RANCHERO

LONG RIDER

Book 21 of 27

RANCHERO

By Clay Dawson

Diamond Books, December 1992

Born to settler parents. Raised an Indian. He was Long Rider. A man caught between the blood and hate of his two peoples…He lived by his own code in a land where death came quick and vengeance could last a lifetime.

Long Rider’s always dreamed of seeing the Pacific. But his dream turns into a nightmare when he arrives in Los Angeles and discovers a shady deal by greedy speculators out for Spanish land. But the crooks have other ways of getting what they want – and one of those ways is murder…

The book’s opening scenes see Gabe Conrad (Long Rider) saving the owner of one of the last rancheros from a crooked deal that would see his land and home stolen from under him. This leads to a shootout that leaves four men dead and Conrad promising to kill the man behind the plot to steal the ranchero if he sees him again. Conrad wonders if it was a mistake leaving the man alive and that decision will haunt him later.

The author slows the pace down after the shootout and writes of Conrad pondering whether he can become a settled man although his calling is to drift from place to place. Offered a home on the ranchero he questions his lifestyle. There is quite a lot of reflection in this part of the book as memories of how he became to be known as Long Rider are told, as are details of his original vengeance quest that was the theme of the first book of the series. Whether this is the same author who wrote that I have no idea, but if it isn’t the author has certainly done his research on Long Rider’s past. It’s not just Conrad’s backstory that is explained, there is also plenty of historical content outlining Spanish settlement and their way of life, of honor, and how the Americans began to steal their land. So, through this lengthy portion of the book, there is little in the way of action, except for a few competitive games between those who live on the ranchero.

Conrad also falls in love. This is the main reason for him to give up the life of a drifter. Marriage to Mercedes, a home on the ranchero, and acceptance from those that live there is very, very tempting and Conrad believes he can live a happy life on the ranchero.

The land grabber seems to be forgotten. Seems he’s given up on stealing the ranchero. There’s hardly any mention of him. Yet the threat of him returning is always there. There’s not a lot of the book left by the time his presence is felt again and then the action ramps up a lot. Vicious violence described in graphic gory detail sees Long Rider determined to kill the man he should have sent to Hell when he first stood up to him. 

The book is well written and very readable. For me, though, there was a lack of action. It took too long to get to the final confrontation between Conrad and the land grabber, but when it came it was certainly well done and will satisfy those who like exciting, bloody action in their western reading. For fans of the series this is a must-read book to see whether Long Rider will rein in his wanderlust and settle down in marriage. 

THE SMOKING IRON

 

THE SMOKING IRON AND OTHER STORIES
By Elisabeth Grace Foley
Independently Published, May 2024

I’ve read a few of Elisabeth Grace Foley’s other western books, both novellas and short story collections, and The Smoking Iron and Other Stories is another superb read. Seven tales that captured my imagination easily as Foley’s excellent descriptions put me right in the scene with her engaging characters. I could feel the bitter cold in Dakota Clothesline as a new bride faces questions about her marriage in the shadow of a prairie blizzard and I could hear the music in Professor Pruitt’s Circulating Concert Company as a travelling band of musicians get accused of robbing a bank.

Even though some of Foley’s storylines seem like typical western plots to start with, she always manages to turn these themes on their head to offer a fresh take to the tale. The story Sheep Need a Shepherd being a perfect example. It begins like it’s going to be another range war story, which in some ways it is, but by having a new minister bring in the sheep causes problems for the established cattlemen as they aren’t sure how to deal with him. This stirs up controversy among his new congregation. Can the words of the Lord solve this standoff?

My favourite story was the last tale, The Smoking Iron, which is a twisting mystery. A man is found shot beside a branding fire and a young rancher is accused of murder—but what crime was really committed there? How the truth was brought to light was something I’d never have guessed. I can’t remember ever reading anything like it before, so this came as a very welcome surprise.

Some of the stories are thought-provoking, others will make you laugh, and another may bring tears to your eyes. All are well worth reading.

Contents

Dakota Clothesline

The Heiress and the Horse Trade

Sheep Need a Shepherd

Professor Pruitt’s Circulating Concert Company

Lark’s Nest

Big Aspen

The Smoking Iron

American readers can get a copy here

British readers can get a copy here

BRASADA

BRASADA

By Luke Jones

Consul Books, 1962

The Civil War was lost, and he was sheriff in a Texas beaten to her knees by the North. The Texans called him a Yankee-lover; the Northerners called him Texas trash. So he lived alone, and walked a lonely road alone, acknowledging no master but justice.

