THE LONESOME DEATH OF JOE SAVAGE

 

THE LONESOME DEATH OF JOE SAVAGE
By C.J. Sommers
Cover Art by Prieto Muriana
Robert Hale, November 2012

A sense of family duty led Tracy Keyes to search for his cousin, the notorious Wyoming bad man, Joe Savage. His mother wished to know if he was dead or alive – and so did half the lawmen and bounty hunters in the North County.

Tracy hadn’t seen Savage since they were boys and wasn’t sure he’d even recognize his criminal cousin if they met face to face. Carrying the onus of being related to the infamous Savage made things no easier for him, nor did the bounty hunters who dogged his trail, believing that Tracy could lead them to the outlaw. By the end of the long journey, Tracy was convinced that he was only following Joe Savage into his own grave….

C.J. Sommers doesn’t believe in giving his hero an easy time of it. Tracy will be on the wrong end of fists and have plenty of lead slung at him. He soon realizes he can’t trust anyone, and nearly everyone he meets tells him Savage is dead, and good riddance. If he is dead, then where is his grave? This question, and plenty of others such as who owns the land that Savage had bought now that he is dead add some strong mystery elements to this fast-moving tale. It's difficult to say anything else about the plot without including spoilers. 

There’s not as much action in this book as others I have read by this author, but it really doesn’t need it as it’s Tracy’s attempts to unravel the mysteries he’s presented with that easily kept my attention, so much so that I hadn’t realized there hadn’t been as much gunplay as I might have expected until I thought about it. 

I’ve read quite a few Black Horse Westerns written by C.J. Sommers and have found them all to be gripping reads and The Lonesome Death of Joe Savage also falls into that category. C.J. Sommers is just one of three pseudonyms Paul Lederer used for his BHWs; the other two pen-names being Logan Winters and Owen G. Irons and I’ve read many of his stories under those names too and I have yet to be disappointed by any of his books. Lederer didn’t just write westerns for Robert Hale Ltd., he also wrote for some of the American publishers too under a variety of names.

American readers can get a copy here.

UK readers can get a copy here.

Pirates of the Desert

By C.J. Sommers

Hale, December 2015

The locals call the sand dunes of the Arizona Territory south-land a white ocean. One man, Barney Shivers, carries the comparison a little further when he decides to monopolize the shipping industry. Ordering his men to attack any freight shipping that he does not control, goods are stolen and held to ransom on the high seas.

No one dares to fight back until one little old lady Lolly Amos, stands up to the bully. When the local law refuses to help, Lolly contacts her nephew, Captain Parthenon Downs of the Arizona Rangers. Restless to leave his desk duty behind, Captain Downs eagerly takes on the challenge. Little does he realize that his decision will draw him into a war between two bands of pirates, and a young woman with a Winchester rifle….

C.J. Sommers has created a wonderful cast of characters that will find themselves taking part in a lethal game, all due to the price of a bag of sugar.

Good, bad, male or female, the author soon has you rooting for or against them. The plot moves forward at an extremely fast pace and there are a few twists to the tale waiting to surprise the reader with the revelations they bring, not least as to the real identity of some of these characters.

It’s fascinating to see how Parth will bring down these land pirates, even though he knows, or believes he knows, who they are, getting the proof to arrest them is the hard part. Proving their guilt leads to plenty of gunplay as this tale weaves its way to its deadly conclusion.

I’ve read quite a few books by the author behind the C.J. Sommers pseudonym, that person being Paul Lederer who also wrote other Black Horse Westerns as Owen G. Irons and Logan Winters, and I’ve yet to come across one that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. If you’ve yet to try anything by this author then this book would certainly be a great place to introduce yourself to his writing, and I’m sure after you’ve read it you’ll be hunting for his other books too.

Crossroads

By Logan Winters

Hale, April 2015

When a wealthy rancher mistakes K. John Landis and a cantankerous ex-saloon girl for an honourable couple and offers them the opportunity to make some much-needed money, the pair jump at the chance.

Now, in charge of the rancher’s flighty daughter Landis is dragged down into the violent underworld of Crossroads. He had feared leaving town without a nickel in his jeans, now he fears he might never leave again.

As the author reveals this early on I don’t think I’m giving too much away when I say this story revolves around trafficking young girls. Landis finds himself up against a powerful saloon owner with only a small number of people backing him, three of whom are women, all with different reasons to see the saloon owner brought to justice, in fact one just wants to put a bullet through his head. It isn’t only this girl who wants revenge, things are further complicated by a vengeance driven father.

