STRONG MEDICINE

 

HOLMES ON THE RANGE
STRONG MEDICINE
By Steve Hockensmith
Rough Edges Press, July 2026

The A.A. Western Detective Agency rides into Galveston in 1894 Texas, a city of elegant Victorian mansions and dark waterfront secrets, when a wealthy businessman burns to death in his own warehouse under far-too-convenient circumstances.

With Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer on the case, Old Red’s obsession with Sherlock Holmes is finally put to the ultimate test. Their client’s household is crawling with suspects: a brilliant female scientist, an eccentric would-be snake-oil salesman, a volatile socialite, and a charismatic “healer” whose devoted followers will do anything she demands.

As blackmail, madness, and murder tangle beneath Galveston’s gleaming surface, the detectives must separate miracle from menace before the killer delivers another dose of strong medicine.

With threats closing in from every direction, can the Double-A Western Detective Agency smoke out the truth before the next victim goes up in flames?

The last full-length Holmes on the Range book came out in 2023 and a couple of short story collections followed in the same year. The latest novel, Strong Medicine, has links to the previous book in that the Amlingmeyer brothers have agreed to help one of the characters from Hunters of the Dead and are soon involved with a wonderful set of people and creatures as they attempt to solve crimes of murder and blackmail. 

Steve Hockensmith tells his fast-moving tale through the voice of Big Red whose observations on the investigation and life in general had me howling with laughter many times, as did one of the action scenes involving flying vegetables. Descriptions are excellent too and painted very visual images in my mind’s eye – the gardeners and their overseer being particularly vivid. 

I must point out that this is not a comedy western/murder mystery novel. It’s a captivating, twisting, thrilling story that includes humour. There are plenty of tense scenes, one involving scorpions and another seeing the Amlingmeyer brothers on the wrong end of a gun. 

I am purposefully being vague with details about the plot and characters as I just don’t want to spoil anything for those intending to read this terrific edition to the Holmes on the Range series. 

As usual, I gave up trying to work out the who and why of the plot as Steve Hockensmith is extremely good at pointing the finger at just about everyone the Amlingmeyer’s meet. Seemingly meaningless comments and actions will later be revealed as major clues to solving the mysteries facing the brothers, something they will do, no matter the cost to themselves. Oh, and could one of them be falling in love? And then there’s the question of whether nut-butter made from peanuts could ever catch on.

As you’ve probably guessed, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all readers who enjoy whodunit stories. 

American readers can get a copy here.

British readers can get a copy here. 

NO TEARS IN HELL

 

THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY COLT 2
NO TEARS IN HELL
By James Reasoner
DS Productions, June 2026

The path to justice winds through the Gateway to Hell. Fourteen soldiers are dead, the shipment of rifles they were guarding is gone, and those responsible are hiding behind whiskey, cards, and dirty money. 

Johnny Colt arrives in Harker City, where nobody asks too many questions – unless they’re prepared to pay for the answer. He is supposed to track down the killers and uncover the truth, but first, he needs to make them believe he is one of them.

Every man he meets seems meaner than the last, and a knife might be hiding behind every pretty smile in town. Texas Ranger Johnny Colt must risk everything under an outlaw’s name. On the border, the truth often comes out with a gunshot. 

Johnny Colt has a reputation of being a gunfighter and an outlaw. His uncle, Captain Esau Parker, employs Colt as a Texas Ranger. Johnny’s rep meaning he’s an ideal candidate for operating undercover. 

Once in Harker City, Johnny makes the acquaintance of Catherine “Copper” O’Malley, a stunning young woman who owns a saloon. It isn’t long before Johnny begins to wonder if she’s involved with the outlaw’s he’s determined to bring down. Soon, Johnny is invited to join the small army of bandits and his initiation into the gang makes for one helluva memorable part of the book.  

After that life gets much more complicated and dangerous for Johnny. Each new character he meets seems to offer a threat. Even though Johnny has his suspects there’s still the reasons for the soldier’s slaughter to uncover. 

James Reasoner has long been one of my favourite western authors and here he comes up with another fast-paced and gripping read in No Tears in Hell. Johnny is a likeable protagonist. There are many other great characters in this tale too; Blackwood, El Cherubin, Copper, and Serafina are just a few of them. The story builds extremely well and includes elements of mystery that kept me turning the pages. There’s plenty of action before we get to the final showdowns that tie everything up neatly. I was also left hoping Johnny will meet one of the survivors in a future book.

No Tears in Hell is a book that I believe all western fans will enjoy reading, so it gets a big recommendation from me. 

American readers can get a copy here.

British readers can get a copy here.

