THE GUNSMITH #1:
MACKLIN’S WOMEN
By J.R. Roberts
Speaking Volumes, December 2011
Ex-lawman Clint Adams makes his living as a travelling gun
trader, a job which takes him all over the West. In a sleepy Missouri town he
finds a trio of beautiful women who will do anything – pay any price – to be
reunited with their former “protector,” Con Macklin.
The Gunsmith agrees to take them to him and rides out on the
dirty and dangerous trail to Mexico. He delivers the women but faces an army of
hardcases led by Macklin – who wants his women back and The Gunsmith dead.
This story first appeared as a paperback book way back in
January 1982 and has now become available as an ebook, a paperback, and an audio book
produced by Speaking Volumes, and it’s the latter I’m looking at here.
Mackin’s Women is presented on 5 discs (it can also be
bought as MP3s) and has a running time of approximately 6 hours. Each disc is
divided into a number of short tracks so if you have to stop listening part way
through it is very easy to find your place again. After hearing a few of these
tracks there is a brief interlude of music that I presume signals chapter ends
– I didn’t have my copy of the original book handy to check if my assumption is correct.
The story is read by Barry Campbell in clear and easy to
hear speech; he alters his tone for dialogue and often lowers or raises his
voice to differentiate between characters.
As many readers will already know The Gunsmith books are
billed as an adult western series and the difference between the amount of sex
in this story and those being published today is dramatic. Gunplay is a regular
occurrence too, with Clint Adams often finding himself outnumbered, his superb
ability with a gun keeping him alive as he kills an impressive number of
hardcases. Along the way Clint finds himself backed by his old friend Wild Bill
Hickok and meets a man called Earp. There’s also a few puzzles for Clint to
ponder on, such as trying to discover just what Macklin’s treasure is and where
it’s hidden, along with what Macklin is planning to do with his small army of
outlaws, and who is sending gunmen to kill Macklin’s women.
Listening to this story proved to be a pleasurable experience
and I’m now looking forward to hearing the second book very soon.
3 comments:
Nice review. I've never listened to an audio book. It's about time I did.
Just stumbled onto this review- I love audio books. You said that the difference in the amount of sex is dramatic. More or less as the series progressed?
Less as the series progresses, like in all the 'Big Four' series.
Speaking Volumes have released the first 20 or so Gunsmith books to date , along with some other adult western series by Robert J. Randisi (originally written under pseudonyms, such as Angel Eyes, Mountain Jack Pike, and Tracker.
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