HANG A MAN HIGH

 

HANG A MAN HIGH
By Matt Chisholm
Panther Books, June 1959

They found him standing with a still-warm gun in his hand . . . his brother dead, shot through the back of the head; his brother Marve . . . whom everyone liked and trusted. 

The gold was gone from its hiding place, and now the finger of suspicion was pointed in Ben’s direction.

In that country, for that crime, they would demand that the Law HANG A MAN HIGH.

This is second of three books Matt Chisholm would write about Ben Hodge. As if the man didn’t go through enough troubles in the first book, the author plunges Hodge into more deadly danger which could see him with a rope around his neck again. 

Events of the earlier book, Hodge, are mentioned quite often in this one, and a number of characters from that story return for the sequel. Due to that I would suggest reading the first book before this one to get the greatest enjoyment from it. Hang a Man High can be read as a stand-alone title though as the author includes all the background you need to understand the relationships between the characters and the problems Hodge had to face in that story.

This is a tough tale that is filled with non-stop action. Hodge has to endure a number of brutal fist-fights that leave him a battered man. Even he doesn’t know where he finds the energy to go on, but he does know that if he doesn’t, he’ll be swinging from the gallows. Handguns, rifles and shotguns are all used regularly too. 

Hodge and his two friends, Pete and Ned, loyalty to each other is admirable, all ready to die for each other as they struggle to discover just who killed Marve. What’s equally puzzling is where the gold came from. Hodge certainly didn’t know it was hidden in his home and neither did his pards. It isn’t long before all three begin to wonder if they can trust anyone else as more and more people seem to be involved in whatever it is that is going on.

There’s a lot of blood and death before Hodge gets a break and begins to work out who is behind the death of his brother. Hodge, Pete and Ned will all have their parts to play in bringing down the culprits and will suffer whilst doing so before everything comes to a conclusion in a confined space. 

Peter Watts is the author behind the pseudonym of Matt Chisholm and he’s long been a favourite writer of mine and this book strengthens that thought. Hang a Man High isn’t as goog as the first Hodge book but it comes very close and is a western that I think all fans of the genre would find an entertaining read. Me? I’m looking forward to reading the third Hodge book, The Law of Ben Hodge, as soon as possible.

THE MADMAN'S BLADE

RAIDER

Book 13 of 42

THE MADMAN’S BLADE

By J.D. Hardin

Cover art by Miro

Berkley, July 1988

The victim’s father has already been to the Pinkerton Agency twice. Now he’s back a third time to hire himself a detective.

One look at the poor man’s face and Raider is hooked. He’ll track down the dapper-dressing dude who raped and killed the young girl. But finding the cold-blooded killer with unlimited cash and a brilliantly twisted mind ain’t easy. 

All Raider has to go on is the killer’s gruesome handywork with a blade, and a trail of murder that leads to a bloody showdown.

This book reads like a detective novel in a western setting. Raider, riding alongside the grieving father of one of the dead girls, is after a serial killer rapist. The lack of leads makes his task almost impossible. Slowly, little bits of information come to light but can Raider piece them together to track down and stop the killer before other girls fall victim to his blade?

The author, this time Frank Roderus writing as J.D. Hardin, switches between Raider and his quarry regularly. We share the twisted thoughts of the killer and find out why he’s murdering the girls. Raider’s frustration at failing to discover who the killer quickly comes over strongly. Even when he thinks he knows who is after, finding him is one hell of a challenge as the Pinkerton has no idea as to where the killer will strike next. I did feel, at times, Raider was a bit slow in working things out as one clue was very evident near the beginning of the story.

I was surprised to discover thoughts on mental health in a western and how much the story touched on issues we hear a lot about today. Child trauma being used to explain the reason behind the killer’s actions. As the tale developed, I started to think this plot is like something you’d see on TV’s Law and Order: Special Victims Unit – which was fine by me as that is one of my favourite programmes.

The Raider books are classed as being adult westerns so that means the stories contain explicit sex scenes. Surprising, Raider misses out on any of this although he does find himself in a position to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh at one point but turns her down. It’s the killer who enjoys sex, even though his unwilling partners don’t. This makes for some brutal reading at times. This particular story also includes some very crude language, especially in the opening scenes, after that it is used sparingly.

