Border Fury

as by Corba Sunman

A Black Horse Western from Hale, January 2010

Buck Starrett, Texas Ranger, had a reputation for fast shooting and a determination to win against overwhelming odds. He was optimistic when he took a novice ranger to Adobe Flat on the Mexican border, but he was unaware that the grim set-up that awaited them would be his toughest challenge yet.

When they plunged into an all-out war with Mexican rustlers operating on both sides of the border, Starrett discovered that this desperate situation was only half the problem facing him. He would have to shoot his way into the crooked situation enveloping Adobe Flat before he could even begin to overcome the criminal element and shoot his way out again.

If it’s action you want from a western then this book is the one you want, the gunplay doesn’t seem to let up for a moment, the outcome of one gunfight leading to the next almost immediately.

Corba Sunman doesn’t believe in giving Starrett an easy life, here he has to deal with a town under the iron rule of Red Satterfield who has many gunmen on his payroll, all eager to kill the Ranger. Then there’s a corrupt lawman and Mexican rustlers. All these factions maybe working alone or altogether, one thing is certain they all want Starrett dead.

Due to the tremendous amount of gunfights there isn’t much room for plot twists, so the tale is pretty straight forward and easy to follow. Sunman’s writing style is easy to read and rattles along at a fair pace. Overall this is a very entertaining read.

Border Fury is officially released this weekend and should be available from the usual Internet sources.

Sharpshooter McClure

by I.J. Parnham

A Black Horse Western from Hale, January 2010

Mike McClure had been a deputy sheriff for only a week when US Marshal Jesse Cole recruited him for a dangerous undercover mission to infiltrate the hired guns who were harassing the homesteaders of Harmony. But in a dreadful night of bloody carnage the mission ended in failure and with the marshal dead, Mike had to flee for his life.

To escape from the gunslingers on his trail, Mike holed up with Brandon Webb’s Wild West Show where he assumed a new identity. But no matter how successful he became in his new life, Mike could never forget the terrible events he had witnessed. One day he must return to Harmony and call upon all his gun skills to bring the guilty parties to grim justice.

What starts out as a straight-forward western plot soon becomes more complex as Brandon Webb’s Wild West Show is introduced to the storyline. Those who have read other books by Ian Parnham will be expecting twists to the story and this book has plenty of those.

Ian Parnham also has his hero horrifically disfigured, which came as a shocking surprise that added an extra element to the story, one that is used to great effect latter in the tale.

The book is fast moving, full of action and well-crafted characters – particularly McClure, who can’t seem to do right no matter how hard he tries. Ian Parnham creates a gripping air of suspense during the Wild West Show’s final performance that results in an exciting showdown.

Another book that proves I.J. Parnham is an author worth reading.

Sharpshooter McClure should be available now from the usual Internet bookstores or from the publisher direct.

Western Fiction News

Tomorrow The Tainted Archive launches a weekend of posts about the western, specifcally those put out  English publisher Hale under the Black Horse Western banner.

Keep checking back throughout the weekend as the aim is to post at least 100 items about these books, including reviews, interviews, articles, and a western comic strip.

This is something that all western fans should not miss! 

Fans of J.A. Johnstone's The Loner series will be pleased to see that four new books have been announced in the series. These are:

#4: The Big Gundown - published February 2010

#5: Rattlesnake Valley - published April 2010

#6: Seven Ways to Die - published June 2010

#7: The Bounty Killers - published October 2010

This series is only available through Walmart or the Johnstone website.

Longarm #374

LONGARM AND THE SAND PIRATES

As by Tabor Evans

Jove, January 2010

When Deputy U.S. Marshal Custis Long trails a gang of murdering outlaws into the desert, he finds the stinging sandstorms worse than any hail of lead. And after one storm blows over, Longarm finds himself in the middle of an abandoned town that was previously hidden under the sand.

Soon he discovers the town isn’t the only thing that was buried. A lovely lady with a treasure chest of her own has braved the elements to find some hidden loot. Funny thing about treasure, though – it draws hard cases like corpses draw buzzards. And as the town becomes repopulated with armed men, the sands of time may be running out for Longarm…

This book opens with a violent gunfight that sees Longarm following those outlaws who escape into the desert. The author (in this case James Reasoner) describes the environment of the desert and the sandstorms so well you can feel the heat and the grit of the sand. Longarm has to fight for his life, not only against outlaws but also the ferocity of Mother Nature too.

