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.
New English Library 1968
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