RENEGADE TRAIL

CODY’S LAW

Number 6 of 12

By Matthew S. Hart

Cover art by Steve Assel

Bantam, August 1992

Many a time Cody has eaten the alkali dust of West Texas while riding on the trail of a hardcase killer…but never in pursuit of a sworn comrade. Barry Whittingham used to be a Ranger. Now he’s a lawless gun. Spreading hot lead with a heavy hand, the onetime Ranger heads a gang of desperadoes preying on the army supply train running through the burgeoning territory. 

Cody’s the manhunter with the guts for the job, but his former friend-turned-outlaw might recognize him – so Cody has to team up with a straight-shooting young firebrand who will handle the undercover work. But when the inexperienced Ranger becomes involved in a holdup and Whittingham gang abducts a lovely young innocent, Cody must step in…to prevent a wide-open bloodbath and a war on the open range.

So far, Cody’s Law has proved to be a very entertaining series, and this book more than matches those that have gone before it in terms of quality and enjoyment. The storyline is gripping and has plenty of plot twists. The book is filled with excellent dialogue and frantic action scenes. 

The inexperienced Ranger, Seth Williams, soon finds himself in all kinds of trouble and you do have to wonder if he’ll survive. There are also two young women who have major roles to play and their involvement adds to some of the mystery elements of the tale and will have a big impact on how things end. Whittingham proves to be a terrific adversary who is hoping to leaving his outlaw life behind him, but unknown to him, some of his men are plotting against him. 

Matthew S. Hart is a pseudonym, and like all the books before, this one was written by James Reasoner, and as is expected from this author Renegade Trail proved to be a terrific read that was difficult to put down as I just had to find out what happened next. 

Mano A Mano

CODY’S LAW #5:

By Matthew S. Hart

Americana Publishing, November 2003

Originally published by Bantam Domain Books, May 1992

She is known as the Yellow Rose, a singer with the voice of an angel and the beauty of a goddess. But her sensual powers conceal a secret and dangerous past – one which draws Cody into a deadly contest beyond the Texas frontier. 

When Rose is kidnapped and delivered to a ruthless murderer who lives for the pleasure of killing, Cody is the one man with the skill and the guts to track him down. But the trail leads south of the border and over the line. In the scorching heat of the Mexican desert, Cody has no authority save what he carries in his heart…and in his holster. Here a Ranger’s badge is but a piece of tin, and the ultimate law – between one man and another – is fixed on the blade of a bowie knife.

Although this Americana Publishing audio book is a slightly abridged version of the original paperback novel you wouldn’t have any idea that certain passages are missing unless you listen to the narration whilst following the words of the book. This audio version is presented on two cassettes and has a running time in total of just under four hours. The start of each new chapter is signified with a short piece of music and the story is superbly read by Grady Jim Robinson (although for some reason the spoken introduction to the book says it’s performed by Charlton Griffin) who expertly alters his tone and pitch for different characters and knows when to draw out words or pause for dramatic effect, making this audio book a pleasure to listen to.

The story is well plotted and offers plenty of action and surprises, the latter mainly when discovering the back-story to the Yellow Rose. In fact much of the first part of the book follows her misfortunes and kidnapping in an exciting raid on a party being held in her honour.

The tale is filled with very visual action and peopled with wonderfully drawn characters, a number of whom Cody finds himself saddled with when setting out to free the Yellow Rose from her captors. Cody’s desire to cross the border to rescue the singer sees him threaten to quit being a Ranger, so strong is his sense of purpose in this mission…or is there something more between them driving him on? As certain characters reveal their true personalities the story unfolds in an increasing pace that leads to an exciting final showdown.

I’ll finish by saying that I believe this story will appeal to most western fans and point out that you don’t need to have read (or listened to) the previous books to get full enjoyment of this tale, although I do believe once you read (or listen to) this one you’ll find yourself tracking down those earlier books and those that come after (the Cody’s Law series ran for 12 books). 

Matthew S. Hart is a pseudonym, the books being written by a small group of authors. Mano A Mano was written by James Reasoner. 

Here’s the original book cover.