The three men had been friends for only a short time, but they had formed a strong bond. When Jed Saunders, youngest of the trio, was brutally murdered, Limey and George swore to have revenge. The trail led them to a town living in fear – a town where only one man, Marshal Gruman, dared to speak his mind; and to Old Man Prescott, cattle-king and law unto himself; his weak and crooked son, Johnny; and the beautiful and unpredictable Elvina, who had inherited all her father’s wildness.
Knowing that Luke Jones is a pseudonym for Peter Watts, an author much better known for his westerns written under two other pennames, Matt Chisholm and Cy James, I was expecting a fast moving, tough tale filled with action and that was exactly what I got.
The story contains some neat twists and turns, the best of which being when Limey finds himself accused of murder. Just who he is said to have killed coming as a great surprise, one that turns the plot on its head and made me wonder just how Limey could prove himself innocent.
The Prescott family, and some of their ranch hands, are memorable characters too and they prove to be great adversaries for Limey and George. The fact that the son is out to ruin his father by stealing his cattle adds even more tension to the story. Jed is killed when he stumbles across this rustling operation in the area known as Three Canyons. There are two strong roles for female characters, with Elvina stirring strong emotions within Limey. Packed with plenty of lively gunplay, fistfights, and beatings there is never a dull moment throughout the story.
Having read many books written by Peter Watts I’m aware that he sometimes kills off main characters, be they good or bad, so the possibility of this happening to Limey, George or any of the Prescott’s was always in the back of my mind, making the ending of this book just as unpredictable as Elvina.
Peter Watts only wrote one other book as Peter Jones, Brasada, and I hope to read that very soon.
I don’t know much about Consul books, or their printer, Racecourse Press Ltd, but one, or both, could have used better quality control as many words are missing letters making me have to guess what it was supposed to be. Frustrating a little but easy enough to work out when reading the whole sentence. Don’t let this put you off tracking down a copy of Three Canyons to Death though as it is a very entertaining read that I believe will be enjoyed by fans of the western genre.
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