Nebraska Shoot-out

By Corba Sunman

Hale, May 2014

Jeff Arlen, a detective with the Butterworth Agency, is on the trail of Alec Frome, who has stolen $10000 from the bank where he works. Having lost him once, Arlen rides into Sunset Ridge, Nebraska, hoping to find Frome in the town where he’d once lived.

But after rescuing Brenda Farrell, soon after his arrival, he becomes side-tracked, drawn into a perilous local battle. Capturing Frome, and retrieving the stolen money looks like child’s play in the face of what he now faces, which will only be resolved once and for all with tons of courage, and plenty of hot lead.

After a great opening scene this book just becomes more and more complicated in plot as Corba Sunman hooks the reader with question after question mainly based around the various characters motives and just what had happened in Buck Farrell’s past. Whatever the answers are, Sunman doesn’t let on until he’s good and ready too, and these revelations offer plenty of surprises. The story contains lots of twists and turns along an abundance of gun action.

Corba Sunman has written many Black Horse Westerns and has long been a fan favourite. His writing style is a pleasure to read and his plots move along at a cracking pace. On finishing this one I found myself eager to dig into my collection and pull out one of his earlier books I haven’t read yet whilst waiting for his next to be published.

Nebraska Shoot-out at Amazon.com

Nebraska Shoot-out (Black Horse Western) at Amazon.co.uk

Gun Storm

By Corba Sunman

Hale, December 2013

Deputy Jim Donovan has his fair share of worries: his brother has suffered brain damage as a result of an accident; the notorious Elroy Johnson is back in circulation, after Donovan put him away; and Martha Preston, wife of the local store keeper has been robbed and murdered.

There is temptation from Della Jordan, attractive owner of the local saloon, to quit his job and take a job on her horse ranch, but can Della be trusted? And with Stomp Cullen and his gang in town to rob the bank is there going to be any way to avoid the mighty gun storm?

As you can tell from the blurb above, Corba Sunman packs a lot into this story. Donovan isn’t given a moment of time to take a breather before one incident merges with another. Every chapter has its share of action, mostly gunplay but Sunman adds a well depicted fistfight and a couple of jail-breaks for variety. All this means that the term action-packed could have been invented to describe this book.

Each storyline is well thought out and will have you guessing as to who committed the murder of Martha Preston and how Donovan can stop the outlaws whilst trying to keep his brother alive and decide how he feels about Della Jordan.

Each thread of this very fast moving yarn comes to a satisfactory conclusion amidst a hail of lead, and I was left feeling thoroughly entertained and looking forward to Corba Sunman’s next book.

Gun Storm has an official release date of December 31st but is available now from the usual Internet bookstores.

Rogue Soldiers

By Corba Sunman

Hale, August 2013

Captain Slade Moran, US Army investigator, is hunting the killer of an officer when he rides into Grey Ridge, having lost the trail of the fugitive. Fresh orders await him at the nearby army post, and he is plunged immediately into big trouble. Seven troopers have recently deserted from the fort – an unprecedented number, and none of them have been caught. Also a young officer has been court-martialled for stealing and drummed out of the army.

After examining the two cases, Moran is up against unscrupulous men, vicious killers and a rogue officer. He’ll have to lay his life on the line before he can restore justice.

This book is filled with puzzles and questions as the introduction of each new character seems to add to the problems facing Moran. Even when he begins to work out who is involved he, and the reader, are still in the dark as to just what is going on. All this creates some great hooks that kept me turning the pages, making this a difficult book to put down until the end was reached.

Corba Sunman is a popular Black Horse western writer – if I’ve counted right, this is his 38th book – who knows how to grab a readers’ attention, build his plots through a number of twists and turns, and create interesting characters. Sunman’s descriptive passages paint vivid imagery and his action scenes are really well written.

Slade Moran has appeared in at least one other book, Colorado Clean-Up. I’m not sure if there are any others but I think it’s time for me to find out as this army investigator is a great lead character and I’d like to read more of his assignments.

