The Legend of Roxy Doyle

LADY GUNSMITH #1

By J.R. Roberts

Speaking Volumes, February 2017

Roxanne Louise Doyle, is Lady Gunsmith, the daughter of Gavin Doyle. The early legend of Roxy Doyle begins when her mother is killed on a wagon train, leaving her father to raise and care for his little girl. Before her father disappears, he leaves his daughter to be raised by a Mormon family. At age fifteen, Roxy leaves her foster family to find her father. In time she learns the hard truth that her father has become a famed bounty hunter who is now thought to be dead.

Roxy continues her relentless search and at age twenty she meets the famous Gunsmith, Clint Adams, who trains her as a gunfighter. Still searching for her father, Roxy meets the notorious Belle Starr and her handsome husband, Sam. Together they fall into an intrigue involving other legends of the West. Does Lady Gunsmith find her father? Does she live up to her legend with a gun in the final draw?

With over four hundred books published in The Gunsmith series it would be hard to believe that there aren’t any fans of the western genre that have not come across the author name of J.R. Roberts, or don’t know that it’s a pseudonym used by Robert J. Randisi who has authored more than five hundred published books. Now he turns his attention to a series featuring a heroine, Roxy Doyle.

Fans of the already mention Gunsmith series will have to add this book to their reading list as Clint Adams features quite prominently in this book, and it’s due to the tag of Lady Gunsmith that Adams decides to teach Roxy the art of using a handgun effectively. The story starts earlier than this though, and like any origin tale, often jumps back in time to tell of Roxy’s mother being killed and her troubled upbringing, and rise to legend.

Lady Gunsmith is classed as an adult series, and yes, it does contain a fair amount of explicit sex. What I found interesting is how Roxy soon learns that her beauty makes men crave for her and how this can be used to her advantage from an early age. This has a downside too, in that her stunning looks lead to a lot of unwanted attention that it turn leads to a number of deadly situations that are often resolved by gunplay.

Right from the start of The Gunsmith series, Robert Randisi, included many real life characters on both sides of the law, and this book continues that trend. I’m not going to mention who Roxy comes into contact with (other than those mentioned in the above blurb) so as not to spoil the surprise that is revealed at the end of the book.

If you’ve never read any of Robert Randisi’s other westerns you get what you’d expect from him, a very fast moving, dialogue driven tale that combines real and fictional characters in a plot that contains a touch of mystery that will keep you turning the pages and will leave you entertained and, like me, looking forward to the publication of the second Lady Gunsmith book, The Three Graves of Roxy Doyle, in May.

The Nations

By Ken Farmer and Buck Stienke

Timber Creek Press, August 2012

THE NATIONS also known as "Indian Territory", "Robber's Roost" and "No-Man's Land", was regarded in the latter part of the 19th century as the bloodiest and most dangerous place in the world. It was a refuge for outlaws from all over the North American continent. There were only 200 Deputy U.S. Marshals made up of whites, blacks and Indian to police the vast area of 74,000 square miles under Federal Judge Issac C. Parker, known as the hanging judge. 

It is the year 1885. A notorious band of outlaws, known as the "Larson Gang", has been terrorizing Arkansas, Missouri and the Nations for years. When they kill five Deputy Marshals while rescuing Ben Larson, the vicious younger brother of the leader Wes Larson--it is too much for Judge Parker. He orders an all-out concerted effort to capture the Larson Gang and bring them to justice. "If they will not respect the law; then by God we will make them fear it."

This book is based on truth and the authors tell the story extremely well. The opening chapters follow the Larson Gang as they commit a number of violent atrocities which lead to Judge Parker sending Marshal Bass Reeves to round them up. The story then tells of the lawmen's attempts to track down and capture the gang. Other real-life characters have a part to play too, such as Belle Starr and Bud Ledbetter.

Backgrounds of the characters blend smoothly into this fast flowing tale and become a natural part of the story without coming across as bland historical passages. Dialogue is believable and often laced with humour. But for me the action sequences are particularly well done – and there are many of them – as much powder is burnt and lead flies wildly, missing its target more than hitting it. The authors don’t hold back when the bullets strike though, describing it brutally and graphically.

This is Ken Farmer and Buck Stienke’s first western and I can only hope it won’t be too long before they write another. If you like your westerns brimming with authenticity and hard-hitting action then I’d suggest you give this a try. 

Rough Justice

by Jackson Davis

A Black Horse Western from Hale, March 2010

When four officers of the law are slaughtered in a bloody battle with two hillbilly rustlers, US Marshal Heck Thomas and his deputy, Zeke, head for Indian Territory on their trail.

At Fort Smith, Judge Parker is executing criminals, six at a time, and Heck decides that it is time to impose some rough justice of his own. Why, he wonders, does the notorious Belle Starr, with her clan of gun-crazy Cherokees, always escape the noose? Why does the Hanging Judge ride out to a lonesome cabin in the woods and what secret does he hide? Can the Marshal lure Belle and her boys into a trap? Carbines blaze and the body count spirals as Heck and Zeke put their lives on the line to find out.

Rough Justice is a fast moving tale that merges fact with fiction effortlessly. What could have come over as a history lesson doesn’t. Jackson Davis combines both his fictional characters with those that really lived perfectly and tells their story in an entertaining and informative way.

Heck Thomas, “Hanging Judge” Isaac Parker, George Maledon, Frank Dalton (and his brothers are mentioned briefly too), Belle Starr, and Sam Starr are just some of the real people that this story revolves around.

The book is mainly a chase story as Heck Thomas and Zeke attempt to track down a couple of horse thieves before attempting to trap Belle Starr and her gang. The book has plenty of action and humorous touches too, such as Zeke attempting to woo Pearl Starr.

The author also adds a note to explain what happened to the main characters after the events of his story.

For those who enjoy books that combine truth with fiction then this should definitely be on your reading list.

Rough Justice was officially released on March 31st.