Although Raider doesn’t get involved in much action until the end of the book, I did find his efforts to find and stop the killer made for some gripping reading. Yes, the story did play out pretty much as I expected, which includes who finally finished off the killer but not the how. 

Frank Roderus can always be relied upon to provide solid entertaining reading and this book left me thinking I must read something else by him soon.

ARIZONA HELLCAT

HEAD HUNTER

Book 1 of 13

ARIZONA HELLCAT

By E. J. Hunter

Cover art by Diane Sivavec

Zebra Books, June 1987

A seventeen-year-old girl with green eyes and auburn hair is hardly the kind of law a gunslinger with a price on his head expects to find on his trail. But Charity Rose can ride anything on four legs and shoot as straight as any man. When her father is gunned down by Concho Bill Baudine’s gang – and then the sidewinders take turns with her – Charity vows to take her revenge with gunpowder and hot lead!

There wasn’t a woman born yet who could tough it out with hardcase outlaws, but Charity vowed she’d be the first. All it took was polishing her skills with her double-action handgun and using every trick she knew to get the revenge she wanted. She was a rat catcher and she’d ride hard to blast the deadly vermin that were loose in the territory.

I read a couple of the later books in this series years and years ago and I can’t really remember much about them, so any spoilers they may contain have been long forgotten by me. What I do remember is that there are some story threads that continue throughout the series, so I thought it would be fun to find out how it all began.

Arizona Hellcat is also twice the length of the rest of the books in the series. If I’m honest I reckon it could easily have had a lot of the content cut so it matched the size of the other books without losing anything important to the plot. For instance, Charity’s boyfriend, Tom, tries on numerous occasions to talk her out of going after the outlaws and this becomes very repetitive, especially as later in the book she returns to her home town and Tom tries again using the same arguments. 

The story begins with Charity tracking down and killing one of the men she seeks. We then flashback to the time of her father’s killing and her rape. Seeing how her ordeal affects her made for some compelling reading as does her attempts to better herself in the art of using guns. Later in the book we watch Charity learning to use her feet and hands as weapons in a lengthy scene, yet she never uses this form of fighting in this story, so that is another part of the book that could have been dropped. 

Even though the majority of the story is predictable and at times unbelievable, such as how many men think she’s a he due to how Charity dresses on the trail, two even make this mistake when viewing her naked from behind, I still found parts of it enjoyable, especially that Charity doesn’t always get her man. I also liked how Charity has a large dog that travels with her and obeys her commands to terrorize or kill people if need be.

I must also point out that the Head Hunter books are classed as adult westerns so there is a fair amount of explicit sex within the pages, not as much as I was expecting, but enough to put people off who don’t like that kind of thing in their reading material. 

Did I find enough to like in this story to want to read the next book? I’ll probably give it a go sometime especially as it is shorter so won’t be filled with as much padding as I feel this one was but it won’t be anytime soon.

E. J. Hunter is a pseudonym for Mark K. Roberts.

UNWANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE

UNWANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE

By Gene Shelton

Cover art by Eric JW Lee

A Jove Book, March 1996

Framed for cattle rustling and horse theft by the corrupt banker who foreclosed on their employer’s ranch, Buck Hawkins and Dobie Garrett found themselves out of work, out of cash, and out of luck. So, they decided to try and live up to their reputation as wanted men. An idea easier said than done…

One step ahead of a hanging party, Buck and Dobie bungled a stagecoach robbery – and met Marylou Kowalski, a fiery young woman looking for excitement. She insisted they kidnap her. Soon, she had Buck and Dobie convinced that the three of them could pull off the ultimate heist: robbing the low-down banker who set them up. Now, if only they could learn to shoot…

Having read, and enjoyed, Gene Shelton’s four book series the Texas Horse Trading Co., I was looking forward to reading Unwanted: Dead or Alive, the first of two books featuring Buck Hawkins and Dobie Garrett. 

