Wanted II: A Western Story Collection

By The Western Writers Group

Solstice Publishing, April 2017

A year after the first Wanted short story collection was published the second book in the series from The Western Writers Group has been released. Six of the authors from the first book appear in this one, with the addition of Ken Farmer who replaces Lou Bradshaw.

Like the first book, this collection of authors present the reader with new short stories that feature their own series characters, so you can read about Steve Dancy, Gideon Johann, Lee Mattingly, the McCabes, Jess Williams, Fiona Miller, and Storm Warrior.

Like any anthology this kind of collection is an ideal way to try authors who are new to you, or read new material from some of your favourites. Some of these tales fit in chronologically with the characters own series, some would fit in anywhere, and one of them continues a storyline begun in the first Wanted book. I would like to point out that you don’t need to have read any of the previous tales to enjoy any of the stories found here, but you may well find yourself rushing out to read more about some, or all, of them.

Here you will find stories that range from the traditional approach to western storytelling to one that borders on the mystical. There is plenty of action, some shocks, animal stars, and humour to be found in these fast moving tales, so there should be something to satisfy every western reader.  Me? I’m already looking forward to the third collection.

Contents

Relentless by James D. Best

In a remote wilderness, a band of outlaws chases Steve Dancy. They want his horse. They want his gear. They want his money. And they want his life.

Lady Marshal by Ken Farmer

Deputy US Marshal Fiona Miller isn’t aware that two other groups are after two teenage boys and the $5,000 in loot from a bank robbery. One is a band of outlaws and the other is a posse of vigilantes led by the father of a young girl shot during the holdup. Who gets to the boys first?

What’s Right by Duane Boehm

Gideon Johann and Farting Jack Dolan find that they get more than they bargained for when they cross paths with a runaway girl while chasing a murderer.

Damsel in Distress by Robert J. Thomas

Jess has finally hunted down and killed the notorious Russell Bell and is on his way to the closest town to turn the corpse in for bounty. Along the way, his sometimes partner, Shadow, a huge timber wolf, finds him and leads him to a wagon where a beautiful woman was beaten up during a robbery and her husband shot dead. Jess helps the woman get to the town of Elk Ridge and then hunts down the three men responsible for the robbery and murder. When he does, things aren’t what they seem to be.

Thundering Hooves by Brad Dennison

A prequel to the novel Thunder. A story of the McCabes and their early years in the valley.

The Mirror II by Tell Cotten

Lee Mattingly and Brian Clark find a man bushwhacked and left for dead. Blamed for the crime, they are thrown into prison. However, they won’t go down without a fight. Along the way, they run into corrupt horse traders, a deputy with a grudge, and a woman with bitter memories.

The Legend by WL Cox

Charles Crawford, a man raised in China by Buddhist Monks after his parents were murdered travels to America and is captured by Sioux Indians as he travels west. This is an episode of Charles’ life while living with the Sioux. 

Wanted: A Western Story Collection

By The Western Writers Group

Solstice Publishing, April 2016

Seven bestselling western authors join forces in the time-honored tradition of the old West to deliver a collection of short stories featuring their most popular and beloved characters. Read about the adventures of Steve Dancy, Gideon Johann, Shad Cain, Lee Mattingly, the McCabes, Hunt-U.S. Marshal, and Jess Williams.

These seven authors are all having a lot of success with their various western series. This collection is the perfect way to introduce yourself to some of their heroes in a set of short stories that haven’t been published elsewhere.

I’ve read a couple of these writers before, most notably Tell Cotten and it was the inclusion of his story about Lee Mattingly, from his excellent Landon Saga series, that made this collection a must read for me and for readers of that series you really need to read this as we discover something about one of the main characters that may be returned to in the series.

It is also quite amazing when you realize just how many books some of these writers have put out, for instance there are around forty Jess Williams stories by Robert J. Thomas.

At least one of the stories seems to continue quiet closely to events in the main series but the author in question gives just enough explanation so a new reader isn’t confused by events mentioned.