He was in a cleft stick. If he went after his quarry he would be accused of siding with the Yankees, and the thought made him sweat. Bitterness had cut deep into the South. The temptation to throw in his badge and clear out was strong in him, for a sheriff in these parts was in a very dangerous position. But he kicked his horse into a trot, dreading the ride ahead of him, his only support his gun and his courage.

This is the second, and last book that English author Peter Watts wrote as Luke Jones. Watts wrote many other westerns under two more well known pseudonyms; Matt Chisholm and Cy James. Altogether, Watts had around 100 westerns published.

One thing Watts is known for is that his books are action packed. After reading the first two or three chapters of Brasada I had to wonder if this book was going to be the odd one out. Watts uses the opening chapters to flesh out his characters, especially that of sheriff Wake Hopshaw as he contemplates old-age, his secret admiration for the Mexican girl Consuelo who seems out of his reach, and struggles with his duty to the law or the people of Texas. Northern soldiers order Wake to bring in an outlaw who seems to still be fighting the war. Wake argues that Bob Masters hasn’t committed a crime in his jurisdiction and until he does, he won’t track him down. This, of course, cause animosity between Wake and the soldiers and finally leads to Wake being on the run from them too.

The story goes through many twists and turns including murder, a secret meeting between a mystery man and woman, Wake fighting for his life against known and unknown enemies, and much more. It isn’t long before Wake’s desire to see justice carried out his way can only have one outcome; his death, and I was soon thinking this was how the book would end. 

The book is fast paced, has an intriguing plot, touches of humour, tough characters, and plenty of violent action. It’s a story of one man against the rest told in very readable prose. It is a product of its time though and it does occasionally include terms that people of today might find offensive when referring to characters of certain races. 

Perhaps not one of the best books to come from Peter Watts, but it is still a very entertaining and it left me wanting to read another of his books very soon. 

HANGING MOON

SHELTER

Book 2 of 33

HANGING MOON

By Paul Ledd

Zebra Books, 1980

On a tip, Shelter is heading into Arizona territory hunting down a man named Plum, a sergeant in the death-battalion who had double-crossed him seven years before.

On his way he takes a job leading a small party of travellers through to Fort Bowie. Much to his surprise and delight, the group includes a luscious-looking young woman named Drusilla, who makes no secret of her availability and desires.

But there is a special reason why the party wants Shelter and deadly guns along: beneath the floorboard of the wagon lies a cache of gold. And when Shelter finds out who hid it there and why – the pleasure trip to Bowie becomes a trip to hell!

The above is the blurb from the back of the book, and the third paragraph isn’t exactly correct as the travellers don’t want Shelter along to protect the hidden gold. In fact, hardly anyone knows it’s there. It always amazes me when book blurbs don’t tie in with the story and I have to wonder how editors allow this to happen.

Hanging Moon begins shortly after the ending of the first book, Prisoner of Revenge. It’s at the end of that story that Shel discovers the whereabouts of Sergeant Plum and it’s also when he met Linda, the girl whose company he is enjoying at the beginning of book two. The Shelter books are classed as adult westerns so that means there are some explicit sex scenes to be found within. After the opening sexual encounter, these scenes don’t take up too many pages and can be easily skipped if you so desire. 

Shel takes a job as a stagecoach guard as the stage is heading in the direction he needs to go. The stage is held up and gold is stolen. Shel manages to get the stagecoach back from the outlaws but not the gold, he’s not concerned about that as the coach driver is badly wounded and needs attention fast. Arriving in town, Shelter is accused of being in cahoots with the outlaws but the law doesn’t have any proof, so Shel leaves town with a small group of Quakers, most of whom resent him for tagging along. Soon Shelter discovers the wagons are being followed but he has no idea who by. Could it be the law who believe he will lead them to the outlaws who stole the gold from the stagecoach, our is it the Chiricahua who are raiding in the area?

The author writes a fast-moving tale filled with action and includes many tense scenes, especially those depicting the crossing of the desert whilst in desperate need of water. He also fills in the reader as to why Shel is so determined to track down and kill the soldiers who double-crossed him, so there isn’t any need to read Prisoners of Revenge before this book. Shelter is an interesting hero in as much as he is only interested in finding the men he is after and won’t be distracted by stolen gold or women. Sure, he’ll enjoy the latter but he’s always going to ride on and leave them behind. Although most of the story played out as expected, the end wasn’t quite as I imaged and that came as a welcome surprise.

Paul Ledd is a thinly disguised pseudonym for Paul Lederer, an author whose work I’ve always enjoyed. I wouldn’t put Hanging Moon up there with the best of his work, but it did hold my attention throughout and entertained me enough to want to read the third Shelter book at some point.