Wanted Dead or Alive

By Ralph Hayes

The Crowood Press, March 2019

A year after being saved from kidnapping, Dulcie Provost is waiting for the return of her rescuer, bounty hunter Certainty Sumner. But first Sumner has to carry out one more mission – tracking down the sadistic outlaw known as the Lakota Kid.

But unbeknown to Sumner, he himself is also the quarry of an equally ruthless bounty hunter, Luther Bastian. The father of a gang member Sumner killed while rescuing Dulcie wants vengeance and has duped Bastian into believing that Sumner has turned outlaw.

Can Sumner possibly survive being hunted down by a bounty hunter as skilled and determined as himself.

Ralph Hayes is a name many western fans will recognize. He’s an author whose work has been published for many years, his popular series featuring Buffalo Hunter: O’Brien first appearing in 1971. In 2011 O’Brien got a new lease of life as he returned in four new books under the Black Horse Western banner. Hayes also began writing other new westerns that would be published as BHWs.

Wanted Dead or Alive is the third book in the Certainty Sumner’s series. The author includes enough information to explain what has happened in the earlier stories so this one can be enjoyed as a stand-alone title but readers may prefer to read The Lawless Breed and The Way of the Gun first. Not only does this book feature Sumner’s but it also has a leading role for another of Hayes’ characters, Luther Bastian, and, again, you may like to read the book he first appeared in, Texas Vengeance, to fill yourself in on his backstory.

This fast paced tale switches regularly between the main characters as it builds towards an inevitable showdown between Sumner and Bastian and the questions I soon had were would Hayes kill off one or the other, perhaps both? If Sumner survives would there be a future for him and Dulcie Provost? What of the Lakota Kid – would he have a deciding role in who lives and dies? Whatever the outcome to these questions this was another very enjoyable book written by Ralph Hayes and I look forward to any future publications.

Coyote Moon

By Ralph Hayes

Hale, September 2015

Buffalo hunter O’Brien has made an effort to settle down to a more civilized life in Fort Revenge, in Indian Territory, helping his friend run a stage line there.

However, it isn’t long before trouble comes at O’Brien from two directions: first in the form of an outlaw gang from Tulsa who want to buy his friend’s stagecoach company and won’t take no for an answer, and second from a family of killers who are seeking revenge for the death of their kin at his hands.

O’Brien must respond to these challenges with his own brand of gunsmoke, while he wrestles with two life decisions: whether or not to return to the trail, and whether to take Sarah Carter, the girl he brought to Fort Revenge, with him when he leaves.

Ralph Hayes first wrote about O’Brien back in the early 1970s, bringing him back in 1992. 2011 saw the publication of a Black Horse Western in which O’Brien returned once more, and this is the third BHW to feature him.

The books do mention events from those very first O’Brien westerns, in fact the family gunning for him in this one tangled with him in the 1973 book The Secret of Sulphur Creek (later republished under the title Gunslammer). Hayes gives just enough backstory to understand why they want revenge but not enough to spoil that pervious book should you read it after this one.

O’Brien seems to take all the life and death situations in his stride, in fact provokes some of the gunplay himself and lets rage rule his actions when Sarah’s wellbeing is threatened. It’s Sarah who also provides the biggest battle for O’Brien as he struggles to understand his feelings for her and whether they can possibly compete with the lure of the wild.

Ralph Hayes does tie-up a number of loose threads that have been hanging throughout this series which makes me wonder if this will finally be the last we’ve seen of O’Brien. I certainly hope not as he makes for a great western hero.

For fans of the O’Brien books this is a must read. As a stand-alone novel it proves to be a very entertaining and action packed story that should satisfy most western readers and I’d be surprised if it doesn’t make you want to check out more of Ralph Hayes work.

Fort Revenge

By Ralph Hayes

Hale, October 2011

When buffalo hunter O’Brien is wrongly accused of rustling by ranch hands and has to kill the rancher’s son to defend himself from hanging, he thought his life had already taken a bad turn. However, within a days ride from that violent scene, he happens upon Sarah Carter.