James has created some fascinating characters in this story, particularly Haygood McCready and Melinda Kelly, the latter due to the fact you are never quite sure if she’ll turn on, and try to kill, Longarm at any time, which adds an element of suspense to the story.

The book is fast moving and takes place over a short period of time – days rather than weeks – and is filled with action and treachery as companions turn on one another once the treasure is discovered.

All in all, this is an excellent entry into the long-running Longarm series and one that fans of James Reasoner’s work should not miss.

The Trailsman #87

BROTHEL BULLETS

as by Jon Sharpe

Signet, March 1989

Good-looking women in the Arizona wilds were worth their weight in gold for anyone who could supply them to the lonely, lusting men eager to pay for their pleasures.

When a gang of vicious gunmen decided to make a killing in the skin trade, they kidnapped women the same way rustlers stole cattle, and sold them like meat. Their one big mistake was grabbing the two daughters of rich old Owen Hatchfield, because he hired Skye Fargo to rescue them and sweep the desert clean of this filthy, savage scourge. And Fargo lost no time fulfilling his duty, as he shot his way through every brothel and every badman in Arizona…

Fast paced, loads of fighting action, jealous women, and a generous amount of sex (this is an adult western series after all – and the earlier books in this long running series had much more of this than the books do these days), and a twisting plot that sees Fargo trying to solve the mystery of who is behind the kidnapping gang. Fargo is a tough man who’ll back down from no one and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. Going by the style of writing, and the length of the chapters, I’d guess at this being by series creator Jon Messmann.

A while back I reviewed The Trailsman #100: Riverboat Gold, and I said I was disappointed that it seemed like Fargo and Canyon O’Grady (the lead character from Jon Sharpe’s other series) already knew each other, as I believed they’d been teamed up for the landmark 100th Trailsman book. Brothel Bullets reveals that Fargo and O’Grady had met before and this book is definitely where they first met (whether they team up in any others I’ve yet to discover), and O’Grady has his part to play in bringing down the gang. His past and who he is Messmann keeps shrouded in mystery, I guess to encourage readers to buy the Canyon O’Grady series when it was launched in July 1989.

Overall a very entertaining book in The Trailsman series, and a must read for fans of the Canyon O’Grady series.

Liberty and a Law Badge

as by Chap O’Keefe
A Black Horse Extra book, January 2010

Crazy Bob McGill played Peeping Tom at Devil’s Lake and his old heart was pierced. The young woman Sheriff Dan Vickers had brought to share the isolation of his fishing retreat was McGill’s sweet daughter, Liberty. What McGill didn’t learn was that Liberty had been blackmailed. Her self-sacrifice was to preserve the dubious security of marriage to a spineless rancher Tom Tolliver, caught changing a cattle brand with a running-iron.

Meanwhile, Joshua Dillard, ex-Pinkerton agent and range detective, came to Montana working undercover for Vickers’ boss, cattle baron Barnaby Lant. He quickly clashed with Vickers’ deputies, supposed allies, and Vickers’ wife Sophie, on her own vengeance trail.

Then lynching and gunplay muddied the picture. Could Joshua bring justice to the range and save Liberty?

This is Chap O’Keefe’s 9th Joshua Dillard book, the previous eight being published by Hale under their Black Horse Western line, and the second book the author has published as a Black Horse Extra book, the first being Misfit Lil’ Cheats the Hangrope.

From the very beginning this book moves at speed and then races along like a runaway train heading for a collision and destruction. As Chap O’Keefe introduces more and more characters, so the plot deepens through twists and turns, and all sides are brought together for a final, exciting, clash of wits, guns and knives.

Chap O’Keefe’s writing style is very readable and soon sucks you into the plot making this book very difficult to put down. There are plenty of strong male characters and a couple of memorable women, namely Liberty and Sophie, who take two of the leading roles in this tale. And if it’s action you want, this story is brimming with it.

Liberty and a Law Badge can be bought directly from the publishers here. Fans of Chap O’Keefe’s work (real name Keith Chapman) – in particular those who follow his Joshua Dillard series – will be pleased to know that the end of this month also sees the official release of the eighth Dillard book, published as a Black Horse Western by Hale, titled Faith and a Fast Gun; this should be available from all the usual Internet book sellers now.

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.