The Magnificent Mendozas

By Ross Morton

Hale, July 2014

When the Mexican circus ships out of the gringo town of Conejos Blancos, Hart and his ruthless desperadoes are quick off the mark to take over the town, and the adjacent silver mine.

With the sheriff slaughtered, and many of the citizens held hostage, two local boys escape, and recruit seven Mexican circus performers to help penetrate the cordon of sentries and free the townspeople. Only the ‘Magnificent Mendozas’ – a family of weapons experts, escapologists and gymnasts – stand a chance against the Hart gang, on both sides of the divide before the day is through.

With a large cast of characters Ross Morton regularly switches between them which builds up the tension of everything having to run like clockwork if the small group of circus performers has any chance of freeing the captives from the superior number of outlaws. This also allows Morton to finish some of his scenes with cliff-hangers that ensures the reader will find the book difficult to put down.

Each of the Mendozas has a different skill and all of them will be put to the test before the battle is won. And what a terrific battle it is. This final showdown covers most of the second half of the story thus making this a must read for those who like plenty of action in their westerns.

With a strong mix of male, female, and child roles, and the dramatic rescue methods used, all told in Ross Morton’s very readable style, this book proved to be a very entertaining read.

The Magnificent Mendozas at Amazon.com

The Magnificent Mendozas (Black Horse Western) at Amazon.co.uk

Write a Western in 30 Days

By Nik Morton

Compass books, June 2013

Something a little different to the books I usually comment on but one I thought would be of interest to some of you who read Western Fiction Review as I know many writers, both beginners and old-hands, view this blog regularly.

Even though I don’t have any ambitions to write a western, or any other book for that matter, I still thought I’d find this an interesting read and this proved to be true.

Nik Morton, who writes westerns under the pseudonym of Ross Morton and is the editor in chief for Solstice Publishing, includes examples to back up the many points he makes on such topics as preparation, point of view, plot-plans, dialogue, self-editing, formatting the manuscript, and marketing, to name but a few.

Nik Morton’s writing is straight-forward and doesn’t come over as too technical, making me believe I would be confident in writing a western by following his plan if I so desired.

Even if you are already an author with ideas of your own on how to write westerns, I still think you’d find plenty of tips within this book. The reference sections, that list books, websites, agents, and western publishers, should be worth the price of this book alone.

Available as both a paperback and ebook.

And finally a little note of thanks to Nik for mentioning Western Fiction Review three times within his book.

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.

Blind Justice at Wedlock

By Ross Morton

A Black Horse Western from Hale, May 2011

When Clint Brennan interrupts two men kidnapping his wife Belle, he is shot and left for dead. But he recovers his senses and finds that his wife is gone and he has been blinded. Most men would have given up, but not Clint. Astride his donkey, he sets out with his faithful dog Mutt on the trail of his wife’s abductors.

Belle, meanwhile, believes her husband is dead, and when a rich saviour comes to her rescue, the people around her suggest it’s time to start again….

A tale of violence, betrayal and lies – it will all end at Wedlock, amidst flames and bullets.

There’s plenty of mystery to hold your attention in this fast moving, action packed tale that often has you believing you know what is going on, but then offers a surprising twist to completely throw you off track.

The idea of having a blind hero is not often seen in westerns, so offers an intriguing take to this story. Reading how he overcomes his handicap makes for an interesting, and entertaining, storyline. Dog lovers will surely warm to Brennan’s plucky four-legged friend.

Ross Morton tells his story from the viewpoints of many of his well-drawn characters. At first these many threads seem unrelated but they eventually pull together, leaving none dangling by the end.

Those who’ve read the other books by Ross Morton will know that two of the three are based around Bethesda Falls, and this book continues that trend, so a few characters will be familiar to you. If you haven’t read the earlier books then that won’t spoil your enjoyment of this story as it could easily be a stand-alone title.

With Blind Justice at Wedlock Ross Morton (real name Nik Morton) has once again left me eager to read his next title. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait two years as we’ve had to between this and his previous title, The $300 Man.

Beat to a Pulp

ROUND 1

Edited by David Cranmer and Elaine Ash

2010

Looking at the cover, with its terrific artwork by James O’Barr, you might be wondering why this collection of short stories is being featured on a blog about western fiction? Simple answer, it contains a number of western stories, and authors whose western work is regularly reviewed here write many of the other tales. A full list of stories and authors can be found at the end of this review.