Together they follow the dangerous road to Fort Revenge, where Sarah is due to wed Jake Latimer. It becomes clear that Latimer is not the man for Sarah, but can O’Brien save Sarah as well as dealing with his own troubles from the past….

Back in the early 1970s Ralph Hayes wrote a short series of books featuring O’Brien, later in 1992 O’Brien made a comeback and here is his next appearance, nearly twenty years later.

Ralph Hayes does make a couple of references to those early adventures, but if you haven’t read, or are even aware of those first books, these references will pass you by, and definitely will not spoil your enjoyment of this book.

Fort Revenge has more words per page than many Black Horse Westerns, therefore offers a longer read for your money. The story is very fast moving and has revenge, stagecoach robbery, and mail-order brides as its main themes. O’Brien will also have to deal with emotions he’s inexperienced with too, that of falling in love. Each thread of the story is well thought out and all are resolved in exciting and fitting ways.

I’ve not actually read any of the other O’Brien books, even though I have some of them in my collection, but have read other westerns by Ralph Hayes which I enjoyed, so it came as no surprise to me that I found this to be a very entertaining read that left me hoping it won’t be another twenty years before O’Brien rides again.

Western Fiction News

With the surge of ebooks finding their way onto Kindle and like devices, here's a couple that are worth considering as additions to your collection:

TENDERFOOT 

by Terry Coffey

A tenderfoot, who calls himself Ulysses Noman, is searching for outlaw Bart Matthews. Noman says he’s an attorney looking to pass some news to Matthews. Matthews wonders if this stranger who seems out of his element, is in fact a bounty hunter looking to turn him in?

This short story is well written and is told in the first person from the viewpoint of Bart Matthews. The tale offers some mystery into the true identity of the stranger; is he who he says he is or a bounty hunter as Matthews fears? This question is the hook that kept me reading to find out the answer. Events didn’t turn out quite how I thought they would and the ending provided a neat conclusion that left me hoping Terry Coffey might try his hand at a full length western novel someday.

Tenderfoot is available on Kindle now for just $1.38.

                                                

THE SHERIFF AND THE WIDOW 

by Chap O’Keefe

As dangerous as unstable dynamite . . . that was Sheriff Ross Kemp's assessment of Jessica Blackwood. She was darkly beautiful, and she was married to the richest rancher around. Mysterious notes, a bizarre accusation and the bushwhack murder of her madly jealous husband shoved Kemp into the biggest trouble of his life.Tried and convicted on a trumped-up charge, Kemp was sentenced to ten years of living hell in the state pen.His only hope was Jessica's lovely stepdaughter, Ellen, but as Ellen began to uncover the truth she fell into deadly danger from Orson Rymer, gambler and blackmailer, and Snake McClay, evil-minded gunslick. It looked as if justice would never be done!

This book is on offer at the giveaway price of $0.99 (£0.86). Look out for a review soon.

Chap also has two other ebooks available: Liberty and the Law Badge, and Misfit Lil Cheats the Hangrope.

Anyone remember a series that came out in the early 1970's about "Buffalo Hunter O'Brien" by Ralph Hayes? All those who've said yes will be pleased to know that O'Brien is about to ride the trail once more in a book to be published by Hale under their Black Horse Western banner on October 31st 2011.

FORT REVENGE 

by Ralph Hayes

When buffalo hunter O'Brien is wrongly accused of rustling by ranch hands and has to kill the rancher's son to defend himself from hanging, he thought his life had already taken a bad turn. However, within a day's ride from that violent scene, he happens upon Sarah Carter. Together they follow the dangerous road to Fort Revenge, where Sarah is due to wed Jake Latimer. It becomes clear that Latimer is not the man for Sarah, but can O'Brien save Sarah as well as dealing with his own troubles from the past...

December 2011 will see the publication of The Trailsman #362: Range War, and this book carries the first in another cover style change for the series; the eighth by my reckoning.