If you’ve not tried a Corba Sunman book yet, then this could well be an excellent place to start.

Sudden Death

By Corba Sunman

Hale, December 2012

Lew Harper receives news that his father is having trouble and spares no time getting back there to help him out. But Lew is too late and the Circle H ranch is in the grip of a stranger.

Looking for explanations, Harper finds himself in an unexpected ambush and his troubles escalate wildly, taking a strange turn when he discovers that his father has actually been missing for three years. Every way he turns the mystery deepens and, when the shooting starts, sudden death is on the cards, and it won’t stop until Lew has all the answers….

The mystery behind the disappearance of Lew Harper’s father serves as a tremendous hook and guarantees that the reader will find the book difficult to put down until the answers are discovered.

Harper has to go it alone as most of the other characters in this easy to read story don’t seem to want him around for reasons that aren’t disclosed until the tale is drawing to its conclusion, a final shootout that is both fast and brutal.

Like many readers of Corba Sunman’s stories I’ve always enjoyed them, and this one is no exception….but, surprisingly, Corba has slipped up by having the same man killed twice within a matter of a few pages. Still he isn’t the first author to do this and I’m sure he won’t be the last, so if you can overlook this mistake I’m sure, like me, you’ll find this story to be an entertaining read.

Sudden Death is officially released on December 30th but is available now from the usual Internet bookstores.

Colorado Clean-Up

By Corba Sunman

A Black Horse Western from Hale, August 2011

Provost Captain Slade Moran sets out from Fort Benson, Colorado, to investigate the disappearance of an army pay roll and its military escort.

The grim trail brings them to the empty roll coach and a murdered escort, with one soldier mysteriously missing. Captain Moran is led to Moundville where he is confronted by desperate men plotting to steal a gold mine.

Corba Sunman is another writer with over thirty Black Horse Westerns to his name, and one that I’ve only recently read even though a handful of his books can be found in my collection.

This story is told from many viewpoints and features quite a large cast of characters, nearly all of them on the wrong side of the law. Many of the latter are set to double-cross each other at the first opportunity. Unusually for a BHW this story doesn’t contain any major female roles.

Corba Sunman tells the tale with ease. The story is extremely well thought out and often leaves the reader wondering what is going to happen next, or how can they get out of that? The plot contains robbery, murder, jailbreak, double-cross and gunfights, before everything comes together in a fast and furious shootout that leaves many of the cast dead and brings the story to a satisfying conclusion.

So, once more, I’m left looking forward to Corba Sunman’s next book and wondering just where I’ve stored the other books of his I have as I really do need to check out previous publications.

Colorado Clean-Up is officially released today and is available from the usual sources.

Border Fury

as by Corba Sunman

A Black Horse Western from Hale, January 2010

Buck Starrett, Texas Ranger, had a reputation for fast shooting and a determination to win against overwhelming odds. He was optimistic when he took a novice ranger to Adobe Flat on the Mexican border, but he was unaware that the grim set-up that awaited them would be his toughest challenge yet.

When they plunged into an all-out war with Mexican rustlers operating on both sides of the border, Starrett discovered that this desperate situation was only half the problem facing him. He would have to shoot his way into the crooked situation enveloping Adobe Flat before he could even begin to overcome the criminal element and shoot his way out again.

If it’s action you want from a western then this book is the one you want, the gunplay doesn’t seem to let up for a moment, the outcome of one gunfight leading to the next almost immediately.

Corba Sunman doesn’t believe in giving Starrett an easy life, here he has to deal with a town under the iron rule of Red Satterfield who has many gunmen on his payroll, all eager to kill the Ranger. Then there’s a corrupt lawman and Mexican rustlers. All these factions maybe working alone or altogether, one thing is certain they all want Starrett dead.

Due to the tremendous amount of gunfights there isn’t much room for plot twists, so the tale is pretty straight forward and easy to follow. Sunman’s writing style is easy to read and rattles along at a fair pace. Overall this is a very entertaining read.

Border Fury is officially released this weekend and should be available from the usual Internet sources.