COLONEL DEATH

 

CANYON O’GRADY
Book 14 of 25
COLONEL DEATH
By Jon Sharpe
Cover art by Jerome Podwil
Signet Books, July 1991

Canyon O’Grady had his gun hands full of trouble. U.S. Cavalry Colonel Judson Kilgore had led renegade troops out of Texas and down south of the border. O’Grady was sent as a one-man army to stop the kill-crazy colonel and his crew from carving out an empire of evil. Even worse, the big redheaded U.S. special agent also had a bevy of bloodthirsty banditos, a lost confederate colony, and an explosive spitfire to deal with. All O’Grady could do was give it his best shot – again and again and again…

Set in 1868, this story sees O’Grady having to face near unsurmountable odds. A lot of the book sees the author telling us of the atrocities Colonel Kilgore, soon to be known as Colonel Death, was carrying out and tells of men flocking to join his ever-growing army. How can one man, O’Grady, take on over one hundred men? 

As O’Grady travels into Mexico, he finds himself following a trail of corpses and ransacked towns. The locals are weary of Americans and O’Grady has to defend himself from those who assume he’s one of Kilgore’s men. 

Eventually O’Grady meets Mercedes, a young woman who has seen her father and brothers die at the hand of Kilgore. She wants revenge and insists she will accompany O’Grady on his mission. O’Grady doesn’t want her along, but circumstances see her join him. Of course, she’s very attractive and O’Grady enjoys some explicit action with her. 

The final showdown is fast-paced and takes place over a few skirmishes and the defence of and an attack on a fortified town. 

Jon Sharpe is a pseudonym. Book twelve saw Chet Cunningham stop writing for the series (he’d written all but three of the previous books up to then). Book thirteen saw a new author come on board and I believe this book, number fourteen, is yet another new writer. I’m not sure who it is but I have seen it mentioned that it was Mark K. Roberts. I’m not familiar enough with his writing to confirm whether this is true or not. 

Colonel Death is a longer story than the previous book. Not in page length but in the size of the print and that the chapters start a few lines down from the end of the previous one rather than on the next page. To be honest I did feel the story rambled a bit at times, especially during the first half or so, but it still held my attention as I wanted to find out how O’Grady would succeed in his mission. The story is very straight-forward with little in the way of twists. Overall, I found this book to be an ok read.

SHORTY

 

SHORTY
By Clifton Adams
Fontana Books, 1969 and 1976
Originally published in 1966

When Shorty Gibbs rode into Hardrow Texas with a bullet wound in his skull and a grudge against the man who put it there, he was surprised to hear he was supposed to be dead and his murderer had already been strung up by a mob.

But he was even more surprised when he realized that most of the population was sorry to hear about his recovery and were anxious to run him out of Hardrow, dead or alive…

Shorty Gibbs is a small man with an even shorter temper that boils over before he has time to think about the consequences, and most of the time that’s fine with him. Figuring out who shot him and why sees his short fuse get him into all kinds of trouble and often at odds with the town marshal, Tooms. Gibbs holds the lawman partly responsible for the situation he is now in – jobless, homeless and disliked. 

Clifton Adams sticks mainly with Gibbs’ thoughts as he attempts to solve the mysteries surrounding his attempted murder. Why would someone want to kill him and steal his mail pouch? Why had an innocent man been strung up? How is the old sheepherder who’d saved his life involved – if indeed he is? Why does a group of ranchers want him out of town? It’s these questions and more that kept me eagerly turning the pages as bursts of violence hint at the shocking revelations to come in a tense final showdown when Gibb’s and a couple of others face a much larger force. 

I’m purposely being vague about the plot of this fast-moving hard-boiled tale of guilt and the changing world so as not to spoil it for anyone. You’ll definitely start having your own ideas about what is going on as I did, but Adams will soon throw you off track as he springs twist after twist to his engaging plot. 

Shorty is another extremely good read from Clifton Adams, an author who rapidly climbs higher and higher on my favourite western author list with each book I read by him. 

SILENT STALKER

 

FRONTIER SCOUT 5

SILENT STALKER

By Lane R. Warenski

DS Productions, April 2026

Caleb Miller—known across the frontier as Night Tracker—has built a hard reputation as Chief Scout for the 2nd Cavalry out of Fort Laramie in Nebraska Territory. As his young wife prepares to give birth, Caleb makes a choice that could cost him everything: leave the danger of the plains and return to Springfield so their child can be born near family.

