Starlight Range

By Barry Cord

Ward, Lock, 1961

Originally published 1959

For years Gil Barnes and old Arrant Canady had been partners, ranching together in Montana. Then they had a violent quarrel and Gil had started off to seek new horizons, but within a short distance he had been shot in the back, paralyzed and left for dead. It had taken him years to regain his health, to learn to ride and to draw a gun again. Now he was on his way back to get retribution from the one man he hated above all others.

But Gil arrived too late. Canady had died – and ironically, had left Gil a half-interest in his Starlight spread. The other half was being claimed by a woman who said she was Arrant’s daughter-in-law, the widow of his son. But she had no marriage certificate; there was not even proof that young Phil Canady was no longer living.

I’ve always enjoyed Barry Cord’s books and this one proved to be as entertaining a read as any others. Short and fast-moving this is a tale that sees many characters playing their cards close to their chests. Secrets, mystery and surprising twists and turns easily held my interest and made this a hard to put down read.

Barnes is a bitter and hard man who decides to make a go of the Starlight ranch even though there are others who’ll do anything to own the ranch. Then there’s the puzzles of people who may be who they say they are, or not. If they are imposters, then what is the purpose behind their pretence? To say much more about the plot would have to include major spoilers so this is as much as I’m going to reveal about the storyline.

As expected, by the end everything is tied up neatly and I closed the book feeling very satisfied, thinking I need to read another Barry Cord tale very soon.

For some reason this book was reprinted under another title. In 1961 the book was republished as Slade with Gil Barnes having a name change to Slade. 

Barry Cord is a pseudonym used by Peter B. Germano.