I was surprised to find that the opening chapter didn’t really grab me. Nothing much happened apart from descriptions of Hawkins and Garrett’s life as cowboys, struggling to find cattle in the snow. I’m glad I continued to read though as with chapter two the story really picked up. Complication upon complication befell our now out of work cowboys.

Our two leads couldn’t be more different. Garrett is impulsive, all for charging into any situation without giving it a second thought. Hawkins is the exact opposite, careful and needing to spend time considering their options. One thing they agree on is the need for money, so Garrett talks Hawkins into becoming an outlaw. Holding up people and stealing their money can’t be difficult, can it? 

What follows is a series of attempted robberies, a trading post run by a woman, a stagecoach and more. Their major problem is that they only have one gun between them and that doesn’t work, so bluff is the name of the game and they soon learn that being an outlaw isn’t easy as none of their robberies go according to plan or result in riches. These attempts at a life of crime are exciting and often comical. In fact, a lot of the book has a humorous tone coming from situations and the banter between the main characters. Once they team up with Marylou, Hawkins and Garrett are forced to realize how useless they are. An attempt to rob a train emphasizing that point as does their lack of shooting skills.

Can they turn their lives around? Will their plan to get even with the banker succeed? Will they continue to be wanted for crimes they didn’t commit? Will Marylou ever see them as more than hopeless? These, and more questions have to be answered before the end of the tale.

After that first slow chapter, the pace of this book really picks up. Dialogue is lively and at times offers laugh out loud moments. The robberies are tense and the build up to the final confrontation with the banker is extremely well told. The final showdown providing some gripping reading that also tied up all the hanging story threads and left me eager to read the second book, How the West Was Lost, as soon as I can.

American readers can get a copy here

British readers can get a copy here

A GOOD DAY FOR A MASSACRE

 

SLASH AND PECOS
Book 2 of 6
A GOOD DAY FOR A MASSACRE
By William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone
Pinnacle Books, July 2020

Life on the straight and narrow is easier said than done for a pair of crooks like Jimmy “Slash” Braddock and Melvin “Pecos Kid” Baker. But these reprobates are doing their damnedest to make an honest go of it. They’ve managed to safely deliver a church organ to a mountain parish when their sometime employer – Chief U.S. Marshal Luther T. “Bleed-‘m-So” Bledsoe – recruits them for a job only fools would take.

Marshal Bledsoe wants them to pick up a shipment of gold in the mining town in the Sawatch Mountains. Here’s the catch: Slash and Pecos’s wagon is just a decoy. When a ruthless gang ambushes the real gold shipment, it’s up to Slash and Pecos to go after the trigger-happy bandits. And they won’t be alone. A lady Pinkerton, Hattie Friendly – who is anything but – survived the ambush and is hellbent on getting the gold back. Even if she has to team up with a pair of ornery old cutthroats like Slash and Pecos….

The author has come up with a very engaging pair of lead characters in Slash and Pecos. They’re tough, they bicker and can get into all kinds of trouble without trying. Their outlaw days are over and they’ve been granted an amnesty, trouble is not many people know about this. Teaming them up with Hattie makes for some lively exchanges of dialogue which often had me laughing out loud.

The story is fast paced and action packed. The body count is high. As well as knives, pistols and rifles, Gatling guns are used to devasting effect. Slash and Pecos get thrown in jail too by a lawman who doesn’t know they are free men now. As well as Hattie, there are other strong roles for female characters. Slash is looking to pop-the-question to one of them….if he can conquer his nerves. Trouble is he might just have a love rival.

Having only read two of the books in this series, Slash and Pecos have already made a strong impact on me and have become two of my favourite characters to come from the Johnstone’s. 

American readers can get a copy here.

UK readers can get a copy here.

.44

.44

By H.A. DeRosso

A Wagon Wheel Western, publishing date unknown

First published in the UK by Mills and Boon, 1957

Originally published by Lion in America, 1953

Dan Harland was a man with a reputation—a reputation earned through killing. He was a hired gun, and the speed of his .44 was the stuff of legend. He never enjoyed his work, but he did it well and the pay was good.

But even the money didn’t help when Harland was hired to hunt down a man who seemed all too ready to be killed. The look in that man's eyes as he died stirred something almost forgotten in Harland's soul...his conscience. All at once, Harland knew he couldn’t rest until he found the mysterious man who had hired him for the job—even if the trail led to his own grave.