Logan Winters’ brings together a great selection of people in this extremely fast moving tale that sees Landis think he’s in control of his own destiny, but it soon becomes obvious to both him and reader that it’s the women who are moulding his future. When strong personalities clash there’s bound to be some excellent dialogue and Winters excels in writing this in a believable way.

The story builds well to its exciting climax that sees a quickly dreamt up plan of battle put into action that due to its haste doesn’t quite unfold as hoped. Winters brings the story to a close satisfactory and finishes with a uplifting, and humorous final paragraph that left me feeling thoroughly entertained and looking forward to reading his next book, something I won’t have to wait for as Logan Winters is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer and he has a second book, The Trail to Trinity, published by Hale this month too under the pen-name of Owen G. Irons.

The Reluctant Gun Hand

By Logan Winters

Hale, January 2013

Jake Worthy was not born to be a gunman. His sole shooting offence was firing back at a crooked gambler in a Tucson saloon. For that he received a six-month sentence in the notorious Yuma prison. He meant to serve out his time patiently until he could return to Rio Lobo and Becky Holland, the girl who waited for him there.

Bushwhacked along the trail home, he was taken in by a gang of thieves who wanted him for his gun. Led by a beautiful, money-crazed woman named Yvonne and a cold-eyed killer, Bill Davenport, they meant to pull a big freight office job, but were short of gun hands. It was join up with the gang or be left in the mountains to die.

Urged on by Yvonne, Jake was led along a trail of treachery, violence and murder which destroyed his chances of finding a peaceful life.

This book is filled with a terrific set of characters, not least the hero Jake Worthy who sees his dreams being destroyed by events out of his control. Even when he seems to have come up with a way to get his life back on track Logan Winters springs one hell of a surprise that sends Worthy’s hopes spiralling downwards again.

Many BHW have a strong woman as part of the cast and so does this one, but Logan Winters adds to that by having three great female characters, all of whom will play decisive roles in the future of Worthy. 

This fast moving, action packed book proved to be unpredictable in the direction the story would take, who would die, who was planning what double-cross and whether Worthy would rekindle his romance with Becky or start an new one with either of the other main female characters….if indeed he would find happiness with any of them.

I’ve long been a fan of Logan Winters (a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer) books and would put this one right up there with the best of his Hale westerns.

The Reluctant Gun Hand has an official release date of January 31st but is available now. (Even though Amazon has it listed for March 1st in the UK)

Tanglefoot

By Logan Winters

Hale, July 2012

It was a long way from Kansas to Las Palmas, New Mexico Territory, but Chad Dempster had trouble brewing at home and was hoping the trip would be worth it. He wanted a new town, new ways, and a new name. On emerging from the Overland Stage, he got all three at once, but not in the way he could have expected. He stumbled out, hit the ground and became the immediate butt of the local wits who dubbed him ‘Tanglefoot’.

Fortunately, or so he thought, Glen Walker, one of the town’s first citizens came to his aid, dusted him off and offered him work. What Chad could not have known was that Walker had chosen him as the ideal dupe to help him loot the town of Los Palmas, using a badge and a gun.

Logan Winters once more comes up with the goods in this fast paced book that has greed as its central theme. Greed made legal by hastily re-written laws that it seems cannot be opposed or changed. So even though Chad and his new friend deputy Byron Starr, who has a dubious past of his own that could be his undoing, it seems that this is one new law that they can’t beat.

The how Chad and Starr save the town from Walker’s law provides fascinating and gripping reading. Walker also has numerous gunmen on his payroll so the story has plenty of gun action too, as Walker decides he needs to dispose of Chad. There’s a humorous element in that Chad is a little clumsy and not very good with a gun, yet through circumstance he is seen to be the opposite.

At the close of this story I was again left with the feeling of being extremely well entertained and looking forward to the next Logan Winters’s book, but, like other times, I don’t have to wait as Logan Winters is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer and he also writes as Owen G. Irons and it just so happens that Hale have published one of these books this month too: The Rose Canyon Gang.

Both books have an official release date of July 31st but are available now from all the usual Internet bookstores.

Travelin' Money

By Logan Winters

Hale, November 2011

At the end of a long cattle drive, Joe Sample runs into a little bad luck. A cantankerous steer pins him against a fence post, breaking his leg. So, Joe is laid up in the infamous Dog Stain Hotel next to Yuma pen. His money and the management’s patience has run out when the door of the hotel restaurant burst open and a wild-eyed man named Pierce Malloy walks in, his boot leaking blood. Malloy wants Joe to find a buried cache of money and give it to Tess Malloy whose husband had been hanged that morning. What choice does Joe have, being broke and about to be evicted?

