THE HELLION

 

ABILENE

Book 11 of 16

THE HELLION

By Justin Ladd

Cover art by Gordon Crabb

Pocket Books, December 1989

Two miles west of Abilene, Nord Madden’s gang guns down Donald Rutledge in cold blood. Two thousand miles away in New York City, an aspiring actress named Beth Rutledge finds out that her father is dead – and starts back to Abilene.

In Abilene Marshal Luke Travis is going after the killers, but the county sheriff is getting in his way. Someone is cutting down members of the gang, and Nord Madden is preparing for war. Travis and his deputy are looking for a slender gunman with a lightning fast .38. Beth Rutledge avows her notorious brother is behind the gun – and he won’t stop until he’s won his revenge!

This book’s plot isn’t as straightforward as the back cover blurb makes it sound. The author has a number of surprises in store, some that long-time followers of the series will not want to miss out on. Affairs of the heart will play their part too for more than one Abilene townsperson. Travis will also butt heads with the county sheriff which could prove very dangerous to his position in Abilene. Someone else on the town council wants to bring the future that is already happening back east to Abilene and that means there’s no place for an outdated lawman and marshal’s office, so political confrontations are set in motion. All this, and more, are secondary plotlines that may play a part in bringing the main storyline to a close, but it’s the race to find the Madden gang and the gunman who is killing them off that takes up the majority of the book.

Pacing is excellent and even though the reader will have some idea as to who is gunning down members of the Madden gang the author has a surprise or two waiting to add a new twist to the tale. The characterization of the new visitors to Abilene is first-rate and you’ll soon be caring about what happens to them. Development of long-time characters continues and these storylines left me looking forward to the next book in the series to see how their lives play out. The many action scenes are top-notch too.

Justin Ladd is a pseudonym for James Reasoner who is one of the best western authors writing today and I’ve yet to read anything by him that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. This book, in fact the whole series, is highly recommended by me.

EXCITING WESTERN - October 1953

 

EXCITING WESTERN
British Edition, Vol. II, No. 9
Atlas Publishing, October 1953

The British edition of Exciting Western started by taking it contents from the American pulp of the same name with the occasional stories sourced from other American western pulps. As time went on most of the stories came from other western pulps. This is the case with this issue of Exciting Western as all the contents, except one, were taken from the Spring 1953 issue of Thrilling Ranch Stories. The other tale, Fiddle-Foot was taken from Exciting Western, March 1953. 

The opening novella is Rustler’s Run by Lewis B. Patten. Burt Norden is doing his best to look after his mother whose gone into a state of depression since her husband died. Burt is sweet on one of the neighbouring rancher’s daughters, Lucy, but the path to true love isn’t running smoothly. Lucy’s mother is dying and another young man, Mitch Riorson is showing interest in her. Mitch is always picking fights with Burt and they are getting more vicious each time fists fly. It seems it won’t be long before one kills the other. On top of all this is the mystery of missing cattle. Patten’s portrayal of human emotion is first class and his action scenes are well depicted. The story was a little predictable, but even so, still made for an exciting read.

Next comes the short story Fiddle-Foot by Ben Frank (real name Frank Bennett). Freddy had some strange help: a stuffed gorilla, a pet skunk – and Stella’s red-hot skillet! This tale is told in a light-hearted tone throughout and contains quite a few amusing scenes. It tells the story of how the Foster Memorial Museum came to be in the basement of the Courthouse in Mumblepeg. It involves a couple of old-timers, an attractive housekeeper, and a stolen windmill, as well as the already mentioned gorilla, skunk and skillet. This story would fall into the category of comedy westerns, and I felt that it was the perfect length for this type of tale, any longer and it would have outstayed its welcome. 

Paul Randell Morrison’s novelette Grip of the West followed. This is set in the time of automobiles and telephones, but once the opening scene is played out, I could easily imagine it as a western taking place in an early time period. The main character is well-to-do Gary Cortland who, whilst drunk, is dumped on a train heading west as a prank. Cortland ends up working on a ranch, saving the day when a river threatens to burst its banks, and falls in love with the rancher’s daughter, Peggy. Cortland also discovers that he enjoys the harder life of a cowboy than living in a city where everything is done for him. All through the story I was waiting to see if Cortland would get revenge on his two friends who put him on the train and how he does that was amusing and just. Entertaining.

