KICKED OUT WITH A COLD SHOVEL

 

BLOODY JOE MANNION
Book 6 of 9
KICKED OUT WITH A COLD SHOVEL
By Peter Brandvold
Wolfpack Publishing, February 2023

Town Marshal “Bloody” Joe Mannion is on the trail of some of the most vicious killers he’s ever faced. It’s up to Mannion to single-handedly retrieve the loot a gang stole from a train. He manages to take down the gang and secure the loot only to find himself facing yet another band of vicious killers who want to lay their own grubby hands on the cash. Bloody Joe, however, has other ideas…and this ain’t his first rodeo.

When the gang tracks Joe to the ranch of Sam and Ilsa McDowell, he finds himself on the run again, with both McDowell’s as well as the loot. The only thing harder than trying to hold onto the loot is getting Sam and Ilsa to safety – especially when a neighboring rancher sets his lusty sights on the girl…

This time Peter Brandvold sticks with Bloody Joe throughout the story. There aren’t any secondary plotlines involving Joe’s wife, daughter, deputies or anyone else back in Joe’s hometown, Del Norte, as has been the case in previous books. Yes, he does occasionally switch to other people so he can tell us what the outlaws, rancher or Sam and Ilsa are doing when they are separated from Joe. 

What the blurb above doesn’t tell you is that Sam is a youngster and his sister Ilsa is in her late teens. Part of the appeal of this novel is reading how their relationship with Bloody Joe develops. As you can imagine, it isn’t long before Sam begins to idolize Mannion, something Joe and Ilsa aren’t too keen on. As the three battle through various deadly situations their bond gets stronger and stronger.

There are some excellent set pieces that include many exchanges of gunfire and a dramatic escape from a trap. With the various groups of people hunting for the loot or Ilsa there isn’t a moment of peace for Bloody Joe as bullets fly thick and fast. Mannion also takes some punishment throughout this tale, this time around it’s mostly physical rather than mentally. 

Ilsa’s beauty also adds to the problems she and Mannion will have to deal with as it’s not just the rancher who sets his sights on her and the only way to protect her is with more gunplay. Unfortunately, Ilsa doesn’t escape from all this attention unscathed and this leads up to a memorable moment near the end of the tale. 

Peter Brandvold introduces some great characters in this story, be they outlaws or otherwise, such as the two who help Joe and Sam when they are in dire need. It isn’t only humans who are going to stick in your memory though. Sam and Ilsa have a pet dog, King, who travels alongside his owners and Mannion as they desperately try to reach the safety of Del Norte. 

Kicked Out with a Cold Shovel is another great entry in the Bloody Joe Mannion series and is one I’d recommended to all fans of western fiction. 

American readers can get a copy here

British readers can get a copy here

LONGARM AND SEÑORITA REVENGE

 

LONGARM AND SEÑORITA REVENGE

Book 415 of 436 + 29 Giant Editions

By Tabor Evans

Cover illustration by Milo Sinovcic

Jove, June 2013

The name makes cavalrymen cower, hard cases head for the hills, and bandidos cry, “Vámones!” They call her Señorita Revenge. Savage and merciless, she and her band of kill-crazy Kiowa have been cutting down soldiers like blades of grass in the Texas Big Bend country north of the Rio Grande.

If any man can declaw this homicidal hellcat, it’s Deputy U.S. Marshal Custis Long.

But when Longarm arrives at the cavalry outpost, he finds a half-mad major, his batty, blond daughter, a horribly scarred captain, and a mouth-watering but mysterious maiden – each of whom is hiding a secret. As Longarm puts the pieces together, he draws ever closer to ending this beautiful buckskin-clad butcher’s reign of vengeance… 

Harsh landscapes and tougher characters – brutal characters in many cases. Seductive, stunningly beautiful women who can be as savage as any man should the need arise, and it does, often. Vicious action scenes. Plot twists that took me by surprise. A breath-taking stagecoach ride. This book has them all, and more. Longarm sure has to keep his wits about him or he’ll end up as one of the deceased. 

The story moves along at terrific speed. Chapters ending on cliff-hangers ensuring I’d keep turning the pages. Great characters, especially Señorita Revenge. Mystery behind her true identity – I had my ideas but I wasn’t quite right. Hard-hitting fairly graphic violence and a couple of descriptive sex scenes – the latter to be expected as the Longarm books are billed as adult westerns, but don’t let them put you off reading this book or you’ll be missing out on a great tale.

I’m being purposefully vague on the plot, and naming characters and their relationships to each other as I don’t want to spoil any part of this book for anyone who has yet to read it. 

The author behind the pseudonym of Tabor Evans this time around is Peter Brandvold and his take on Longarm has always been grittier than most of the other authors who wrote for this series. Think spaghetti rather than Hollywood western. 

After finishing Longarm and Señorita Revenge I was left eagerly wanting to hunt through my collection to dig out another of Peter Brandvold’s entries into this series and start reading it straightaway. Recommended. 

American readers can get a copy here

British readers can get a copy here

ALL MY SINS REMEMBERED

 

BLOODY JOE MANNION 5

ALL MY SINS REMEMBERED

By Peter Brandvold

Wolfpack Publishing, October 2022

When the savage bounty hunter Ulysses Xavier Lodge comes to town wanting to spark one of Jane Ford’s pretty doxies at the San Juan Saloon & Hotel, Jane and two bouncers give the bear-like giant the bum’s rush. Incensed, Lodge returns and shoots Jane, grievously wounding her.