He had accepted a little travelling money minutes before prison guards arrive and gun Malloy down. With the money and a map to the treasure, Joe starts out to fulfil his promise to a dying man. Things do not turn out as planned however; the map leads him in to a nest of thieves and an earthly hell.

Logan Winters really puts his hero through a tough time in this book. Bad luck piled upon back luck. Stolen from, knocked unconscious, lied to, tricked, all these many times over and more. Much of this seems befall him because Joe Sample is a nice guy, a gullible and far too trusting man. He’s also an admirable man due to his determination to see his promise through to the end, no matter how many problems this throws up, it’s no wonder Sample begins to believe the money is cursed.

There’s plenty of action, great supporting characters, and a fast moving plot that contains more than one twist. There are also some great moments of humour, particularly in the story of how the hotel got its name Dog Stain.

As I’ve come to expect, Logan Winters – this being one of Paul Lederer’s pseudonyms – has once more come up with a great, entertaining read, and I’m again left looking forward to his next book.

The Way Station

By Owen G. Irons

A Black Horse Western from Hale, September 2011

Cameron Black knows that it is time to pack away his guns. He and Virginia need to put their past behind them and when Cameron accepts a job running a quiet way station in the desert, it seems like the perfect way to forget about old enemies.

But Cameron soon realizes it is never that easy to leave trouble behind. A stagecoach arrives at the way station. On it is an outlaw smuggling fifty thousand in gold and a young woman named Becky Grant, who is on the run from a rejected suitor. On their trail is Sheriff Beaton, Becky’s wide-eyed suitor and rival bandits in pursuit of treasure.

Now, as a menacing dust storm gathers that threatens to keep them captive in the way station, Cameron Black knows he must use his guns once more….

June 2009 saw the publication of an Owen G. Irons book called The Outpost, which I reviewed here. That book ended with a question mark over the future of two of its leading characters. The Way Station picks that story up and answers that question and once more Cameron Black and Virginia find themselves fighting to stay alive.

Owen G. Irons brings together a great set of characters, each having an important role to play in the outcome of this story. As the different plot threads bring everyone to the way station some of threads entwine making this book difficult to put down before discovering how everything will play out. This in turn leads to plenty of action as outlaws, lawmen, runaways, and bandits trying to go straight, clash.

The book is extremely well paced and all threads are neatly tied up by the end, once again strengthening my belief that Owen G. Irons is one of the best Black Horse writers working today. September was a treat for fans of this author’s work – real name Paul Lederer – as a second book was published under his other pseudonym of Logan Winters: The Killing Time.

The Lost Trail

By Logan Winters

A Black Horse Western from Hale, May 2011

John Tanner is returning home after serving two years in prison for shooting a man – but he pleaded guilty only to protect the young and pretty Becky Canasta, whose finger actually pulled the trigger.

Now John arrives home to find that her father has had his safe looted and all his savings taken. Moreover, the robbers have taken Becky!

Desperate to find her, John begins his quest in pursuit of the outlaws. News is out about the lost treasure and dozens of men are on the trail, battling with John to be the first to the riches. But for John there is something much greater at stake – the treasure is his only clue to Becky’s whereabouts and her part in the robbery. Treachery and violence do not deter John – he will follow the trail to Hell if that is what it takes….

This really is an action packed read. Nearly every chapter has some kind of fighting within it, be it with fists or guns. The prose is straight-forward and flows smoothly as the author presents what a first seems to be a fairly traditional plotline, yet still manages to keep an air of suspicion over many of his well-drawn characters.

John Tanner makes for an interesting hero, a man who is perhaps a little too trusting. A man who once his mind is set on something will do anything to see he achieves his aim. A man who slowly begins to recognize that everything might not be as black and white as it first seems.

As the story nears its end Logan Winters springs a surprising revelation about a couple of his characters that I didn’t see coming. A twist that immediately explains much of what has been going on, yet still leaves some confusion for Tanner to try and work out.

After finishing this story I’ve been left looking forwards to Logan Winters’ next book, but know I don’t have to wait that long to read another tale by this author for Winters is a pseudonym of Paul Lederer and he has a second BHW out this month under his other pseudonym of Owen G. Irons: a book called The Predators.

