BULLETS FOR A BALLOT

By Nik Morton

Beat to a Pulp, 2012

Part of Edward A. Grainger’s Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles series.

In the town of Bear Pines, Mrs. Tolliver has announced she is running for the mayoral office. She’s the first woman to run as a candidate which divides the residents and sets the town into a tailspin. U.S. Marshal Cash Laramie is sent in to maintain peace and order and to protect Tolliver and her family from powerful allies of the incumbent, Mayor Nolan. In a bid to force her to quit the race, things turn ugly ... and deadly. Surrounded by killers who will stop at nothing to make sure Mrs. Tolliver is not elected, Cash wires Cheyenne for assistance, but will help arrive in time?

David Cranmer writing as Edward A. Grainger created Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles and now allows other authors to write about his heroes. Nik Morton choose to write mainly about Cash Laramie in Bullets for a Ballot, although Gideon Miles will have a part to play later in the tale.

This story fills in some of the blanks about Cash Laramie’s past. Indeed it’s way back in 1869 that Cash first meets Esther Traynor who latter becomes Mrs. Tolliver. The story then moves forwards to 1885 and finds Mrs. Tolliver running against a man to become mayor of Bear Pines and that’s where things turn ugly.

There’s plenty of violent action as Cash attempts to keep Mrs. Tolliver alive but he’s up against some very vicious enemies, some he doesn’t suspect. The story is filled with twists and turns and soon takes on a dark tone, which leads to some surprising deaths.

Nik Morton tells his tale at a fast pace and by including so many plot twists it’s virtually impossible for the reader to guess how the story will turn out. Will Mrs. Tolliver win the election? Will she even be alive at the end? What of her son who will be kidnapped and subjected to torture, will he survive? And then there’s the beautiful but sadistic wife of Mayor Nolan, Angelina, what game is she playing? Can Cash and Gideon see justice served? So a tale filled with many questions that make this a very difficult story to put down until they are answered. Gripping, powerful reading that leaves me looking forward to the next story in the series.

Miles to Little Ridge

By Heath Lowrance

Beat to a Pulp, December 2011

U.S. Marshal Gideon Miles finds himself in the sleepy town of Little Ridge, Montana, on the search for a wanted man. But just as Miles enters town, he's spotted by a hard case who recognizes Miles as the lawman that killed his friend. Now Miles must face the wanted man, who claims his innocence and is raising a daughter on his own, while the hard case and a ne'er-do-well partner are gunning for him.

Edward A. Grainger created Gideon Miles and here we have a short story about that character written by Heath Lowrance.

I’ve never read anything by Heath Lowrance before – Edward A. Grainger (real name David Cranmer) must have faith in him to allow him to write about one of his two heroes, the other being Cash Laramie, who gets a brief mention in this story – and I found his writing style to be very readable, and I liked how Miles finds himself fighting for his life against two men he never expected to be trading lead with. In fact the main mission of Miles’ is really just a second plot line to the story.

Like in Grainger’s own stories this one also manages to squeeze in a little bit of racial hatred, and I felt this was handled well, although the seasoned western reader will have read countless such scenes in many books before, whether about black men, red, or half-breeds.

What I liked best about this tale was Miles’ determination to arrest the man he was after, no matter how many told him this man was innocent. How Miles will not deviate from doing his job and says the courts will decide whether the man is convicted or not. Many other fictional western lawmen would tend to take these matters into their own hands and decide to free the man if they felt so moved to do so.

If you want a short, fast read then this western novella ticks all the boxes. If you want an action packed tale, then once again this provides just that. If you want an entertaining read then that’s exactly what this is. If you want value for money then at $0.99 (£0.77) how can you pass this by?

Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles Vol. 2

By Edward A. Grainger

Beat to a Pulp Ebook, October 2011

Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles is a western noir, short story collection spotlighting the thrilling tales of two deputy U.S. Marshals working in 1880s Wyoming Territory. Cash Laramie, raised by Native Americans, is known as the outlaw marshal for his unorthodox way of dealing with criminals and his cavalier approach to life. Gideon Miles is one of the first African American marshals in the service and has skills with guns, knives, and tracking that are unrivalled.

Like the first collection of short stories about Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles this volume contains a mix of new tales and a few that have already been published elsewhere. The first collection had a story co-written by Sandra Seamans, and this one follows that tradition by having not one but two tales co-authored by Chuck Tyrell.

Contents:

Origin of White Deer (with Chuck Tyrell)

Maggie’s Promise

Miles in Between

Cash Laramie and the Painted Ladies

Gun Justice (with Chuck Tyrell)

Cash Laramie and the Masked Devil

Reflections in a Glass of Maryland Rye

The first story takes up nearly half the book, and tells us about Cash Laramie’s early years – including how he got the name. Along the way it tackles the problems of racial hatred between white people and Native Americans.

I must admit that overall I felt this collection of stories has a darker tone than those in the first volume. Just read Maggie’s Promise to see what I mean, this probably being my favourite tale, although the last story comes very close to taking that accolade.

If you’ve read my review of the first volume (which can be found here) then you’ll know I thought it to be excellent. This second volume I feel surpasses that. Why? I just felt that the stories presented here are harder hitting, more memorable due to the themes they cover – particularly that of the last story. 

Once finished I found myself wanting more, so any book that leaves me feeling that way just has to be tagged as highly recommended. At just over a dollar (less than a pound in the UK) this ebook offers exceptional value for money.

Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles

By Edward A. Grainger

An eBook, June 2011

This excellent collection of short stories is released today and, even though you may have read a couple of them already elsewhere, this is well worth adding to your library.

Contents:

The Wind Scorpion

Kid Eddie

Miles to Go

The Bone Orchard Mystery

Melanie

Under the Sun

The Outlaw Marshal

These stories offer a mix of the traditional western, although the two men of the title aren’t exactly clean-cut heroes, both are willing to bend the law somewhat to complete their objectives in a way that sees justice handed out according to their beliefs, and those that explore the darker side of Cash Larmaie, such as the final story in this collection. Some of these stories explore problems that still exist today; just read Melanie to discover what I mean – in fact you can read more of my thoughts on this particular tale here.

Edward A. Grainger also includes mystery elements and neat twists that hook the reader and make the book difficult to put down. The Bone Orchard Mystery is a fine example of this; I doubt any reader could put this story aside before finding out what is going on after reading the eerie opening scene.

Under the Sun was co-written with Sandra Seamans, and has a slightly different approach to the other stories in that Laramie and Miles are on the sidelines for most of the tale.

The collection also contains some well-done artwork to illustrate a number of the stories.

As I said at the beginning, this really is a eBook that should be in every western fans collection. Edward A. Grainger (real name David Cranmer) definitely knows how to write gripping and fast moving adventures filled with memorable characters that I’d like read more about someday.