Jane and Bloody Joe had been on the outs, their marriage dissolved, but now with Jane’s life teetering on the edge, Joe realizes how much he really loves the pretty redhead and what a fool he’s been. Enraged and knowing he can do nothing for Jane in town – she’s in a coma and only time will tell – Joe takes to the vengeance trail, shadowing Lodge high into the Sawatch Range.

Bloody Joe has faced some formidable foes, but none like Ulysses Lodge. With a snowstorm bearing down, Joe and Lodge go head-to-head in the high, stormy rocks where an angry wildcat might just have the final say…

Peter Brandvold sure puts Bloody Joe through the wringer in this one. Fuelled by rage, Joe is going to suffer both mentally and physically during his pursuit of Lodge, a man who seems to be one step ahead of the lawman at all times. There are some particularly vicious scenes of brutal violence ahead, one of which sees Lodge taunting Joe with a gruesome note that maddens the lawman even more, makes him more determined to bring Lodge to justice.

Back in town, there’s a problem for deputy Henry McCallister to deal with when he falls in love with a very attractive school teacher. Who are the rough looking men who seem to know her? What do they want? Things get even more complicated for Henry when his former girlfriend, Molly, gets involved. 

And what of Bloody Joe’s daughter, Vangie? She’s keeping watch over Jane, praying for her recovery and is struggling with her feelings towards a new doctor in town who is doing his best to keep Jane alive.

Peter Brandvold regularly switches between the three storylines, often leaving one or two sets of characters in a perilous situation when moving onto others thus ensuring that the reader keeps turning the pages. The plots evolve well, offering exciting action sequences, twists, and lively dialogue. Emotional turmoil plays a big part too, and you’ll feel the suffering and confusion along with the characters. Hanging over all this is the question of whether Jane will live or die…

All My Sins Remembered is another terrific entry in the Bloody Joe Mannion series that left me eager to read the next book as soon as I can.

American readers can get a copy here

British readers can get a copy here

TO MAKE A MAN

BLOODY JOE MANNION

Book 4 of 9

TO MAKE A MAN

By Peter Brandvold

Wolfpack Publishing, August 2022

Del Norte Town Marshal “Bloody” Joe Mannion and his junior deputy, Henry “Stringbean” McCallister, run down an especially violent as well as beguiling outlaw in the pretty form of Mathilda Calderon. The senorita is just one pretty girl, but she fights like a leg-trapped puma, leaving Mannion with an arm full of buckshot and Stringbean hurting where a man just shouldn’t be attacked, gallblastit! 

Senorita Calderon is wanted for aiding and abetting the commission of a federal crime and to testify against her boyfriend, the notorious border bandito and revolutionario, Diego Hidalgo, who stole three Gatling guns from the U.S. Army, slaughtering a dozen soldiers in the process. U.S. marshals are sent to retrieve the senorita and escort her to Tucson. Bloody Joe believes she will identify Hidalgo as the leader of the gang who stole the Gatling guns and also testify as to the guns’ whereabouts.

Arresting and holding onto Mathilda Calderon is just one of the problems Bloody Joe will have to deal with in this fast moving read. Peter Brandvold sure doesn’t believe in giving his characters an easy time of it and Mannion will not only have to suffer physically, but mentally too, as will Stringbean. As well as defending themselves from people trying to kill them, both have affairs of the heart to deal with. 

As the story unfolds, Stringbean finds himself escorting Mathilda “La Stiletta” Calderon to Tucson alone and there are plenty of dangers for him to face whilst doing so, from both men and animals. The relationship between prisoner and deputy is fascinating to watch unfold, especially as La Stiletta seems ready to kill Stringbean at the first chance she gets. The title of the book, To Make a Man, refers to Stringbean, as Joe believes his deputy will only be successful if he acts like a man, not as the kid he is.

Back in Del Norte, Bloody Joe has to deal with a mystery someone who has sent hired killers after him. Why? Getting to the bottom of this gives plenty of opportunities for Joe to live up to his nickname. To further complicate things his wife wants a divorce. Will Joe agree to this or can they work things out? 

There’s not one dull moment to be found in this story. Peter Brandvold paces the book superbly and fills it with interesting characters and plotlines. Amidst all the violent action there are gentler moments too, and some laugh-out-loud humour. All the story threads are tied up neatly, although not all of them ended as I expected and I was left looking forward to reading the next Bloody Joe Mannion book as soon as I can.

Mention must also be made of Wolfpack Publishing’s attention to their cover illustrations to highlight how they make sure the covers of their books depict a scene from the story and this one shows a particularly suspenseful part of the tale.

UK readers can buy the book here.
American readers can buy the book here.

BLOODY JOE MANNION series

1. Bloody Joe

2. Revenge at Burial Rock

3. Saints and Sinners

4. To Make a Man

5. All My Sins Remembered

6. Kicked Out with a Cold Shovel

7. Drawn and Quartered

8. Battle Mountain

9. Bloody Joe’s Last Dance

SAINTS AND SINNERS

BLOODY JOE MANNION 3

By Peter Brandvold

Wolfpack Publishing, May 2022

When constable Jeremiah Claggett is murdered by Frank Lord, the kill-crazy leader of a dozen wild outlaws, Bloody Joe has to come to grips with the fact that he’s inadvertently to blame. Mannion had turned Frank’s brother, Billy, over to Claggett for safekeeping, setting off the chain of events that end his friend’s life. Mannion is the kill-crazy one now. Not realizing he’s being shadowed by forces unknown, Mannion sets out on his vengeance quest.

In typical Bloody Joe style, he storms Lord’s gang single-handedly, which nearly proves his undoing – until he’s set upon by a mystery ‘Man of the Lord’ and given…something. Whether that something is good or bad Mannion has difficulty discerning.

