DUEL IN PURGATORY

 

GUNN
Book 6 of 29
DUEL IN PURGATORY
By Jory Sherman
Cover art by Pino Daeni
Zebra Books, 1981

The stage is set for trouble when Gunn arrives in Colorado. He’s there to assist an old friend, Herb Oxley, but even Gunn’s helping hands are tied. The cattle owners are feuding over possession – and someone is tampering with the brands.

Before he gets a chance to intervene Gunn is nearly killed in an ambush by a lone sniper. He suspects that it’s an inside job, probably one of Oxley’s gang. That explains why Oxley’s beautiful young wife is being so flirtatious – or at least one the reasons why.

Gunn being ambushed is how this book begins. It’s one of the best parts of the story, tension filled, almost noir in its telling. It also sets up a mystery for Gunn to try and solve. Jory Sherman’s prose is a joy to read, at times poetic in its descriptions, hard hitting at times – one scene making me cringe, as I expect it will for most male readers. The book contains plenty of gunplay and one of the longest fistfights I’ve read for a long time. 

The violence is graphic and the many sex scenes explicit, the latter encounters taking up quite a few pages each. There are plenty of women eager to share their bed with Gunn but will they all get what they desire? I did think Mr. Sherman could have been a bit more imaginative when he described their eyes – most if not all have blue eyes. 

The plot isn’t overly complicated by it certainly kept me turning the pages, especially as I wanted to see if my suspicions on who was the mystery sniper was correct. Trouble is Jory Sherman is very good at pointing the finger at most of the book’s characters as being that person so I doubted myself a number of times and still got it wrong.

As the pages began to run out, I did begin to wonder if it would have a rushed ending, or would some of the plotlines spill over into the next book. Fear not though, Jory Sherman wrapped it all up well with some shocking revelations and brutality.  

Duel in Purgatory is another entertaining read in what, so far, has been a strong series. 

SUNDANCE

 

SUNDANCE
By Richard Telfair
A Gold Medal book from Fawcett, 1960
Reprinted by Frederick Muller Ltd., London, 1961

He’d been a gunfighter back in his wild, young years before he’d become half owner of the Hotel de Paree, before life had given him a second chance. Now things were quiet. He liked what he was doing – and he liked himself.

That was until the Broadhurst bunch hit town, wrecked his hotel and terrorized the town. What started as just a bunch of waddies looking for some fun erupted into something more dangerous.

It was only then that Sundance strapped on his gun....   

Hotel de Paree was a TV western series that ran for one season from 1959 to 1960. It starred Earl Holliman as Sundance. I have no idea if this book, Sundance by Richard Telfair, was an official tie-in novel or not as there’s no indication to the TV series anywhere on the cover or in the book. I’ve never seen the TV show, but from what I can gather it sticks faithfully to the TV series in some areas, changes some parts, and ignores others; for instance, there’s no reference to Sundance’s mirrored hat-band at all – a gimmick to make the show different to others westerns on TV at the time. Annette Deveraux is in the book but her sister/niece/daughter Monique doesn’t appear in the story and there is no mention of her either – I’m not sure of their relationship due to the internet naming her as all of these.

The story is straight-forward. Perhaps a little thin on plot, although it does contain a neat little twist during the cowboy’s raid on Georgetown to free their imprisoned ramrod. Gunplay erupts fairly frequently, but a lot of the time Sundance does everything he can to avoid having to use his gun. 

There’s a lot of tough talk and discussions between Sundance and Annette, the latter of which I felt held to story up at times. The author certainly came up with some engaging characters such as Marshal Bond – his belief in the law is impeccable, it’s just a shame others don’t hold it in such high regard. Then there’s the cowhand Cowl. The Texan, Tris Pony who Sundance has a tense confrontation with near the beginning of the story, and when they both walk away from this you just know they’ll have to face each other again. 

This book is worth considering if you’re looking for a quick easy fun read without a complicated storyline that plays out exactly as you’ll expect it to. 

Richard Telfair is a pseudonym used by Richard Jessup. 

KICKED OUT WITH A COLD SHOVEL

 

BLOODY JOE MANNION
Book 6 of 9
KICKED OUT WITH A COLD SHOVEL
By Peter Brandvold
Wolfpack Publishing, February 2023

Town Marshal “Bloody” Joe Mannion is on the trail of some of the most vicious killers he’s ever faced. It’s up to Mannion to single-handedly retrieve the loot a gang stole from a train. He manages to take down the gang and secure the loot only to find himself facing yet another band of vicious killers who want to lay their own grubby hands on the cash. Bloody Joe, however, has other ideas…and this ain’t his first rodeo.

When the gang tracks Joe to the ranch of Sam and Ilsa McDowell, he finds himself on the run again, with both McDowell’s as well as the loot. The only thing harder than trying to hold onto the loot is getting Sam and Ilsa to safety – especially when a neighboring rancher sets his lusty sights on the girl…

This time Peter Brandvold sticks with Bloody Joe throughout the story. There aren’t any secondary plotlines involving Joe’s wife, daughter, deputies or anyone else back in Joe’s hometown, Del Norte, as has been the case in previous books. Yes, he does occasionally switch to other people so he can tell us what the outlaws, rancher or Sam and Ilsa are doing when they are separated from Joe. 

What the blurb above doesn’t tell you is that Sam is a youngster and his sister Ilsa is in her late teens. Part of the appeal of this novel is reading how their relationship with Bloody Joe develops. As you can imagine, it isn’t long before Sam begins to idolize Mannion, something Joe and Ilsa aren’t too keen on. As the three battle through various deadly situations their bond gets stronger and stronger.

There are some excellent set pieces that include many exchanges of gunfire and a dramatic escape from a trap. With the various groups of people hunting for the loot or Ilsa there isn’t a moment of peace for Bloody Joe as bullets fly thick and fast. Mannion also takes some punishment throughout this tale, this time around it’s mostly physical rather than mentally. 

Ilsa’s beauty also adds to the problems she and Mannion will have to deal with as it’s not just the rancher who sets his sights on her and the only way to protect her is with more gunplay. Unfortunately, Ilsa doesn’t escape from all this attention unscathed and this leads up to a memorable moment near the end of the tale. 

Peter Brandvold introduces some great characters in this story, be they outlaws or otherwise, such as the two who help Joe and Sam when they are in dire need. It isn’t only humans who are going to stick in your memory though. Sam and Ilsa have a pet dog, King, who travels alongside his owners and Mannion as they desperately try to reach the safety of Del Norte. 

Kicked Out with a Cold Shovel is another great entry in the Bloody Joe Mannion series and is one I’d recommended to all fans of western fiction. 

American readers can get a copy here

British readers can get a copy here