The thousand-mile journey home is anything but safe. Caleb agrees to escort orphaned twins, Clara and Cloe, across wild country stalked by outlaws and war parties. Along the way, they encounter Gray Owl, the Silent Stalker—a young Pawnee warrior who seeks Cloe for his wife. Bound by circumstance and mutual respect, Caleb and Gray Owl forge a bond that soon turns into true friendship.

In Springfield, Caleb briefly dons a sheriff’s badge before accepting a perilous freight run to Santa Fe. Hostile tribes and highwaymen soon learn why Night Tracker earned his legendary status so young. 

I’ve not read anything by Lane R. Warenski before so was looking forward to trying this much praised author. I found his writing style flowed smoothly and his descriptive prose painted visual images of the landscapes, towns and action scenes beautifully. Dialogue was handled equally as well.

As I started reading, I did wonder whether I needed to have read the previous books in this series to fully understand the relationships between the main characters. I needn’t have worried though as Warenski provides enough backstory to explain how these people knew each other and what struggles they’d face to make them who they were. I must admit to being surprised at how young Caleb Miller was as usually scouts with the kind of knowledge he has are depicted as much older men, so this made for a welcome change. 

Due to the nature of the story, long treks across the country and facing different situations, some of which could see the death of Miller and his family and friends, meant the tale came across as very episodic. A couple of times this felt like a new story had begun, especially when Miller starts out on the journey to deliver freight to Santa Fe, which was my favourite section of the story. Even so, everything is linked by the characters and the reasons they take on these new tasks. 

All the main storylines come to satisfactory conclusions, but one or two are left hanging so there will be continuance into the next book, assuming there will be one. 

Did this story make me want to read anything else by Warenski? Definitely. 

American readers can get a copy here.

British readers can get a copy here.

GUNPOINT

 

GUNPOINT

By Jeff Pintabona

Veritas Entertainment, February 2026

In Gunpoint, everyone has a price.

Some men just refuse to pay it.

Gunpoint is a town on edge. Five men are found dead outside a line shack, cut down with brutal precision. Whispers spread fast, and one name keeps surfacing: Mort Totten, a legendary gunfighter with a fifty-thousand-dollar bounty on his head. As killers flood the territory looking to collect, Marshal Lin Cannon is tasked with keeping Gunpoint from tearing itself apart. He's faced down outlaws before, but Totten isn't like the others. He doesn't miss. And he doesn't leave witnesses.

Meanwhile, two relentless lawmen are closing in from another direction, following a trail of blood, lies, and betrayal that leads straight to Gunpoint and straight toward an inevitable collision.

As private bounties, corrupt power brokers, and old vendettas converge, the line between lawman and gunman begins to blur. In a land where justice is often decided at the muzzle of a revolver, every man must choose what he's willing to kill and die for.

Gunpoint is the much-anticipated sequel to The Killers of Yellow Rock, a novel that I great enjoyed, a book that left me wanting more. You don’t have to have read that first story to appreciate this one as the author gives you all the backstory you need to understand what has gone before.

Dixon and Totten have gone their separate ways, with the former now wearing a lawman’s badge. Trouble is there’s a massive bounty on both their heads. Dixon needs to put an end to this, so rides to find Totten to see if he’ll help approach the person who has put up the bounty and get it removed as the constant strain of being on edge and having to face an almost endless stream of people wanting to try for the life-changing bounties is taking its toll on body and health. 

Finally meeting up outside the town of Gunpoint they find themselves swept up in the death struggles that are taking place within that community that seem to revolve around Marshal Lin Cannon and his brother. Cannon has a reputation as a town tamer but soon pure hatred will drive his actions, not the law.

Like with the first book, I am keeping my descriptions of the plot vague so as not to spoil the many surprises this very fast-moving tale offers. It’s a gritty read full of lightning-fast gunmen who get to display their talents often. There are difficult choices to be made, especially for Dixon when he’s asked to forget he’s a lawman and become a gunman and help kill some men. This challenges his code of honour. Can he be both? 

Pintabona kept my attention easily with plenty of what-will-happen-next situations all taking place under clouds of gunsmoke. His action scenes are edge-of-the-seat stuff and come thick and fast, all being extremely well described. The final showdown during a thunderstorm will stay in my memory for a long time. 

The final two words end with a question mark. One I need an answer to. It doesn’t mean the story doesn’t come to a conclusion because it certainly does, but it also implies there could well be a third book on the way. For me, that can’t come fast enough. 

American readers can get a copy here.

British readers can get a copy here.