H.A DeRosso wrote around 180 tales for the western pulp magazines but only had a small number of novels published. I believe .44 was his second full-length book.

There’s no getting away from the fact that this is a bleak story. It has the feel of a noir crime novel but never forgets that it is a western first and foremost. 

Harland is a reluctant assassin and is sickened each time he has to kill but his reputation is set and there is no turning back from his unwanted profession. When we first meet him, he’s tracking a man called Lancaster. Their showdown proves to be unforgettable. Lancaster is the faster draw yet does not shoot so Harland guns him down. Then the questions come. Why did Lancaster allow Harland to kill him? Who wanted Lancaster dead? Harlan sets out to find out the answers to those questions and to avenge Lancaster’s death.

The tone throughout is dark, very dark. Harland is a bitter man but he’s also determined. The story gets more complicated as we learn about Lancaster’s past and some stolen money. Why do people insist that it was them who hired Harland through a middleman? Harland refuses to confirm whether he did or did not kill Lancaster. There are two attractive females, one of whom is Lancaster’s wife, who both seem to want to see Harland dead. Is Harlan falling in love with Lancaster’s ex-wife and could he find happiness with her? The book contains plenty of action and Harland has to endure torture as he slowly pieces together the truth. 

This is a gripping read. Harland isn’t a heroic figure, he’s not a man you’ll even like. He is a fascinating character though and his grit is to be admired. You’ll want to know if Harland will find the person who hired him and what will happen if he does. The ending is as dramatic as it is bittersweet.

.44 gets a big thumbs up from me.

FAMOUS STORIES OF THE WILD WEST

 

FAMOUS STORIES OF THE WILD WEST

By Leonard Gribble

Cover art by Jack Hayes

A Universal-Tandem Target Adventure Book, 1973 – abridged version

Originally published by Arthur Barker Ltd, 1967

Leonard Gribble had over 200 hundred books published but is probably best known to western readers as Stetson Cody (Cactus Jim Clancy series) and Lee Denver (Cheyenne Jones series). He wrote under a number of other pseudonyms too.

In this collection of ten short stories Gribble writes about real people and events that helped shape the West. All but one of these tales features a full-page illustration by Laszlo Acs in a similar style to those found in pulp magazines.

Most of these stories cover a long period of time. As well as facts and dates, Gribble occasionally includes some dialogue and short descriptive action scenes. When you realize that each story is around fifteen pages long and how much information Gribble fits into each tale you have to praise him for keeping them entertaining as they could so easily have read like a history lesson. 

To people already interested in the American West most of the characters that have their lives, or part of, told in these stories won’t come as a surprise. Having said that, there are a couple of people who I didn’t know much about and Gribble’s story of one of them, Henry Plummer, has me eager to learn more about him. 

Famous Stories of the Wild West is a fascinating and well told collection of short stories that I would think most people who are interested in the history of the American West will enjoy reading.

Contents

The Worst of the Badman Sheriffs
The life of Henry Plummer.

A Great Bunch of Kids
Tells the story of the Pony Express – features a young Bill Cody and others. The cover painting shows the young Cody.

The Coming of the Iron Horse
The challenge to join the Atlantic to the Pacific by rail. Again, features Bill Cody and includes the hunting of buffalo to feed the rail crews. 

When the Daltons Rode
As you’d expect from the title, this story is about the Dalton gang.

There’s Gold in them thar Hills
Tells the tale of John Sutter and the discovery of gold that started one of, if not the biggest gold rush ever.

The Man with the Quicksilver Draw
The life and times of John Wesley Hardin. 

The Legend of Wild Bill
The life and death of James Butler Hickok.

The Cheyenne Ride Out
Tells the tale of when Dull Knife and Little Wolf lead the Cheyenne away from the reservation and the U.S. Army’s attempt to track them down.

Gambler and Gunman
The story of Johnny Ringo. Includes the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, Buckskin Frank Leslie and others.

Tall in the Saddle
This is about Bill Tilghman and his hunt for the Doolin gang. Heck Thomas features too.