in my early teens and spent a week at home. Read a story called "Jailbreak Justice' in a book of cowboy stories and thought I could write as good or better yarn. Filled a dozen or so pages in an exercise book, called it THE TEXAN (very original) and mailed it away. To my surprise (not to mention delight) a couple of months later I received a cheque for six pounds fifteen. Thought I was made: didn't bank that cheque for ages, pinned it to my bedroom door. Anyway, that was the start, they wanted more stories and I began writing fairly regularly and Cleveland Publications bought out the original company and asked for 'novelettes' of about 20,000 words. These gradually got up to 48,000 words though dropped back progressively down to about 40,000. Meantime I wrote short adventure stories for 'men’s magazines', honing the writing skills.

Being Australian what made you choose to write westerns of all the genres out there?

I always liked the bush stories of our famous Aussie author Ion Idriess, full of outback action and bush-craft. I used the Aussie bush for background to my adventure yarns but, influenced by the many Saturday afternoon serials at the local cinema, mostly Westerns with heroes like Buck Jones, Johnny Mack Brown, Dick Foran and so on - if you don't recognise the names it only means I'm older than you are! But I had a Daisy air rifle like most Aussie kids at that time, and it became a Winchester, knocking off the Injuns in every spare minute I could get into the bush with Our Mob - a gang of larrikin Aussie kids out for blood.

Which writers influence you?

At the time, I was influenced by Zane Grey and Walt Slade/Jackson Cole - house names of authors of the Jim Hatfield yarns in the American Western magazines - which we couldn't get enough of. My father was a Zane Grey fan and also influenced me - by way of encouragement to keep on writing.

Which western writers would you recommend?

Which writers would I recommend now? Well, I like Elmore Leonard, both his thrillers and his Westerns - he's got a style all his own, laconic, tough, knowledgeable. I used to read a lot of Frank C. Robertson in the old Collins White Circle Westerns - Dad and I would toss a coin to see who got to read the current one first. Norman Fox and, of course, the Master, Luke Short. Luke constructed his stories extremely well, could make his characters come alive, and wasn't afraid to give his hero a short temper, resulting in some brutal fights. I credit him with saving me from sea sickness in 1953 when I was sailing to see the world: we hit seventy foot waves in the Great Australian Bight - or they hit us, more accurately - and my mate was pea-green (but not with envy) and I happened to be reading HIGH VERMLLION by Luke. There was this tremendous fist fight - went for pages - I parked in a tight corner on deck, nearly freezing, concentrated on that fight and what came after and escaped being sea sick...Thank you, Luke!

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

Luke Short's stuff is still eminently readable, though mostly out of print. As I mentioned earlier, Elmore Leonard usually comes up with a good yarn. Zane Grey is very dated now though I liked his SHADOW ON THE TRAIL immensely (the book a gift from my father, incidentally).

Les Savage Jnr. wrote a good one called TREASURE OF THE BRASADA, which would probably be worth a re-run, but I can't really nail down any particular title right now.

How many westerns have you had published to date?

I believe I've published over 600 (Keith Chapman thinks it might be closer to 1,000), but I don't really know. Let's just say 'lots'! Sorry if that's a cop-out.

Having written so many books how easy is it to keep coming up with new stories and where does your inspiration come from?

I've never had much trouble coming up with a new storyline. Can't sat HOW, or WHY, but it must just be the kind of mind I've got. I really like constructing a yarn, fitting the pieces in to make it not only readable and coherent but LIKED (or a stronger word if you like!)

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

I don't intentionally work on more than one book at a time, but more often than not, while writing one, something will strike a spark for another idea and I quickly make a note (has to be MIGHTY quick, now I've turned 80!) and I may start developing it a little more after I've done the day's work on the other.

Have any of your Cleveland characters appeared in a Black Horse Western?

I don't think I've used any of my Cleveland characters in books I've written for Hale. Maybe used the same name unintentionally, but I never carried forth any series character.

You’ve written stories about Bronco Madigan under two different Black Horse Western pseudonyms, and fans of Madigan may not realize there are other books out there under a different authors name. Why did you decide to put them out under two names?

The two different names for the Bronco Madigan series came about through my own laxity. I picked the wrong one to head up the title page (twice!) but there was no real reason for it.

Over the years what changes have you seen in what you can or cannot include in a western?

There's not much that hasn't appeared in Westerns over the years, including clinically described sex and graphic violence. I think Cleveland toned-down a couple of my more violent descriptions but I haven't really noticed any big taboos - you can still find Westerns with a sex scene or two (and why not? Those guys were 'real men' and anyone knows real men have sex! ) Who with, is maybe another thing - recall BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN? Didn't believe a word of it. Incest would be out, I think, but I don't know: it's just that I haven't encountered it in any Westerns I've read. (And wouldn't want to.) Hell, in this day and age you never know what you'll find in print, but on a personal note, I just try to stick to the fist fights and shootouts, but I have been known to mention the odd rape or two...I don't feel that's a very satisfactory answer to your question, but don't seem to be able to come up with anything else.