Peter Brandvold has commented that Bloody Joe Mannion is one of his favourite characters and I’m very much in agreement with that statement. I really like how Mannion allows his anger to determine his actions, how he pushes aside everything else in his life as he relentlessly hunts down his prey. Mannion will suffer both mentally and physically before the conclusion of this tale.

Bloody Joe isn’t the only great character in this series, but the regulars that have had large parts to play in previous books only have small roles this time around. Mannion’s wife, Jane, has some decisions to make when a man she hasn’t seen for many years arrives in town which leads to a powerful scene at the end of the story.

The vast majority of the book follows Mannion’s attempts wipe out the Lord gang. During this Bloody Joe will have to struggle with unsettling changes within his person. Why did he decide to bring in Billy Lord alive instead of just killing him? This seems to be a new side of him that Mannion is not sure he likes, especially as it leads to the death of his friend, Jeremiah Claggett. Mannion isn’t the only one who has to deal with self-blame, there’s Claggett’s daughter too, who also sets out to kill Frank Lord.

The action scenes are hard-hitting, brutal at times, as Mannion deals out justice. There are elements of mystery too, such as who is the lone rider shadowing Bloody Joe and why is he doing so? The Man of the Lord makes for a fascinating character too, can he really summon powers unexplained to help him ’feed the beast’ or is there a more rational explanation? All this combines to make a gripping read that left me eager to read the fourth book in the series as soon as possible. 

ONE WAY TO BOOT HILL

WOLF STOCKBURN, RAILROAD DETECTIVE

Number 4 of 4

By Max O’Hara

Pinnacle Books, January 2023

When train robbers hit the Boot Hill Express – so called because of all the people riding it who have ended up dead – with a head full of steam, Wolf Stockburn makes quick work of them. But the gun smoke has barely cleared when a second gang attacks, catching Stockburn by surprise. In a hail of hot lead, he falls from the train and the thieves kill two guards and make off with the cattle the train was hauling.

Now it’s a matter of honor and payback as he trails the outlaws – his only clue a hoofprint showing a faint star shape. Dodging a deadly bushwhacker, Stockburn, hell-on-wheels angry, teams up with a beautiful half-Comanche hellcat and follows a twisted trail of bullet-ridden corpses to a final reckoning in a Mexican ghost town – where bad men end up dead . . . on the wrong side of the tracks.

Right from the start this tale is all action. Sure, there are moments when Stockburn manages to catch his breath, but even then, he’s in constant danger from an unknown sniper who could take a shot at any time. Stockburn soon has many more questions than he does answers, such as who is stealing the cattle and why? Who is the sniper? Can the various lawmen he meets be trusted? One of these officers of the law seems to want to put a hole in Stockburn’s head – can Stockburn talk him out of this? 

Readers of the previous Wolf Stockburn books aren’t going to want to miss this one. If you’ve not read any of the earlier books it doesn’t matter as the author fills you in on any background information you may need, especially as one of the characters that appeared in the first Stockburn novel has an important role to play in this book too.

It isn’t a secret as to the identity of the author writing behind the pseudonym of Max O’Hara, and that man is Peter Brandvold. This book contains all the qualities he is known for – a twisting gritty plot, descriptive prose that places you right in with the action, hard men and equally tough women, and some graphic violence. There is a notable lack of bad language and the book doesn’t contain any explicit sex.

One thing I’d like to highlight is the book’s blurb (which you can read above) which isn’t completely correct as Stockburn isn’t on the train when the second gang strike and none of the part after ‘hell-on-wheels angry’ is part of the storyline. I certainly wasn’t disappointed that these elements weren’t to be found in the book, as what does happen makes for some very exciting and gripping reading.

I’ve seen comments from Peter Brandvold indicating that this is the last Wolf Stockburn book. I think that is a shame as Wolf Stockburn is a great character and I think he deserves a longer run. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that the publisher contracts some more. 

REVENGE AT BURIAL ROCK

BLOODY JOE MANNION 2

By Peter Brandvold

Wolfpack Publishing, May 2022

Joe believes the old regulator, “Long Shot” Hunter Drago, who did twelve years’ hard time because of Mannion, has moved to the town of Del Norte in the Colorado Territory to kill him. But, nearly everyone else in town believes he’s there to take over the Three-Legged Dog Saloon and begin a new, peaceful life for himself. Mannion doesn’t buy a word of it. When he catches Drago palling around with his daughter, Evangeline, and beats the old killer half to death on Del Norte’s main street for all to see, the town decides Bloody Joe has finally gone too far.

As the game of cat and mouse continues, Mannion finds himself dodging a veritable lead storm nearly everywhere he goes, culminating in a bloody showdown on the stone mountain called Burial Rock, where he finds that not only his own life hangs in the balance, but that of his lover, Jane Ford, as well.

Beginning shortly after the previous book ends all the survivors are back to face new danger. Peter Brandvold really has created a great set of characters, good, bad, male and female, to struggle through the often-deadly situations they find themselves in.

Bloody Joe’s mistrust of Drago is the main story thread, but there are others too. Joe’s deputy Stringbean has affairs of the heart to deal with that see him facing a murder charge. Joe’s second deputy, Rio, also has woman problems to deal with – his being a little more light-hearted than Stringbean’s, and they often provide some comical scenes that provide some light-relief among the darker and more ruthless plotlines.