The fourth and final tale in this issue of Exciting Western is the short story The Ranger Takes a Wife by Frank P. Castle. Flounces and frills, ruffles and lace – To her they were pretty. To him a disgrace! Tough rancher Chris Talley decides he needs a wife to keep house and do chores. A homeless girl struggling to survive fits the bill and after a quick wedding they are married. That’s when differences in their outlook to life emerge, things Chris can’t accept. There’s also the Guerra family who Chris believes are cattle thieves. More trouble erupts when his wife Loretta befriends Victoria who is one of the Guerra clan. This is a tough tale that contains some harsh dialogue and scenes. I was never sure how this tale would end. The conclusion was a little to perfect as Chris changes his viewpoint all too suddenly. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the story and would like to check out more of Castle’s work.

The last page is taken up with the article Rope Rascality by Ferris Weddle. I usually don’t read these parts of the pulps but I did this time. It proved to be a collection of tall tales of when a lasso was used, a couple of which made me smile. 

Overall, this was an enjoyable issue of Exciting Western. For me, the best two stories were those by Patten and Castle.

GALLOWS GHOST

GALLOW GHOST

By Barry Cord

Ace Books, 1967

The man Hell rejected. When the cold swept over the Texas Badlands, it brought something even more deadly with it: a force so violent and evil that even the harsh winter was nothing compared to it

A lone rider came out of the infamous outlaw hideout in the Tenejos hills. That rider called himself by the name of a man who had been hanged twenty years before – and he was riding now to bring vengeance and terror on those who had brought him to the gallows.

This slim, strangely dapper gunman rode into the rangeland and left death and destruction on his trail – but there was one man he especially wanted. That was young U.S. Marshal Colby Jackson, the son of the man who had done the hanging.

But how could Colby shoot it out with a man who was already dead?

This very fast-moving story begins with a one-man massacre, and it’s not just people he kills. Livestock is slaughtered too and a line shack destroyed. And the killing spree doesn’t end there. One of the acts of this dead man is to kidnap a young woman to bring Marshal Colby Jackson to him and it isn’t long before Jackson is gunned down – but he survives and wants answers. Who is this mystery gunman and why does he want to kill Jackson and others? Is he really a spirit returned from the dead wanting revenge? Will the lawman be able to find and free the kidnapped girl? 

Barry Cord’s tale becomes more and more gripping as the lawman tries to track down a ghost. At times the story takes on a very dark tone as some of the scenes depict cruelty in very visual prose. The author switches between characters regularly often leaving them in dangerous situations when changing to someone else. Cord does let the reader know what’s going on partway through the story but that seemed to add more tension to the tale rather than giving away too much. At no time did I predict the outcome of the story and I was never quite sure who would be left alive at the end of the book.

Barry Cord is a pseudonym for author Peter Germano and Gallows Ghost is an excellent example of why I like his work so much and once again I was left looking forward to reading another of his books very soon.

My copy of Gallows Ghost is part of an Ace Double and it is backed by Room to Swing a Loop by Stephen Payne. 

SIX GRAVES TO SUNRISE

 

SIX GRAVES TO SUNRISE

By Brett McKinley

A Cleveland Western (No. 1149) from Cleveland Publishing – year unknown.

As you can see from the cover image the author is announced as being Brett McKinley, inside it states that it is by Emerson Dodge. Before anyone wastes anytime trying to work out just which of them actually wrote Six Graves to Sunrise I’ll tell you that McKinley and Dodge are both pseudonyms for the same person; author Paul Wheelahan. 

Six Graves to Sunrise is a well-written traditional western the moves forward at a gallop. The plot turns up often in westerns; that of a man, Shannon, accused of a murder he didn’t commit and his hunting down of the real killer to clear his name. There’s a touch of love interest too, although that only takes up a very small part of the story. Wheelahan regularly switches between Shannon and his lawman friend, Gault, as they both hunt down their prey, eventually teaming up to do so. Wheelahan also tells of what Cherneck, the real killer, is doing. Cherneck joins forces with another cold killer, Lucky Kelso, and a couple of other outlaws. Each time we read about them the bodies pile up – which made me question the title as there are a lot more than six people who die as the trail leads to the town of Sunrise. There’s a sub-plot too in that Gault has history with Kelso.

