WESTERN NOVELS—FARGO: HELL ON WHEELS

WESTERN NOVELS

FARGO: HELL ON WHEELS

JOHN BENTEEN

REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST 

This tale has the lowest body count of any Fargo novel I've read so far. Gee-whiz, Neal Fargo only kills three people before the end! Though, to be fair, he does cripple or severely beat up several others.

Despite having less overt violence than most Fargo novels, it's another strong story. Fargo is hired to help a small railroad that is being sabotaged by a larger competitor. He realizes he can't single-handedly guard miles of track, so he instead decides to take the battle to the bad guys, beginning a sabotage campaign against the big company. He takes care to make sure no one innocent is hurt while blowing up water towers, bridges and spurs.

Along the way, he survives a couple of attempts to kill him and eventually faces off against a fast-draw artist who heads up security for the bad guys. The novel concludes with a desperate hand-to-hand fight against the main bad guy while aboard a train that's racing towards a head-on collision with another train. Though the overall body count is unusually low for a Fargo novel, good storytelling and the intensity of that final fight on the train still make this one another winner in the series...

WESTERN NOVELS—GUNSIGHTS

WESTERN NOVELS

GUNSIGHTS 

ELMORE LEONARD

REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST 

In 1887, Dana Moon was an army scout and Bren Early was a calvary officer--both tasked to rescue a woman captured by Apaches. This mission violently plays out in a way that makes them famous--and also makes them a deadly enemy. In 1893, the two men find themselves on opposite sides in a range war between a mining company and homesteaders.

Reporters covering the events expect the two men to meet in battle. But Dana and Bren have no intention of killing one another. Violence ensues anyways, caused both by their mutual enemy and by a thuggish, dishonest deputy sheriff.

This is a fun novel. Not surprisingly for an Elmore Leonard novel, it's full of unique characters and sharp dialogue. The story is puncuated with violence while unexpected and (in one case) bizarre plot twists zigzag throughout. All this comes together to form a very entertaining Western.

WESTERN NOVELS—GUNS OF LEGEND #7 IN SATAN'S CIRCUS

WESTERN NOVELS

GUNS OF LEGEND #7

IN SATAN'S CIRCUS

BRODY WEATHERFORD

REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST 

Tomcat Meyer, the lawman who was introduced as a supporting character in Colorado City Kill, takes center stage as the protagonist in this book. He's tasked by Allistar Legende to find a guy named Sid Graves and bring him to Legende.

The purpose of this is fairly clear. Graves testified against a New York City mob boss. Legende arranged for him to get a new identity out West—a sort of Wild West version of the Witness Protection Program.

But Graves is now making waves. He's getting involved in gambling and gunfights, and building a reputation that could bring him to the attention of assassins working for the New York mob...What's unclear is Graves' motivation. Why is he apparently setting himself up to get killed? 

This is the premise for a fast-paced and extremely entertaining Western. There's plenty of action and several unexpected plot twists. Perhaps the greatest strength of the story are the characterizations. Every person Tomcat encounters, even if they are only around for a chapter or two, is given a unique personality. I've rarely encountered a book in which I've enjoyed meeting each and every character so much. Whether its a despicable villain such as the albino killer Cormac Paige or a well-dressed and well-spoken gentleman farmer named Bachelor Bates, all of them both advance the plot and add to the novel's unique atmosphere.

The novel comes to a fantastic conclusion, involving an outlaw lair, an apparently hopeless situation, and a last-minute rescue involving some unusual weaponry.

Five of the seven Guns of Legende books have featured Frank Landry and Emily O'Connor as the main characters. They are absent from this book. Frank and Emily are strong protagonists and I have no problem with them being the series' usual heroes. But I'm glad to see an occasional book in which other agents of Allistar Legende get thrust into the spotlight. The series as a whole as built up a wonderful cast of regular and semi-regular characters. All of them deserve a chance to shine.

WESTERN NOVELS—RODEO RIDERS

WESTERN NOVELS

RODEO RIDERS

Connected only by the theme of the rodeo, Rodeo Riders was a paperback original series cobbled together and packaged by Signet. In 1996, author Mike Flanagan wrote what is essentially the first Rodeo Riders novel, The Broncbuster. While only unofficially part of the series, the same characters and 1872 Texas setting appear again in Rodeo Riders #5 Busted Ride.

If you include The Broncbuster, Flanagan wrote a total of five Rodeo Riders novels, with beloved Western wordslinger Dusty Richards providing the fourth book in the official series (and quite possibly the best), The Natural—a modern day rodeo tale featuring not a bronc—busting cowboy as the hero, but a famed rodeo announcer traveling the circuit.

Nicely packaged, the series is worth owning for its excellent cover art...

THE BRONCBUSTER (1996)

MIKE FLANAGAN

On His way to manhood, Will Paxton learned a bronc doesn't care if you're young or old when you climb on its back, and a man set on killing you doesn't care if you're old enough to wear the gun strapped on your hip...

RODEO RIDERS #1

COWBOY UP (1999)

MIKE FLANAGAN

Life can be a wild ride... Sometimes all you can do is keep hanging on...The Old Bull... Ex-rodeo champ Jack Lomas is a stubborn old rancher of the ornery sort. He does things only one way... his. A lifetime of hard work and regret has taught him some tough lessons. But is it too late for this old dog to learn some new tricks? The Young Buck... Clay Tory is a fiery young ne'er-do-well with a taste for trouble and who's just fought the law for the last time. Given a choice between juvenile hall and working for Jack, he chooses the ranch...and finds something inside of himself that's worth fighting for. And when a pack of cattle rustlers sweep through the area, Jack and Clay find out that sometimes the only way to stay on your feet is to have someone to lean on....