WESTERN STORY - October 1953

 

WESTERN STORY
British Edition, October 1953, Vol. VIII, No. 10
Atlas Publications
Cover art by Norman Saunders

From the March 1953 issue the British Edition of Street & Smith’s Western Story Magazine had a name change to Western Story on the front cover and spine but the inside named it as Western Story Magazine. The October 1953 issue is subtitled incorporating Star Western Magazine. All the stories and cover art are taken from the American June 1953 issue of Star Western Magazine, which you can see below. 

This issue opens with the novelette Rough, Tough – and Kissable! by Art Lawson. I’ve not read anything by this author before so was keen to give him a go. Drifter Hugh Warden finds himself mistaken for an Association man brought in to investigate cattle rustling. Warden denies this is who he is, saying he’s just passing through on the way to his niece’s wedding, but is he telling the truth? Whilst in the area Warden gets himself involved with two very different women; one who’s tough and seems to want to kill him, and the other being a homely girl a man could settle down with. Art Lawson has created some great characters for this story that contains some lively action scenes and includes some neat twists to the tale – even if I did see a couple of them coming. Of course, Warden gets the girl at the end, but which one? Sorry, I can’t give that away here as it would be a major spoiler. On the strength of this story, I would read Lawson again. 

Next comes another novelette One Hell of a Blonde by Frank P. Castle. Iris arrives to lay claim to Bob Drummond’s ranch, saying it’s hers even though he has the deeds for it. Iris is not the only problem Drummond has. His neighbouring rancher, Sellers, wants his ranch too, and is trying all kinds of dirty tricks to get it. Why he wants it is anyone’s guess, and the author keeps the reason a secret until the very end, thus ensuring I kept turning the pages. This is only my second read of a story by Castle, and like the last one, I enjoyed it a lot. The mystery element, cracking dialogue, well described fight scenes, and some later surprises made this a memorable tale.  

The Devil’s Daughter by Will Cook is the first short story. A wagon train is heading across the mountains as winter snows threaten to cut them off. Elder Mercy won’t listen to advice and also orders a pregnant woman, Victoria, who’s been rescued from the Arapahoe, one of whom is her baby’s father, to be cast out into the snows to perish for having been with a heathen. One man, Mel Holden, stands up for her and ends up leaving the train with her. Soon the wagons are in difficulty and Mercy has to ask Holden for help if any of them are to survive. Will Holden help a man who can banish people and leave them to die without a second thought? Cook’s story raises some interesting questions and I enjoyed seeing how they would be dealt with. I did feel it was a shame the story wasn’t longer so they could be explored in more depth. As it was, I found the tale to be a satisfactory read. 

When Olga was old enough to be courted, one rough-handed suitor brought her a box of candy, a second brought her a ring, and a third – and the gentlest – six .45 bullets! This is the blurb for the next short story, Bride for an Outlaw Bride! by Frances H. Ames. It certainly had me intrigued enough to want to read this story. The three men arrive within minutes of each other at Olga’s home on her sixteenth birthday to ask, or take, her as a wife. Olga’s parents get them all to sit down for a meal that is filled with tension that threatens to erupt into violence. This it does, although that happens outside the house and the victor claims Olga. This is the second story I’ve read by this Ames and I enjoyed it as much as the previous one. His ability to build suspense is excellent and his fight scenes are well written. I look forward to reading more of his work soon.

The last tale is another short story, Girl of Outlaw Valley by Theodore J. Roemer. A girl, Rita, is taken from a stagecoach during a robbery. The gang leader, Quant, wants her for himself so decides to take her to their hideout. Already having a woman waiting there for him, he tells one of the gang members who hates women to pretend the stolen girl is his, as Quant knows his woman will kill both him and the girl if she suspects anything. Quant aims to come to Carlson’s cabin one night and take Rita. I’ve not read anything by Roemer before and I will say he certainly knows how to build an air of impending doom. The fear Rita feels comes over strongly. As the story progresses, I was soon wondering if Carlson would protect the girl, especially as it seems she knows who he really is and why he hates women so much. Everything comes together in an exciting moment of violence that brought the story to an end I expected. Roemer’s tale finished this issue of Western Story with another entertaining read. 

As you’ll see from the cover art below of the original Star Western publication it shouts Big Romances of the West above the title. That statement is a little misleading as there isn’t any more romance in these stories than can be found in other western pulps. I guess the only thing it tells you is that someone is going to end up riding into the sunset with the female lead. In such short stories I’m always amazed how people that have never met each other before so readily commit themselves to each other and fall in love so quickly without really knowing anything about the other person. Due to this I often find the falling in love elements a little hard to believe, but I can look past that and enjoy these pulps for what they are. 

Overall, this issue of Western Story was very readable and I enjoyed all the stories with Frank P. Castle’s tale being my favourite.