The Highwaymen

By Owen G. Irons

A Black Horse Western from Hale, January 2011

The Chicolote highwayman, notable for his odd habit of returning his ill-gotten gains after terrorizing passengers and stagecoach drivers, had long been responsible for disrupting coach travel and gold shipments along the line.

Now he was dead, or so the story went, but his body was never found and the stick-ups continued as before. Could there be a second man imitating him? Or perhaps more?

The robberies always happened on the same stretch of the same dangerous road, with the same precision. The banks were getting nervous about sending anything of value on the Chicolote and the passengers feared for their safety. Someone had to stop the hold-ups….

It was a job for Laredo.

Owen G. Irons has come up with an excellent plot and read with this story. The action moves along at a very swift pace and I found the book very difficult to put down.

Irons lets the reader in on what is happening, although at first you don’t know the motives behind the robberies. I found it fascinating to discover the reasons behind the hold-ups and why others try to use the legend of the Chicolate highwayman for their own gain. All these different wannabe robbers making this a difficult case for the hero, Laredo, to crack. Just when he thinks he’s solved the problem the Chicolate highwayman strikes again…

Not all the highwaymen are bad people, although a couple sure are, some are forced into trying their hand at robbery as they see no other answer to their problems. This is something Laredo recognizes and it was interesting to see the different ways he dealt with them when he finally caught up with them.

Owen G. Irons is a pseudonym used by Paul Lederer and he has once more come out with a very entertaining story with The Highwaymen, one that has me looking forward to his next release. As it happens I don’t have to wait until the next Owen G. Irons book hits the shelves, as Paul Lederer has a second BHW released this month too, The Tanglewood Desperadoes as by Logan Winters.

Smuggler's Gulch

by Logan Winters

A Black Horse Western from Hale, September 2010

The dark-eyed lady wanted wandering Jake Staggs to collect the bounties on twenty members of an outlaw band. Maybe she was a little crazy, but Jake had no choice but to try things her way since his only other option was the hangman’s noose.

Anyone, even a wanted man like Jake, could ride into the rustlers’ camp at Smuggler’s Gulch, but if Kit Blanchard didn’t want you to leave then you weren’t going to make it out alive. Jake had cheated fate there once before and now he was ready to make a second attempt for the sake of a madwoman.

Of course, somewhere in the distance Marshal Trouffant would be waiting to hang Jake if he failed….

Logan Winters sure knows how to grab his reader’s attention. Here it’s with the amount of dilemmas that Jake Staggs finds himself confronting, all of which could see him ending up in jail, or dead. As well as outlaws he has to deal with three women, two of who prove to be quite mad. All these characters, including Marshal Trouffant, are extremely well portrayed.

The plot swept me up and I found the book difficult to put down before I discovered just how Staggs was going to get out of the mess he finds himself in. Winters also adds a few moments of humour, namely when Staggs tries to get himself arrested, thinking being behind bars will allow him to escape the troubles the wait for him outside.

There’s plenty of action, some surprises as to who kills whom and why. The final showdowns coming across in believable ways, and not just as a convenient way to solve Staggs problems, neatly tying up all the threads to the fast moving story.

Logan Winters is a pseudonym for author Paul Lederer, and for fans of his work this month proves to be a treat as Hale are also publishing a second book by him called Long Blows the North Wind put out under his other BHW pseudonym; Owen G. Irons. Both of these books have an official release date at the end of the month but are already available from the usual Internet bookstores.

The Legacy

as by Logan Winters

A Black Horse Western from Hale, May 2010

There was nothing special about the J-Bar ranch in Colorado…except that it has thirty-five thousand acres of prime land and its previous owner had just been murdered leaving $50,000 and hidden gold.

The whole territory joins the hunt for the missing fortune and violence and murder become commonplace, but it is only when three heirs arrive from the East that true chaos erupts…

Logan Winters has created some extremely well drawn characters in this very fast moving story, most of whom are fuelled by greed, deserting their jobs to join the frantic search for the missing money. Then there’s the hero of the tale, Glen Strange, who, along with his partner, find themselves swept up in the crazy situation they ride unwittingly into. Are they the only people who find it strange everyone is hunting for the gold without the least bit of concern over who killed J. Pierce Buchanan, and why? This isn’t the only mysterious element to the story for Strange is soon wondering what secrets others are hiding, such as their relationships with the now grown girl who was found abandoned on the ranch when a baby. And who is the man who introduces himself as Wichita?

