A Man Called Breed

By Chuck Tyrell

Hale, November 2011

Refused a drink and threatened with violence in a saloon because of his Indian heritage, Falan Wilder, the man called Breed, severely wounds Reed Fowley, and then takes refuge in the desert. Fowley’s father and brothers give chase, but are no match for Breed, who escapes and goes to his homestead in Lone Pine Canyon below the Mogollon Rim.

But the Fowleys will not give up. They hire man-hunter Dutch Regan to find him. Once found, Reed Fowley, and brother Bud, hire Robert Candless, a former major of the Colorado Volunteers, and a band of savage outlaws to storm Breed’s homestead and kill him. Breed, his wife-to-be Blessing, and his protégé, Sparrow, must fight for their lives, or die.

Unusually for a Black Horse Western, this story is told mainly in the first person, through Falan Wilder. I say mainly because Chuck Tyrell quite often moves the tale away from Breed so the reader can follow the movements of those who hunt him, these parts of the story being told in the third person.

A lot of the story involves memories, these flashbacks used to flesh out both Wilder’s past and that of the Fowleys. Chuck Tyrell also provides a lot of information regarding the landscape his characters find themselves in.

Chuck Tyrell includes many real people too, mostly just mentioned as someone Wilder has worked with or met in the past, such as Al Sieber.

The plot is expertly laid out and builds well to its final exciting showdown, which sees Wilder and Sparrow fighting against superior odds, the outcome of which left me wondering if Wilder will return in another story further down the line. Chuck Tyrell (this being a pseudonym for Charles T. Whipple) often has his heroes from one book guest starring in further books, so this could just happen.

A Man Called Breed has a release date of November 30^th but should be available now.