TRAIL OF THE DAMNED

TRAIL OF THE DAMNED

By Gil Martin

Cover art by W. Francis Phillips

New English Library, May 1975

Originally published by Robert Hale, 1966

One man dead at Jackie’s feet. Another, bleeding and dusty, lies gasping out his last words. And for Jackie Burrows killing becomes easy.

On the run, from the law and from himself, he changes his name and his women but he cannot change his life and the smoke from his gun hangs heavy on him – thick like blood.

From the moment that first bullet tore into a man there was no turning back – only the beginning of a trail of death for J.B. The Trail of the Damned.

The original hardback published by Hale was put out under the authors name, Martin Overy, as was NEL’s first paperback version in 1968. In America, Berkley put the book out in paperback form in 1967 under the pseudonym of Gil Martin. This was the name used on subsequent NEL publications too. 

Like the other books I’ve read by this author, the story is told in a very hard-boiled style and has a number of dark themes running throughout. Written in the first person we share Jack Burrows bitter observations on life and death, share his emotional turmoil when dealing with women and his desperation to stay away from the law who are hunting him for killing one of their own. 

From the excellent opening paragraphs that immediately pulled me into the story, I found this book difficult to put down. With each person Jack meets tension mounts as he fears he will be recognized, even though he has changed his name to Jess Burgess. Taking a job as ranch foreman for a man he knew back in the Civil War could be the perfect hiding place, until his boss, Frank, takes a new, young, wife. Jack is immediately attracted to her, and it seems the feelings are mutual. This is where the feel of the book becomes more like a crime noir novel, although it never loses its identity as a western, and I began to wonder if this young lady would prove to be a femme fatale. 

Jack is not an easy man to like but this is exactly why he’s such a compelling character. At times he’s harsh, cruel even, to those he finds himself working with and loving. He’s never hit a woman, but tells one there could always be a first time. He’s hardly ever at peace, scared someone will know or discover who he really is. Does Frank’s wife know the truth and if so, why is she keeping it to herself?

In Trail of the Damned, the author has written a gripping, taut tale in which the mental strains Jack struggles to deal with feel very real. Can a man who admits to being a killer ever find happiness or will he get his comeuppance? I can’t reveal that here, but if you do decide to read this book, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy finding out.  

Robert Hale, 1966

New English Library 1968

NO HALLOWED GROUND

 

Double-A Western Detective Agency 2

NO HALLOWED GROUND

By Steve Hockensmith

Rough Edges Press, October 2024

When the A.A. Western Detective Agency needs to hunt men down, it turns to its toughest operatives: former cavalrymen Oswin Diehl and Ira Hoop and their Mescalero Apache scout Eskaminzim. So, when the Double-A is asked to catch bank robbers fleeing across Missouri toward the Indian Territories, it sends the three to head the gang off. Along for the hard ride is Hoop’s wife and Eskaminzim’s sister, Onawa, who’s tired of waiting around to learn who won’t be coming home from the A.A.’s latest assignment.

But when the four reach Missouri, they learn that there’s much more at stake than the holdings of a single bank. The “gang” they’re after is actually a company of former Confederate Cherokees—and they’re backed by a powerful cabal of conspirators bent on avenging the South’s defeat in the Civil War.

What starts out as a chase to track down bandits turns into a battle for the future of the country…one our outnumbered heroes can’t possibly hope to win.

It’s great to see the second book in the Double-A Western Detective Agency series come out so soon after the first one. Hired Guns was a great read and I was left eagerly looking forward to another book featuring Diehl, Hoop, and Eskaminzim. 

The first part of No Hallowed Ground sets up the twisting plot superbly. Diehl and his companions wondering just what they’ve got themselves in to as they pursue the bank robbers in a mission to retrieve the contents of an ice-cream wagon that is being used by the robbers to transport their loot. Each time they met a new person the mystery deepens and it becomes clear that they haven’t been told the truth, but they’ve been assigned to the case and will do their best to get the bank’s property back. It’s only when the second part of the book is reached that the outrageous reality is discovered and the race to stop the gang becomes even more desperate. Trouble is things aren’t going to be that straight-forward as the author has more surprises waiting for his heroes and readers that will add more complications to the mission.

There’s a lot of humorous observations throughout the story, mainly coming from Eskaminzim as he often likes to wind-up his fellow detectives and enemies alike. Having Onawa along for the ride sees Eskaminzim’s competitive side become stronger than we’ve ever witnessed before, such as when he tries to prove he is the best tracker in the group.

Action scenes come thick and fast and these violent acts are often hard-hitting and offer some nail-biting edge of the seat reading, such as those that take place in a hotel. Hockensmith regularly switches from character to character, often leaving them in cliff-hanger situations thus ensuring you’ll keep reading to find out what happens to each of them.  

The final showdown is excellent as all the various factions battle for the contents of the ice-cream wagon and very few people escape the flying lead. This shootout provides some tense reading as everything is resolved in blood and fire. What happened to the loot was shocking but also made me laugh as did how the Double-A detectives decided to conclude their mission.

All I can now hope is that it isn’t too long before Steve Hockensmith writes another book about these operatives of the Double-A Western Detective Agency.

American readers can get a copy here

British readers can get a copy here