Of course in a tale such as this not everyone can have a happy ending and a number of them die violently in well-described gunfights. One of these shootouts being particularly memorable due to it taking place in a pitch-black barn where no one can actually see their opponents. Yes, for some, the ending was exactly as I suspected it would be, although I didn’t even come close as to where the hidden fortune was hidden, like I didn’t guess the answers to most of the questions the plot challenged the reader with.

As with the other books I’ve read by this author (Logan Winters being a pseudonym of Paul Lederer), The Legacy once more proves he’s a writer who produces entertaining books time after time.

The Legacy isn’t the only BHW officially published this month, on May 31st to be exact, by Paul Lederer, as he has another released under the pseudonym of Owen G. Irons called Ransom. Both these books are available now.

Ransom

as by Owen G. Irons

A Black Horse Western from Hale, May 2010

Banker Amos Fillmore’s life is shattered by the brazen kidnapping of his pretty daughter, Anita. The kidnappers, led by the notorious gunman Earl Weathers, demand a ransom payment that can only be raised if Fillmore raids the assets of his Crater, Arizona bank. In the end, even that payment is not enough.

Duplicity and violence rage while Anita remains hostage in a cave carved deep into the hills of the desert wilderness. Her safety is secondary to avarice, and even those tasked with upholding justice are inept and overcome with greed.

It seems as though neither Anita nor her ransom will ever be recovered from the grip of the desert. That is until the territory’s top gun, Laredo, steps in….

This book starts after the kidnapping has taken place as Amos Fillmore helps himself to some of the banks money and the story never lets slows down after the opening scenes throw all kinds of questions at the reader. There are many well-drawn characters, none of who seem to trust each other, and indeed many are planning to double-cross each other. All these twists and turns making this book very difficult to put down before everything is resolved.

The action is well described as are descriptions of people and location. The pace of the tale moves from a trot to a canter to a gallop swiftly, grippingly, before the final dramatic shootout. But then I’d expect all this from Owen G. Irons (a pseudonym for author Paul Lederer) as I’ve yet to read a BHW from him I’ve not enjoyed.

Ransom has an official release date of May 31st but should be available now from the usual Internet sources. Fans of Paul Lederer’s work will also be pleased to know this isn’t the only BHW of his out this month as The Legacy, as by Logan Winters, is out now too.

Dead Man's Guns

as by Logan Winters

A Black Horse Western from Hale, January 2010

The killer Frank Lavender was dead, so how could it be that he was involved in a gunfight at Hoyt’s Camp, a logging town along Wyoming’s Snake River? Either Lavender had found a way to cheat Death or it was someone else using the gunman’s name.

Lyle Colbert didn’t like it either way for Frank Lavender, or whoever it was, had come to town to destroy Lyle Colbert, supposedly out of love for the pretty Tess Bright. It wasn’t certain if Tess reciprocated the gunman’s love, but it did not matter for she would have no time to make up her mind. Colbert was determined to kill Frank Lavender. Again.

Logan Winters begins this book with an exciting chase that leaves a man near dead, and without a memory of who he is. Once found by a family struggling to make a living as loggers, the father sees an opportunity to solve his problems through deceit – although he considers himself both “fortunate and ingeniously clever” – tricking the stranger into believing he’s someone he’s not.

And so begins an exciting tale of a logging war and discovery; the latter being of the stranger trying to piece his past life back together and finding out who he really is, and that of love. There are plenty of memorable characters, not least the stranger, there’s also Tess and her brother, Andy. Then there’s the hired gun Santana with his own code on who he’ll kill.

The action scenes are first rate and Winter’s writing is easy to read and well paced, as I’d expect having read other books by this author – which meant the small continuity error near the end came as a bit of a surprise, still this did nothing to spoil my enjoyment of the book and wont keep me from reading more of his work.

Dead Man’s Guns is officially released at the end of January but can be pre-ordered now from the usual Internet sources. If you are thinking of buying this book then you might like to know that this author – real name Paul Lederer – also has a second BHW published this month called Quinn’s Last Run as by Owen G. Irons.

Hangtown

as by Logan Winters
A Black Horse Western from Hale, October 2009

Of what use is a deserted ghost town? None at all unless like the old desert rat, Josh Banks and his young partner, Wage Carson, you have nowhere else to go and are tired of sleeping out with the rattlesnakes. In Hangtown, at least, they would have some shelter from the elements, some water for their weary mounts. In the spirit of things the two saddle bums vote Josh mayor of Hangtown and appoint Wage town marshal.