Bloody Joe isn’t completely fuelled by violence and anger as he struggles to control the odds that are stacked against him and those he calls friends. He does have a tender side too, usually only revealed to his daughter Evangeline and his lover Jane Ford. This time he may have gone too far for even them to forgive him.

Peter Brandvold never gives his characters or readers a chance to catch their breath as his twisting plot explodes in brutal fistfights and gunfights, these bloody action scenes being quite graphic in their depiction. It’s not just the men who get involved in these savage incidents either as the women will have to fight to survive too.

I’ve read a lot of Peter Brandvold’s books and this series has to be up there with the very best he’s written. Let’s hope Bloody Joe Mannion is in for a long run. 

KILL RED

WOLF STOCKBURN, RAILROAD DETECTIVE 3

By Max O’Hara

Pinnacle Books, June 2022

Red Miller is more than a thief and a killer. He robs banks and trains not just for the money, but to spit in the eye of every badge-toting lawman who dares enforce law and order. He surrounds himself with only the deadliest of desperadoes – and takes a perverse pleasure in deadly bloodshed.

Five of those people have banded together. They have all lost something to Red’s murderous rampage. There is no place in America or Mexico where the bandit and his gang can hide from their vengeance. And they’re led by Wolf Stockburn, Wells Fargo detective and a dead shot who knows that sometimes justice comes only from the barrels of smoking guns.

The first two books in this series were excellent reads, and for me, this third one surpasses them both. The author has created a wonderful set of characters that had me rooting for them or despising them – yes, these people can be found on both sides of the law. 

Red Miller is wonderfully evil. Stealing, killing, he enjoys it all. Part way through this tale he gets hooked on a drug that sees him suffering mood swings, so you can never be sure how he is going to react in any given situation.

Stockburn is driven by guilt. Out to avenge a death and then more as the body count increases and he won’t let the border between America and Mexico stop his pursuit of Red, even if it means facing the Rurales. 

It’s not just men who have strong roles to play in this extremely fast-moving tale. There are women too, equally as memorable as the male characters, and they have important roles to play in the outcome of this novel.

The action scenes are tough, savage and fairly graphic. Brutal fist-fights and gunfights, one of which involves a Gatling gun. Many bodies will litter the towns and countryside before we even get to the final violent showdown.

I’ve been a bit vague in my descriptions of the plot and what I liked about this tale as I don’t want to ruin any of the plot twists this story contains. I will say I wasn’t surprised when the chase led Stockburn into Mexico as this is a favourite place for this author to set his stories. As it is no longer a secret, I can reveal that Max O’Hara is a pseudonym for Peter Brandvold. 

For me, Peter Brandvold is one of the best western authors writing today. His storylines are always gripping and full of action. Unlike some of Peter’s other work, this book, indeed the series, doesn’t contain any explicit sex and there is a distinct lack of bad language making it a safe read for all western readers. 

Book 4, One Way to Boot Hill, is due out at the end of December and that is one release I’m looking forward to. 

BLOODY JOE

BLOODY JOE MANNION 1

By Peter Brandvold

Wolfpack Publishing, April 2022

“Bloody” Joe Mannion is a town tamer of great renown. His temper is just a famous. Known as the most uncompromising lawman on the Western frontier, he’s been the town marshal of Del Norte in the Colorado Territory for the past five years. When his temper gets the better of him and he badly beats Whip Helton, the son of a prominent rancher, Joe’s house is burned down and his daughter kidnapped and raped. Joe goes on a vengeance-fuelled warpath, putting him at odds with the whole town he’s sworn to protect.

To make sure Whip Helton hangs for the kidnapping and rape, Bloody Joe will risk everything, including his life, the town, and a hail of hot lead!

Bloody Joe is the first book in a tough new series from Peter Brandvold, an author I’ve long been a fan of, and for me he’s yet again come up with a terrific lead character who I’m going to enjoy reading more about. Once Joe sets his mind on doing something, he’s going to do it, and to hell with everything and everyone else. This single-minded determination could see him lose his job, his woman, and his life.

There are loads of excellent confrontations throughout this fast-moving tale and you have to wonder how Blood Joe can emerge victorious as the rancher has a small army ready to take on the lawman and bust Whip Helton out of jail. How Joe gets Whip into jail is just one of the thrilling parts of this brutal tale.

Peter Brandvold excels at fast and furious action scenes and hard-hitting violence, yet he can also write tender scenes just as well, Joe’s love for his daughter comes across superbly. Joe’s haunted mind regarding eyes and his almost uncontrollable temper are appealing traits to his character too.

One of the scenes that built-up tension to breaking point for me was when Joe daughter, Vangie, took her first steps into the streets of Del Norte after her horrific ordeal. I had no idea how this was going to play out. Was she going to snap, be ok, or perhaps take her own life?

There are other great characters to discover too, such as Stringbean, one of Joe’s deputies who doubts his abilities as a lawman, with the opposite sex and as a man and it isn’t long before he’s battling with his belief that he is a coward.

Everything is resolved in a gripping final showdown that has a high death toll and includes a couple of surprising moments making for a very satisfying ending to this great book. 

If you are a fan of Peter Brandvold’s work, then you’ll not want to miss this book, this series. If you love fast-paced action-packed westerns then this is a book that should be on your must-read list. If you’ve never read anything by Peter Brandvold then this is a great place to start, to find out what you’ve been missing.

Book 2, Revenge at Burial Rock is due out in May 2022.