Character studies are good and the action scenes are described vividly, especially the attack on an iron payroll wagon. There is one little mistake, and if you blink, you’ll probably miss it. A mule becomes a horse momentarily before becoming a mule again. 

Like other books I’ve read by Paul Wheelahan Six Graves to Sunrise proved to be an entertaining read. 

Paul Wheelahan has had over eight hundred westerns published under a variety of pseudonyms. 

SLOCUM BURIED ALIVE

 

SLOCUM BURIED ALIVE

Book 424 of 430 + 17 Giant Editions

By Jake Logan

Cover illustration by Sergio Giovine

Jove, June 2014

Passing uneasily through the dried-up town of Espero, Texas, John Slocum learns soon enough that his apprehension is justified. After a not-so-friendly welcome at the Six Feet Under Saloon, he’s given the choice between a bullet or a bit of employment: Escort the town mortician’s strikingly pretty bride-to-be from a train station at Dexter Junction – in exchange for a hefty sum.

But with someone after the gunslinger and the mysterious beauty, Slocum reckons that the undertaker neglected to tell him the whole story. There’s treachery in store for Slocum upon returning to Espero, a place where men have been known to land in an early grave… much too early…

The author had me hooked right from the start and soon added more questions that needed answering, along with mystery upon mystery. Are any of the characters Slocum meets really who they say they are? The undertaker’s bride-to-be, Miranda Madison, is certainly hiding something… and who is the man trailing her? The mortician is definitely acting strangely. What is his game? He doesn’t act like a completely sane man either… especially when he announces his wedding gift to his wife-to-be will be a newly made coffin! 

The book contains plenty of action, and some truly horrific scenes as the undertaker’s sinister acts are slowly exposed. Slocum has to endure being buried alive, a fate many of us fear, and this part of the book will stay with me for a long time, as will the truth behind the undertaker’s plans and that of Miranda. 

I believe the author behind the pseudonym of Jake Logan for this book is Robert Vardeman and here he has come up with a very memorable plot. It was also great to see that he includes a fair bit about Slocum’s past; explaining how he became a man wanted by the law, and how he’s still willing to commit crimes so he can survive. 

Slocum Buried Alive proved to be a very entertaining read and I’m now eager to dig out more of Vardeman’s entries into the series to see if they’re just as good as this one.

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

BADGE FOR BRADDOCK

 

BADGE FOR BRADDOCK

By Kirk Hamilton

A Coronado Western (No. 1063) from Cleveland Publishing – year unknown.

Kirk Hamilton is one of a handful of pseudonyms used by Australian author Keith Hetherington; a writer who had 800 – 1,000 stories published. Those put out by Cleveland fall into the novella category of story length.

Due to the short length of this tale, there is no room for padding, no room for anything that doesn’t propel the story forwards at a brisk pace. Braddock is a bounty hunter, a type of man despised by many, especially when his latest prey is brought in dead and backshot. The townspeople want him gone as soon as possible. Only thing is it’ll take a while for his bounty money to be authorized, meaning Braddock will have to hang around the town of Beaumont for a few days.

Beaumont has a new, inexperienced lawman, Kip Pickett. The local bigwigs are moulding the young sheriff into a man they can control as they conspire to run the town. When Pickett learns that Braddock is an ex-lawman he hires the bounty hunter as his deputy, much to the disgust of the town’s big shots. A fired stagecoach guard learns of some valuable paperwork being held in the safe of the stageline and plots to steal it with the blessing of the town’s criminal element but Braddock could be a problem so he’ll have to be removed, permanently. There’s more to the story than that though, such as the young woman who runs the stageline hating bounty hunters and thus despising Braddock even though he’s trying to help her. This adds for some electrifying dialogue between the two.

There’s plenty of action and the author took me by surprise with one shooting. The final showdown was exciting and even though it finished the story as expected it did bring about a satisfying conclusion to the tale. 

I’ve yet to be disappointed by anything written by Keith Hetherington and this story proved to be another great tale from him that left me looking forward to reading more of his work very soon.