Desert Pearls

by James Gordon White

A Black Horse Western from Hale, 1997

Clay Cameron turns bounty hunter to save his ranch. He tracks outlaw Luke McCann and his woman, Julie Banning, into the California Badlands. In the ensuing gunfight he blinds McCann. Wrestling with guilt, and his attraction for Julie, Cameron is determined to bring McCann in alive.

But Cameron isn’t the only one tracking McCann, five vengeance driven brothers will stop at nothing to kill the outlaw and those with him. As they head deeper into the desert rampaging Apaches join the chase.

Once in the desert Cameron and his two prisoners will meet Floyd Bigelow, an old man on a hunt of his own for an extraordinary prize.

Having read a book by this author a few years back I expected an entertaining read and that’s definitely what I was presented with. The action never let up from the opening line. Bigelow’s quest adds an interesting twist to the tale and comes across as believable, even though I’ve never come across anything like it before. Cameron’s attraction to Julie and her hatred for him provide some great battles of wills, not to mention some erotic imagery.

Are Cameron and Bigelow successful in their missions and does Cameron win the girl’s heart? I guess you’re going to have to find that out for yourselves.

Possibly the best BHW I’ve read to date.