AMBUSH AT APACHE PASS

By Frank Leslie

Signet, September 2014

When Chiricahau Apaches attack a stagecoach bound for Fort Hell, Yakima Henry and fellow scout Seth Barksdale rush to defend it – only to discover that one of the fallen Apache is a blond-haired, blue-eyed white boy. This is shocking news to the fort’s commanding officer, Colonel Ephraim Alexander. Years ago, his family was kidnapped during an Apache attack, and his desperate search was cut short by orders to evacuate. If this white Apache warrior is his son, can his wife and daughter still be alive?

The colonel charges Yakima and Seth to lead a search party. Riding as far as the forbidding Shadow Montañas in Mexico, they come up against a ruthless warrior queen – a beautiful blond white woman with cornflower blue eyes. Can this unlikely leader of the fierce Winte Wolf People and a pack of ex-Confederate desperadoes actually be the colonel’s long-lost daughter? As bullets fly and blood paints the desert red, Yakima and Seth grow ever more determined to find the truth.

This book was announced as being the first in a new series that would feature Yakima Henry as a young scout during the Apache Wars. Frank Leslie had already written ten books about Yakima in his later life. As many will know, Frank Leslie is a pseudonym used by Peter Brandvold and the book was republished in 2021 by Wolfpack Publishing under the authors own name. 

The story offers everything readers would expect from a western written by Peter Brandvold; an extremely fast-moving tale, tough men, sensuous women who can handle weapons as well as any man, savage action that at times is quite graphic in its description and plenty of surprising twists to the plot. 

Yakima Henry isn’t in the book as much as some of the other characters and what great characters they are. People such as Seth Barksdale, Samantha Tunny and her father Gila River Joe. Then there’s Riona the Apache Queen and Luz Ortega, the latter being in one of my favourite scenes of the story that could have come straight-out of a spaghetti western when Yakima and Seth face some Mexican bandits lead by a man known as The Scorpion. The book also features a Gatling Gun which creates carnage a couple of times in spectacular fashion, especially during a raid on Fort Hell.

As I’ve already mentioned, this book was the first in a new series so I’m guessing that Peter Brandvold had plans for the survivors of this tale as some of the forming relationships are left hanging. Sadly, there wasn’t another book but now that Wolfpack is republishing past westerns from the author along with new work, maybe we’ll get another in this series too. Let’s hope so, as this first Apache Wars novel was an excellent read and deserves a sequel. 

Hell on Wheels

SHERIFF STILLMAN 8

By Peter Brandvold

Berkley, September 2006

When Sheriff Ben Stillman accompanies Judge John Bannon and friends to a wedding in Sulfur, Montana Territory, he aims to have a nice long weekend of rest and respite from gunslinging. But Angus Whateley has other plans. He’s just been released from prison, and he’s out to avenge the hanging of his cattle-rustling sons – hangings ordered by Bannon.

Backed by a gang of the most violent and vicious members of his family, Whateley strikes when the judge takes the stagecoach back home. Soon, Stillman finds himself fighting a wheel-bound war against a clan of killers out for bloody revenge…

Peter Brandvold puts Sheriff Stillman into the middle of a fight not of his making in this excellent entry in the series. With his wife accompanying him and other friends too, the lawman really has no choice but to take on the outlaws.

There is plenty of bloody violent gunplay to be found in this book, a lot of which is described in all its gory horror, just witness a couple of brutal killings at the stage station to see what I mean. 

Those who’ve followed this series will be aware of Stillman’s medical issues, and here they get worse, striking him down at the worst moments possible, adding extra tension to his frantic struggles to protect the stagecoach occupants. 

The author switches between the various groups of characters at regular intervals. This allows him time to fill in the backstory of what happened to make Whateley so intent on killing Bannon. We also discover secrets about one of the other stage passengers that adds more depth to the story. 

As the passengers are forced to split up so Stillman’s attempts to save them all become more desperate. As some of Stillman’s friends fall into the clutches of the Whateley clan it seems as if they are doomed to die.

I’ve always enjoyed the Sheriff Stillman novels, they are certainly some of my favourites of Peter Brandvold’s many series. Filled with tough, resourceful characters of both sexes, plots that hit as hard as a .45 bullet and nerve-tearing action scenes, I find these books extremely difficult to put down and this one is right up there with the very best that this series has to offer.

Unfortunately Berkley didn’t publish anymore books in this series, but Peter Brandvold didn’t let that stop him putting out more Stillman stories. Through self-publishing and then with Wolfpack Publishing (who’ve also made all the old books available again) Sheriff Stillman continues to battle the lawless and the series has now reached its fourteenth book, and I’m very much looking forward to reading them all as soon as I can.

Once Late with a .38

SHERIFF BEN STILLMAN

number 7 of 8 *

By Peter Brandvold

Berkley, October 2003

Sheriff Ben Stillman has enough of a hard time keeping peace in the town of Clantick without having to worry about the likes of Matt Parish. Since his father died, Matt has been responsible for the Circle P Ranch – and his hot-headed streak has been responsible for a lot of trouble with the other ranchers . . . including his future father-in-law, Tom Suthern. 

Despite failing health and loss of profits, Tom refuses to sell his spread to Matt, even if he is marrying his daughter. So, when Matt is discovered in the presence of Tom’s bullet-riddled corpse, people naturally assume he murdered the old man. Now, it’s up to Ben Stillman to protect Matt from a trigger-happy posse and find the real killer – before it’s too late . . . 

Sheriff Ben Stillman has always been one of my favourite characters to come from the pen of Peter Brandvold, perhaps because reading the first Stillman book was the one that introduced me to the authors writing and I’ve been a fan ever since. 

Peter Brandvold’s work can often be very graphic when he describes the violent scenes in his stories and the intimate moments between male and female characters. Language can be very colourful too, but in this book all these elements are kept to a minimum.