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

LONER FROM LARAMIE was my first Western for Hale. It's more or less an indication of my style and content and, even if I do say so myself, it's not a bad yarn. (But I never think what I write is anything out of the ordinary - I just enjoy doing it, and maybe what comes across is my enthusiasm.

Is there still a big market for westerns in Australia?

There is no market for publishing Westerns in Australia that I know of. Cleveland still run mostly on re-issues (some of mine as far back as the late 60's or early 70's) with an occasional 'new’ one - which I suspect is a manuscript Cleveland bought from one of its writers some years ago and had been filed away and finally unearthed. They still sell well here - but there's no other Western publisher that I know of.

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

I'm optimistic: I truly believe the Western genre is one genre that will keep on keeping-on (as they say in a certain TV paint commercial). That and Romance - I think both will always find a ready audience - mind, I'm not so sure it'll be the written word (on paper, that is) maybe only electronically. How that will affect writers like you and me and our other compadres I'm not sure.

You haven’t just written westerns, can you please tell us a little about your other books, both fictional and non-fiction.

I like to write thrillers, always have, the 'private-eye' type. Heavily influenced by Raymond Chandler or course, and I like writing the occasional adventure story. Hale have published some of mine over the years. A few come to mind JUDAS COAST; DRAGON OUT OF THE SOUTH; THE NAKED NEMSIS, HAMMERHEAD REEF.

I wrote one boys' adventure book way back in 1966, was published in England and the U.S. as well as Australia: THE SCUBA BUCCANEERS under the pen name of James Keith. My Christian names reversed. I've done a lot of short stories as mentioned earlier, worked as a TV scriptwriter for 5 and a half years, all Aussie shows: HOMICIDE; MATLOCK POLICE; DIVISION 4; SOLO ONE; THE BOX; THE SPOILER; CHOPPER SQUAD, ETC. I did one film script for a spy yarn set in the Philippines, but the company went broke before it was filmed.

Also wrote a book about metal detectors when I was treasure hunting for a while, mostly on beaches, but some outback stuff; as well. BEACHCOMBING WITH A METAL DETECTOR. Sold pretty well, but too dated now what with all the high-tech machines around.

Worked as a journalist for 11 years for the Queensland Health Education Council, writing weekly articles for newspapers on health subjects and Radio Plays dramatising same. (Must have been mad, but can still remember belting out a series on Smoking and Lung Cancer with a packet of cigarettes beside my typewriter - and going through them mighty fast!)

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

I don't think electronic books will ever completely replace printed books, but they're bound to have a wide appeal - and it might not be so easy to make a crust, as we say in Oz, because the whole deal will be changed: copyright will be up the spout, for sure; publishers won't get much of a look-in - so where does that leave the author? Poorer than bloody usual! Just hope the idea never takes on in stampede mode!

What is your favourite western movie and why?

WESTERN UNION was my favourite Western movie for over forty years and is still way up there - but it has company now, SEVEN MEN FROM NOW. Both star Randolph Scott (my favourite cowboy - and I'm still occasionally guilty of describing my heroes as having some Scott attributes) But SEVEN MEN FROM NOW has a terrific opening, great dialogue and editing - and facial expressions, also attention to detail, like Randy, casually changing the coffee mug from his gunhand to his left hand and nudging back his rain-drenched slicker.... Not a 'big' western, budget-wise, but a tough story and great characters - including Lee Marvin doing the honours as a likeable villain.

Finally what do you read for pleasure?

I read just about anything I find interesting - fiction, true adventure, historical - I can always enjoy a 'good' book of whatever genre as long as its well written and has a plot that interests me.

Rawhide Ransom

as by Tyler Hatch
A Black Horse Western from Hale, April 2009

Cole was a good sheriff, maybe a mite too lenient at times, but when the chips were down, the town of Barberry fully appreciated his prowess with guns and fists.

But they didn’t know there was a tragedy in his past that would affect his actions – until a local boy was kidnapped while Cole was supposed to be guarding him. And the only one who could deliver the ransom was Cole himself.

Tyler Hatch writes a fast moving, tough, story. His characters are well drawn and it’s good to see they make mistakes, costly mistakes. Hatch spends time describing the emotions that effect judgment and actions, which makes his characters easy to relate too. Not only does Cole have to struggle with making one of these mistakes it happens at the same time he fights the ghosts of his past each year, making for a troubled man.

There’s plenty of action before and after the kidnapping which leads to a dramatic final scene. Even though the final revelations were expected, Hatch does throw in a neat twist towards the end that took me completely by surprise, making the book impossible to put down until I’d discovered how everything worked out.

As far as I can remember this is the first book by this author I’ve read. Hatch is a pseudonym used by Keith Hetherington, who has written getting on for five hundred westerns under a variety of names. If this book is anything to go by, I’ve been missing out on some excellent reading and will soon be hunting through my collection for the other books I have by him.

An excellent interview with Keith Hetherington can be found here

As you can see from the publishing date above, Rawhide Ransom is out now, and considering how fast BHW seem to be selling out these days, I suggest you put your order in right away.