GUN JUNCTION

By Barry Cord

Cover art by Giorgio Tubaro

Chivers Press, 2001 hardback

Originally published as part of an Ace Double, 1964

Three men rode into Fulton, three loners with one this in common – a way of life built around a gun.

One was a U.S. deputy marshal, one a discredited ex-Ranger, one a hired killer. They had all come to do the same job: avenge the death of one man and restore law to the territory.

Or so they all said.

One of them rode with honor, one with guilt, and one with lies. And, in a short time, two would be dead and one left alone to fight for his life.

Like many books written by Barry Cord, this one has a twisted storyline that moves forwards at a breathless pace. The author gives enough information about the plot to make you think you know what is going on, but will then surprise you with revelations that will make you realize things aren’t as straight-forwards as you think.

The three central characters are all fascinating in their own rights, as are some of the people they come up against. The struggle to discover just who hanged Sheriff Tom Billens and who is blowing up trains makes for a gripping read. Just as I expected really, as I’ve been a fan of this authors work for a long time. However, there was one scene that stretched my belief just a little too much. A horse rescuing its owner from a situation I don’t believe a horse would go anywhere near. Other than that, this book did turn out to be a fun read and I will certainly be reading more of Barry Cord’s books soon.

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

As is mentioned above, Gun Junction was originally part of an Ace Double western published in 1964, paired with A Man Called Ragian by John Callahan. You can see the artwork for Gun Junction below which was done by Gerald McConnell.