A number of other people from the town of Clantick have parts to play in this fast-moving story that sees Doc Evans taking a central role. In this series Stillman often tracks known outlaws but this time he has to become a detective, questioning suspects (and there’s a fair few of them) before the pieces of the jigsaw come together. Even as they do the plot thickens with twists and turns as double-cross and triple-cross further complicate the situation. 

The story regularly switches between a variety of characters as the violence escalates. Stillman eventually blundering into a situation that it seems he cannot possibly escape. Tension mounts as surprising revelations come one after the other leading to a thrilling conclusion. 

Once Late with a .38 is another excellent entry into the Sheriff Ben Stillman series and I’m certain it won’t be long before I read the next book.

* I’ve indicated at the top of this review that Once Late with a .38 is book seven of eight, which is true if we look at the original run of the series published by Berkley. Some eight years after book eight appeared Peter Brandvold started writing the series again. There are now 14 and they are all available through Wolfpack Publishing. 

The Cost of Dying

By Peter Brandvold

Pinnacle, August 2019

Lou Prophet decides to cool his heels at a local honky tonk but things heat up fast when he defends one of the girls from a sadistic brute who also happens to be the deputy sheriff. And now Lou Prophet is running for his life . . . 

Heading south of the border to Mexico, Prophet isn’t the only man marked for death. The young red-headed pistolero Colter Farrow has made an awful lot of enemies, too—and now practically every bounty hunter south of the Rio Grande is gunning for blood. For money. For fun. And, now, for Lou Prophet . . . 

At over 400 pages in length, Peter Brandvold gives his readers a book that never lets up in pace and bloody, violent action from beginning to end. It’s also great to see Prophet teaming up with another of the authors heroes, Colter Fallow. Even though the story is told mainly through Prophet, Farrow is riding alongside for most of the tale and the banter between the two men is often laced with humour which provides some light relief from the savage confrontations they find themselves in.

After some chapters dealing with Prophet and Farrow individually as they attempt to outrun their different sets of pursuers the two men decide to team up for a while and it isn’t long before they rescue a very attractive young lady from a deadly situation which in turn leads to them being hired to find her sister, kidnapped by slave traders. 

Things don’t go according to plan and both our heroes soon find themselves buried up to their necks in the ground. How can they possibly escape from this certain death? Obviously, they do, and in the process meet an excellent character in Baja Jack, a drug dealer who could help them find the bandits behind the kidnapping. 

Long-time readers of the Lou Prophet books know about his relationship with Louisa Bonaventure—The Vengeance Queen—and she also has a small part to play in this story too, or does she as Prophet begins to believe he imagined seeing and speaking to her. This encounter adds a neat touch of mystery to the story.

There are a number of surprises in store, the main one coming when Prophet finds the stolen girl. The tale contains a high body count and little in the way of explicit sex (something that is often found in Brandvold’s work). After plenty of lead-slinging action the story closes with a final brutal showdown that ties everything up neatly.

This is a book that all fans of Peter Brandvold should make sure they don’t miss, especially if you enjoy reading about Lou Prophet and Colter Farrow. In fact, this is a book that should be on the reading list of all western fans.  

Longarm and the Sonora Siren

By Tabor Evans

Jove, May 2014

#426 in the series

As thunder booms and lightning flashes and wolves nuzzle the bloody, bullet-ridden corpses of Longarm’s fallen foes out in the wet, muddy streets of a Mexican ghost town, the lawman is warm and cozy inside – and happy to be alive, receiving a sweet reward for rescuing a kidnapped señorita.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Custis Long has technically gone rogue – crossing the border into Mexico to recover a stolen Army payroll. He hadn’t planned on encountering hot-blooded hostage Claudia Cordova, but now he’s sure glad he saved her…

Until he wakes up after a night of passion tied to the four posts of a bed – his seductive siren long gone, her saddlebags bulging with those “gringo greenbacks”…

It’s been a while since I last read a Longarm book and this one proved to be an exciting, fun read. The story is crammed full of action, both of the violent kind and sexual – descriptions of both extremely explicit at times. Longarm is also presented as a tougher, more brutal, man than some of the other writers behind the pseudonym of Tabor Evans depict him, and the lawman, along with other characters, uses some quite crude language at times that some readers may find offensive.

The author (in this case Peter Brandvold) has his tale moving forward at a gallop from the opening scene and the pace never lets up until the final words. As the story progresses Longarm finds himself struggling to make sense of who the real Claudia Cordova is as different people paint her with different colours, all of which add a number of surprising twists and turns which kept me guessing until the end.

Does Longarm retrieve the payroll? Does Cordova get her comeuppance? Does Longarm’s border crossing create a major incident between Mexico and the United Sates? Obviously, I can’t reveal any of that here, but I can certainly say that fans of the Longarm series and Peter Brandvold’s work won’t want to miss this one. This is definitely one of the best adult westerns I’ve read in some time. 

Blood at Sundown

By Peter Brandvold

Pinnacle, January 2019

Lou Prophet and the deadly Louisa Bonaventure have torn a bloody swath across Dakota territory in search of the Gritch Hatchley gang. When they finally catch up to them, an epic blizzard threatens to turn the Dakota prairie into a frozen hell. To bag their prey before the storm hits, Prophet and Louisa split up – and take separate paths towards damnation.

Prophet’s course takes him into a town packed to the gills with the deadliest outlaws that roamed the frontier, while Louisa gets caught in Sundown, a one-horse town where a hatchet-wielding maniac threatens to paint Main Street red. When spring’s thaw comes, they’ll find a city of corpses beneath the snow.