They weren’t alone for long. Within days the painted ladies arrived, followed by a detachment of soldiers. Things were already out of control when four rough-looking strangers arrived seeking a brief respite from the harsh desert. There was to be no respite for any of them, especially for Josh and Marshal Carson. It was not long before gunplay erupted and the silent town was prodded to violent life.

This is probably the shortest Black Horse Western to be released this month but Logan Winters (Paul Lederer) sure packs enough action and well-drawn characters into his story to make you think you’re reading a much longer tale. The pace is electrifying, not once does the story drag, in fact Hangtown is a very difficult book to put down before you’ve read the final word.

The story follows most of Hangtown’s new residents equally, perhaps Carson having centre-stage a little more than anyone else. Each character captures the imagination well, making you care about what will happen to them – even the four bank robbers. Paul Lederer includes a touch of romance between the shy Carson and a young girl travelling with the painted ladies, Liza, which seems to be heading for a happy ending. Whether it turns out that way I’m not going to say, but I will add that not many of the characters are alive at story end.

Once more Paul Lederer has come up with a book that should be on the reading list of those who enjoy fast paced, action-packed, traditional westerns.

Hangtown has an official release date of October 30th, but is already available through Internet bookstores.

Beyond the Crimson Skies

as by Owen G. Irons
A Black Horse Western from Hale, September 2009

Kendo was looking for salvation as well as retribution. Of these two retribution was the simpler to exact. Losing Frank Pierce’s horse herd to raiding gunmen had not been his fault, but it was bound to ruin Kendo’s reputation which had already been severely darken by past failure.

Left alone and afoot on the open plains by treacherous companions, he needed to track down the outlaws and recapture the horses, the sale of which Pierce was banking on to save his small ranch. That alone was a vast challenge and Kendo couldn’t know how much worse it could get before he encountered the beautiful woman who was intent on building an outlaw empire in the far country.

Having really enjoyed the previous books I’ve read written by Paul Lederer under the pseudonyms of Owen G. Irons and Logan Winters I was really looking forward to reading this one.

Like his other books Beyond The Crimson Skies takes off like a shot and doesn’t let up in pace, sweeping the reader along on a roller coaster ride of a fast moving plot and even faster guns. After only a few pages you’ll be wondering, like the hero Kendo, as to who is behind the theft of the horses and can Kendo retrieve them?

The book is filled with an excellent selection of characters, of both sexes. Kendo also finds himself facing past demons. Descriptions are superbly written, be they of landscape or action, and the dialogue is handled equally as well. Although the story doesn’t have any real twists or surprises to the outcome, the book is as good a read as I hoped and I’m looking forward to Paul Lederer’s next.

Beyond the Crimson Skies was officially released on September 30th, and due to how fast BHW seem to sell-out these days, I’d suggest getting your order in soonest so as not to be disappointed.

On the Great Plains

as by Logan Winters
A Black Horse Western from Hale, April 2009

A haunted cabin in the middle of the wild great plains? Not exactly, but that was the way the pretty little slip of a girl, Kate McCallister, characterized it when young Ben Flowers appeared to take possession of the property. When she showed him the hundred or so bullet holes in the cabin walls, he understood what she meant. The place was shadowed by many violent memories, and some of them were to return to haunt it again.

It was Ben’s first and maybe only chance to build a life of his own, and if it was necessary, he was determined to fight off the spectres of the past with the cold steel of his own guns.

Logan Winters knows how to write a fast paced book filled with well drawn characters that will soon have you wondering what will happen to them all, as the different groups of people get drawn to Ben Flowers’ new property.

As readers we know from the beginning what the secret is, as does a couple of the badmen. Right up to the end Flowers has no idea why mysterious gunmen are trying to kill him, he’s more concerned with fixing up the cabin and wondering about his feeling towards Kate McCallister.

There’s plenty of action, evil badguys plotting to double-cross each other as well as killing everyone else, and a mystery for the characters. As well as this there’s the falling in love storyline for Ben and Kate, which offers some amusing situations and dialogue.

Overall a traditional style western that makes for a very entertaining read from beginning to end.

The pseudonym, Logan Winters, got me to wondering as to the identity of the writer. Back in the early 1980’s a series of fantasy/western books were published under the title of Spectros, the authors name being that of Logan Winters, who I believe, is really Paul Lederer.

On The Great Plains is published on April 30th 2009, but having said that it would seem the book is on sale now.