I’ve always believed this kind of short story collection is a great way to find new and exciting authors and this group of writers doesn’t disappoint in any way. There’s plenty of action, suspense and humour to be found within the pages and that makes for a winning combination in my opinion. I’m pretty sure most western readers will find some, if not all, these stories to be worthwhile reads and who knows, may also find themselves a new series or two to catch up on like I intend doing.

Contents: 

The Grizzly by Brad Dennison

Cain Finds a Princess by Lou Bradshaw

The Mirror by Tell Cotten

The Shepherd by Robert J. Thomas

The Vigilante by W.L. Cox

Snake in the Grass by James D. Best

A Step Ahead by Duane Boehm

The Return

By James D. Best

Wheatmark, 2013

It’s the summer of 1880, and Thomas Edison’s incandescent bulb is poised to put the gaslight industry out of business. Knowing a good business opportunity, former New York shopkeeper Steve Dancy sets out to obtain a license for Edison’s electric lamp. Edison agrees, under one condition: Dancy and his friends must stop the saboteurs who are disrupting his electrification of Wall Street.

After two years of misadventures out West, the assignment appears to be right up his alley. But new troubles await him in New York City. Dancy has bought a woman with him, and his high-society family disapproves. More worrisome, he has also unknowingly dragged along a feud that began out West. The feud could cost him Edison’s backing…and possibly his life.

This is the fourth book in James D. Best’s Steve Dancy series and once again Best proves that he has the ability to write fascinating and very entertaining stories. Real history mixes perfectly with fictional making you believe it could have happened like this.

There’s plenty of fighting action, some of which is done with unconventional weapons, but the confrontations I enjoyed the most were verbal, between Dancy, and/or his intended, taking on Dancy’s mother, some of the wit and put-downs had me grinning broadly.

The possible sabotage of Edison’s new industry and the feud Dancy brings with him make for two gripping storylines both of which offer their fair share of plot twists so you are never quite sure what direction the tale will take next. It’s the feud that leads to Dancy trying to manipulate a final showdown with his enemies that concludes in a tense gunfight that brought about a surprise in just who on Dancy’s side got shot.

The story is superbly paced and I found it very difficult to put down. Let’s hope James D. Best doesn’t keep us waiting too long for another Steve Dancy tale. 

The Shopkeeper

By James D. Best

Wheatmark, 2008

In 1879, Steve Dancy sells his New York shop and ventures west to explore and write a journal about his adventures. Though he’s not looking for trouble, Dancy’s infatuation with another man’s wife soon embroils him in a deadly feud with Sean Washburn, a Nevada silver baron.

Infuriated by the outrages of two hired thugs, the shopkeeper kills both men in an impulsive street fight. Dancy believes this barbarian act has closed the episode. He is wrong. He has interfered with Washburn’s ambitions, and this is something the mining tycoon will not allow.

Pinkerton’s, hired assassins, and aggrieved bystanders escalate the feud until it pulls in all the moneyed interests and power brokers in Nevada. Can the former city slicker settle accounts without losing his life in the process?

James D. Best presents the reader with a book that’s as much a political thriller as it is a Western; in fact these genres meld extremely well in the capable hands of Mr. Best. The story is filled with intrigue, exciting gunfights, and terrific characters – and it’s not just the men that come over as tough, manipulating, scheming, memorable characters, for James D. Best matches them in everyway with his well-crafted female characters such as Jenny (whom Steve Dancy is infatuated with) and her mother-in-law, Mrs. Bolton.

The story is told in the first person through Steve Dancy, the books hero. But is he a hero? If he is he sure isn’t squeaky clean, in fact a lot of the methods he uses to get his way aren’t that dissimilar to that of the bad guy, Washburn. Neither are above bribing, intimidating, or gunning down people before they have a chance to defend themselves as both attempt to gain power. But do books need a white-hat hero? Not to please me, that’s for sure, as I like characters that have a darker side to their personalities.

After the first two or three chapters this book really took hold and I found it difficult to put down as all the twists and turns kept me eagerly reading to find out what happened next. With all the plot developments the story has a natural fast pace and before I knew it I’d reached the end, leaving me wanting to read the next in the series – as of this date there are two further Steve Dancy tales: Leadville and Murder at Thumb Butte.