And nobody gives a damn about the law…

After a joint and bloody assault on a roadhouse full of outlaws it isn’t long before Prophet and The Vengeance Queen head in different directions to bring in the last of Hatchley’s gang. Peter Brandvold then pretty much splits the tale in two, switching between Prophet and Louisa regularly as they each track down a pair of outlaws. Once cornering, and dealing with, their targets, both Prophet and Lousia become involved in violent incidents that have to be dealt with before they can meet up again. It’s these troubles that make up the bulk of the story and give the book a feel of it being two separate tales combined into one.

As expected from any story written by Peter Brandvold the book is ram-packed with vividly descriptive ferocious violence, especially Louisa’s struggle to identify and deal with the killer who dispatches his victims with a hatchet, although the mystery to discover just who this is gets easier as the corpses pile up. 

Prophet finds himself involved with visiting Russians, and a rich man’s jealousy, never mind this man’s arrogance which leads to bloody slaughter. Yes, this book contains a very high death toll and you have to wonder if anyone will be left alive by the end.

It’s no secret that I enjoy Peter Brandvold’s tales and this book is right up there with his best work and I’m now very much looking forward to the next Lou Prophet novel, The Cost of Dying, due to be released in July.

Stagecoach to Purgatory

By Peter Brandvold

Pinnacle, September 2018

After many years of ebook and/or hardback only releases it’s great to see the name of Peter Brandvold fronting a mainstream paperback again. Lou Prophet is one of Pete’s most popular characters and this book contains not one but two stories about the bounty hunter.

LAST STAGE TO HELL

What do you get when you take one stagecoach out of Denver, add a thousand-or-so bullets whizzing past your head, while sitting next to two headless corpses caught in the crossfire? If your name is Lou Prophet, you get raucous, rowdy, ruthless revenge. Next question?

DEVIL BY THE TAIL

How do you catch a fork-tongued demon who’s busted out of prison to wreak unholy hell on a small Texas town? If you’re Lou Prophet, you team up with red-hot Louisa Bonaventura, aka “The Vengeance Queen,” and cut a swath of merciless Prophet mayhem in return.

Due process be damned…

Each of these stories clocks in at just under 200 pages long so Pete has plenty of time to create devious plots that move forward at an extremely fast pace and involve regular bouts of gunplay. Prophet’s shotgun being used to devastating effect on many occasions, perhaps most memorably in the first story when the bounty hunter is trapped in an overturned stagecoach.

Peter Brandvold writes tough, brutal tales filled with fascinating characters that don’t let up with the action for a second. As mentioned in the blurb for the second story it’s great to see him working alongside Louisa Bonaventura again (she’s appeared in most of the previous Prophet books) and Prophet has to deal with the green-eyed monster of jealousy in this one as well as some vicious people.

The first story sees Prophet’s lust for the ladies get him into real trouble and a letter from another woman seems to be a way out of this deadly situation. Of course, this letter asking for help turns into another life and death struggle. Long-time readers of the Prophet books should remember the lady asking for help for she is Lola Diamond who appeared in the first book in the series.

Whereas the first story is more of a straightforward tale the second is filled with twists and turns. Many of these surprises quite shocking – and I can’t reveal more without spoiling them – as who did what to whom and what the real relationships between characters are come to light, not to mention the whereabouts of a missing baby.

I’m sure all fans of Peter Brandvold’s work have probably already read this and enjoyed it as much as I did. If you’ve yet to discover Mean Pete’s writing then this could just be the perfect place to start as it seems to be the beginning of another run for Lou Prophet in paperback. The second book is already out and a third is scheduled for release in July. Stagecoach to Purgatory is a superb read and I’ll certainly be picking up the next one as soon as I can.

The Old Wolves

RUSTY SPURR #2

By Peter Brandvold

Berkley, August 2013

Deputy United States Marshal Spurr Morgan’s ticker isn’t what it used to be. After Spurr suffers a heart attack on the job, the chief marshal convinces him it’s time to step down. Unwilling to go out on a sour note, Spurr asks for one last assignment.

The chief sends him to bring a prisoner back to Denver from the Medicine Bow Mountains. The mission seems routine for an old hand like Spurr, until he discovers that the criminal in question is his old nemesis, Boomer Drago – the former lawman turned train robber that Spurr’s been trying to run down for years. Now, with Drago’s gang on his trail and a young girl named Greta needing help out of the mountains, Spurr is ready to face his dangerous final job and prove that even old wolves still have a mean bite…

There might only be two books dedicated solely to Spurr Morgan, but followers of Peter Brandvold’s work will know that this likeable old lawman has also appeared in a number of the authors other books under his own name and his pseudonym Frank Leslie. I for one am glad that Peter managed to write a book that brings an end to Spurr’s career before Berkley stopped publishing westerns so that Spurr didn’t become another hero that just vanished as a publisher cancelled a series without giving the author a chance to bring about a satisfying conclusion to his characters escapades.

This book offers everything Brandvold’s followers could ask for; a fast paced plot, tough characters – both male and female, some explicit sex, plenty of brutal action and occasional moments of humour. In fact there are some great one-liners to be found in this book, mainly coming from Morgan or Drago as they reflect on old age.

So does Spurr survive this assignment or does he meet his end by bullet or heart attack? I guess you’ll just have to read the book to find out, and hopefully enjoy this excellent story as much as I did. 