When sitting down to write this review I thought maybe all I need to do is just ask Bill Crider for permission to copy his wonderful forward to the book and post it here, as I don’t see how his words can fail to encourage any reader into diving straight into this excellent collection of stories.

The twenty-seven tales within cover a broad range of genres, taking in westerns, crime, sci-fi, fantasy, pirate, ghost and war. Of course there are stories here that I like better than others but all are extremely well told. Most explore the darker side of life, of human nature, and after reading the first two or three I gave up trying to guess how each story would end, as many finish with neat twists, Patricia Abbott’s story leaving me laughing out loud.

I enjoyed finding out what type of story the western writers I regularly read had decided to write, some turning to genres I knew they write in alongside their westerns, others – mainly those who write Black Horse Westerns (and there’s a few of them in this collection) – providing welcome surprises in their subject matter.

Some of these stories have been published online, others are appearing here for the first time – one being a recently discovered unpublished story by Paul S. Powers who had many tales published in the pulps of old.

The book ends with a fascinating look at the history of pulps by Cullen Gallagher and short profiles of all the authors.

David Cranmer says in his introduction, “I am optimistic we have put together a collection that has something for everyone.” I would say you definitely have succeeded David, and I, for one, am already looking forward to Round Two.

Beat to a Pulp: Round One is now available here, or can be bought from Amazon.

Contents:

1. Maker’s and Coke Jake Hinkson

2. A Free Man Charles Ardai

3. Fangataufa Sophie Littlefield

4. You Don’t Get Three Mistakes Scott D. Parker

5. Insatiable Hilary Davidson

6. Boots on the Ground Matthew Quinn Martin

7. Studio Dick Garnett Elliott

8. Killing Kate Ed Gorman

9. The Ghost Ship Evan Lewis

10. The Strange Death of Ambrose Bierce Paul S. Powers

11. Heliotrope James Reasoner

12. The Wind Scorpion Edward A. Grainger

13. Hard Bite Anonymous-9

14. Crap is King Robert J. Randisi

15. The All-Weather Phantom Mike Sheeter

16. Pripet Marsh Stephen D. Rogers

17. Ghostscapes Patricia Abbott

18. Off Rock Kieran Shea

19. At Long Last Nolan Knight

20. A Native Problem Chris F. Holm

21. Spend it Now, Pay Later Nik Morton

22. Spot Marks the X I.J. Parnham

23. Hoosier Daddy Jedidiah Ayres

24. Anarchy Among Friends: A Love Story Andy Henion

25. Cannulation Glenn Gray

26. The Unreal Jesse James Chap O’Keefe
27. Acting Out Frank Bill

The $300 Man

as by Ross Morton
A Black Horse Western from Hale, May 2009

What’s a life worth? $300, maybe.

Half Mexican Corbin Molina lost a hand during the Civil War but he has adapted. Now he’s on a mission to Walkerville. On the way, he prevents a train robbery and finds an old friend. Corbin always carries $300, which is significant, since that’s what he was paid as a substitute soldier for the Union.

When Corbin starts asking questions about Walkerville’s law and administration, he discovers that the Walker family, who seem to have bought and paid for loyalty and position, dominate the townspeople. Inevitably, Corbin’s questions attract plenty of trouble. And his past emerges to confront him during a tense showdown that threatens not only him but also his newfound love.

Ross Morton (real name Nik Morton) presents the reader with a fascinating character in Corbin Molina, not least because his mixed blood cause him problems, but due to him having a hook in place of a hand, and the fact that his reasons for coming to Walkerville are not immediately explained. These aren’t the only plotlines that grab the readers attention, there’s also the other well drawn characters, many of whom may not be who they say they are, such as Tillman who seems to have been hired as a replacement lawman by the Walkers, but is perhaps working to his own agenda, whatever that maybe.

A fair part of story is told in flashbacks, such as how Molina lost his hand. This is explained in one of the highlight sequences of the tale, that of the battle for Fort Fisher in 1864.

Ross Morton also includes plenty of action and a number of twists and turns before everything is resolved satisfactory.

The £300 Man is officially released today.