Once More into the Breech

By Peter Brandvold

Five Star Publishing, May 2015

When Doctor Clyde Evans is kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night to tend a wounded outlaw, Sheriff Ben Stillman’s problems are only just beginning. Stillman tracks the doctor to a remote cabin deep in the Two Bear Mountains. He springs the doctor, shoots the outlaws, and confiscates the bank loot. He also arrests a beautiful young outlaw, Hettie Styles, who promptly puts a bounty on Stillman’s head. Compounding his problems, his old foe Jacob Henry Battles rides into town with a steel hook replacing the arm Stillman shot off years ago before sending Battles to prison. 

Dying from consumption, Battles was recently let out of Deer Lodge Pen. He says he’s in town merely to settle down, but after a shot is fired into Stillman’s house in the middle of the night, the sheriff thinks Battles is out for revenge. 

Meanwhile, Doc Evans must navigate more personal torments when young Evelyn Vincent, the waitress from Sam Wa’s Café, professes her love for the older sawbones only weeks before Evans is due to be married to the Widow Kemmett! 

In this, the 10th book in the Sheriff Ben Stillman series a long occurring problem really takes a grip making this a must read for fans of the Stillman stories.

For all the deadly dangers Stillman faces in this violent tale it’s something he is powerless to control that could be his downfall. The bullet in his back is causing him to stiffen up, near paralysing him. How can he protect his family, let alone continue being a lawman if he ends up in a wheelchair? Peter Brandvold comes up with some powerful storytelling as he writes about Stillman’s fears of what the future may hold for him.

Doc Evans’ women problems are a major part of this tale as the Stillman books are about the people of Clantick too, and this makes for a neat subplot and will have you wondering who he will choose.

Peter Brandvold has always been very good at creating terrific characters and this one is filled with them; Battles, a dying man who says he isn’t after revenge: Miller, who’s trying to engineer the ultimate gunfight between Stillman and Battles: Hettie, female outlaw who seems to be able to wrap men around her little finger and is out to double-cross her gang, to name but a few.

The story is packed with bloody action that is quite savage at times and also contains some explicit sex. There’s mystery too, such as who is taking sniping shots at the Stillman home. All overshadowed by the fear I’ve already mentioned that Stillman may not be capable of protecting his friends and family when the time comes which makes for some edge-of-the-seat moments before the final tension filled confrontation.

Here’s hoping Peter doesn’t make us wait too long before we get to find out what he has in store for Sheriff Ben Stillman next.

.45-Caliber Left to Die

By Peter Brandvold

Mean Pete Press, March 2015

Cuno Massey is just passing through central New Mexico when he’s ambushed by town tamer, Lawton Briggs and three other men and one pretty but angry young woman, Stacey Ramos. Stacey is owner of the San Juan Valley Stage Line. The group thinks Cuno Massey is working for the notorious stage robber, Jack Salmon, who killed Stacey’s father. None of the men and Stacey will take no for an answer. Instead, intending to send Salmon and his gang a clear, brutal message, they strip young Massey naked, lay him out spread-eagle and tied to ground-sunk stakes, and leave him to die. 

Cuno is rescued by the beautiful ranch woman, Olivia Taffly, and her son, Hob. 

Now Cuno is back on the vengeance trail… 

To my counting this is the tenth .45-Caliber book and I for one am very glad Peter continues to write about Cuno Massey as he is probably my favourite character Peter has created a series around.

The book sees Cuno driven by a burning fury to kill those who have wronged him. This leads to rash decisions that Cuno later reflects weren’t the right choices to make so this needs to be set right too in a hail of bullets.

If you’ve yet to discover Peter Brandvolds’ writing then this tale contains all his trademarks; a fast moving plot filled with twists and turns, tough men and women, plenty of brutal action, and some explicit sex. All this combines to make this story an extremely entertaining read that leaves me looking forward to his next book.

Gold Dust Woman

THE REVENGER #4

By Frank Leslie

Mean Pete Press, August 2014

A beautiful ranch woman from Lincoln County, New Mexico, wants Sartain to kill her husband, a county sheriff under Pat Garrett. The woman thinks her husband, possessed by an evil Apache spirit, murdered their three young sons. 

Is Everett Chance really evil or is his wife just plain loco? 

But that’s only the beginning of Sartain’s problems. 

He’s also tracked the last surviving killer of his beloved Jewel to the town of Gold Dust where, sporting a couple of the Revenger’s own bullets, Scrum Wallace is being protected by a handful of Lincoln County renegades, including the Gold Dust town Marshal. 

Two jobs have overlapped, and the tall, handsome Cajun finds himself in one hell of a whipsaw! 

Sartain is an intriguing hero, or should that be anti-hero? How the law sees right and wrong is of no concern to him, and payment is not needed. If he decides someone needs help in dealing out revenge then he will do so gladly. Of course not everyone sees things as he does and this creates some tense situations.

Sartain has to decide if the woman who hired him is telling the truth or if she is in fact the crazy one. Frank Leslie really does an excellent job in making the reader suspect first the husband, then the wife, then the husband, and so on, until you’ll have no idea as to who Sartain will kill, if anyone. Finding the answer out to this question really does make this a difficult to put down read.

Starting with a cracking barroom shootout that sees Sartain taking on massive odds Frank Leslie sets the tone for the rest of this savage tale. There’s plenty of violent action as the two story threads become entwined, something Sartain takes in his stride and deals with bullet by bullet.

Of course it’s no secret that Frank Leslie is a pseudonym used by Peter Brandvold, and fans of his work will not want to miss this new series. If you’ve yet to discover his writing, like extremely fast paced books filled with brutal violence, and in the case of this series some graphic bedroom scenes, then grab a copy now as I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Me? I’m already looking forward to book 5.