RODEO RIDERS #3

FINAL RIDE (2001)

MIKE FLANAGAN

It's all about holding on... For two years, Clay Tory has been tearing up the rodeo circuit under the guidance of veteran rancher Jack Lomas. Unfortunately, things aren't going so well back home at the ranch. Years of hard work and stress have taken...

RODEO RIDERS #4

THE NATURAL (2002)

DUSTY RICHARDS

There's a lot of tough competition in the rodeo arena-from the man behind the microphone to the cowboys and cowgirls that ride, rope, and climb on the bucking stock. The Natural puts you in the boots of famed rodeo announcer Brad Turner, racing his horse Golden Boy into the arena and welcoming the crowd to a pro rodeo performance in Jackson, Mississippi. You'll hit the road with Brad as he criss-crosses the country struggling with life, love, and business on the pro rodeo circuit. You'll meet Zola Johns, the rebellious, barrel racing beauty with her eye on the prize of winning a national championship, and Shoat Krammer, the young rough-and-tumble rookie that's the real natural coming up the hard way. Tough, gritty, and written with the authenticity of a lifelong rodeo veteran, two-time Spur Award-winning author Dusty Richards tells a tale so real, you'll be dusting the dirt from the arena off your Wranglers before you're done.

RODEO RIDERS #5

BUSTED RIDE (2002)

MIKE FLANAGAN

Texas, 1872. Looking to make enough money to start his own ranch, Will rode wild horses until they were fit for sale. But when folks started placing bets on who would be tamed-man or beast, Will discovered a gold mine that would become an American institution—the rodeo.

WESTERN NOVELS—A GUN FOR JOHNNY DEERE

WESTERN NOVELS

A GUN FOR JOHNNY DEERE

WAYNE D. OVERHOLSER

REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST

Star City is a decaying town run by Bull Tatum, the local big rancher. When Bull's son accidentally dies in a fight with the hot-headed Johnny Deere, the townspeople force Johnny to make a run for it rather than risk a confrontation that could put the entire town at risk.

Soon, a paid gunslinger is on Johnny's trail, but Johnny soon gets tired of running.   This leads to a strong story backed up by some very sharp characterizations.

The novel covers about nine months and during that time, Johnny's gradual growth into a more mature adult is handled realistically and with empathy. I also enjoy the way he is shown to win gunfights using intelligent and unexpected tactics.

Johnny's character arc is counter-pointed by alternating chapters set back in Star City, where the one town citizen Johnny thinks of as a friend proves to have his own treacherous agenda and gradually degenerates into a manipulative and murderous villain.

When Johnny meets a woman he wants to marry, he decides he must first return to Star City to resolve the situation. He knows he has to confront Bull Tatum, but has no idea he also needs to deal with the man he considers to be his best friend.

WESTERN NOVELS—BANDOLERO

WESTERN NOVELS

BANDOLERO

JOHN BENTEEN 

REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST 

This one starts with even more of a bang than most of the action-packed Fargo novels usually do. We find Neil Fargo fighting for Pancho Villa, manning a Lewis machine gun as he fights a one-man rear guard action against the Federales. 

Once the Lewis runs out of ammo, the ensuing running fight is used to remind us of each of Fargo's usual personal weapons. It's a fun twist on the usual formula, in which Fargo's personal weapons are inventoried for us while he inspects them before heading out on a job. That opening fight leads into a succession of unusual situations. 

Fargo is accused of treachery and sentenced by Villa to die by firing squad. After this situation is resolved in a bizarre but satisfying manner, Fargo finds himself on a secret mission. 

The Great War is raging in Europe. To prevent the United States from joining in, the Germans are manipulating a faction of the Mexican army to start a war with the U.S.  To stop this, Fargo has to make a dangerous journey back across northern Mexico, with an uncooperative and possibly treacherous woman for company. 

Violence, captures, and escapes follow. In one intense chapter, Fargo finds himself buried in the ground in an upright position, with only his head exposed inside a corral. A very ill-tempered stallion also occupies that corral. It's all great stuff. 

I think the character twists involving the woman are predictable, but the fast-paced action never lets up. This is yet another winner in the Fargo series.

WESTERN NOVELS—DESERT STAKEOUT

WESTERN NOVELS

DESERT STAKEOUT

HARRY WHITTINGTON

REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST 

Blade Merrick, a sometimes scout for the army, is tasked with bringing a wagon-full of medicine to a epidemic-ridden mission. This means a trip across a bleak desert controlled by the Apaches. Merrick has past experience with the Apaches—the exact nature of which isn't revealed to us until later in the novel—that makes sending him alone a worthwhile idea.

He doesn't stay alone, though. Along the way, he picks up a badly-wounded man and his wife, along with three outlaws whom he immediately realizes he can not trust. Soon, the party is at a waterhole, threatened by Apache and unable to trust one another.

It's a great set-up, generating a lot of tension. Whittington's characterizations are strong as well. Each person in the story, even the mostly despicable bad guys, have real dimension to their personalities. Merrick's past, including his history with the Apaches, is effectively foreshadowed so that when that past plays a key role in the novel's resolution, events play out in an unexpected and satisfying manner.

Much of the novel is Merrick and the outlaws playing cat-and-mouse with one another, with the situation eventually exploding into violence. When the Apaches show up, the novel comes to a brutal and tension-filled climax. At least we think its the climax, because when that situation is resolved, events spill into a SECOND brutal and tension-filled climax.

This may be my favorite Whittington Western.

WESTERN NOVELS—FARGO: SHOTGUN MAN

WESTERN NOVELS

FARGO: SHOTGUN MAN

JOHN BENTEEN

REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST 

Fargo is hired by Teddy Roosevelt to lead a scientific expedition down the largely unexplored Colorado River. 

Why hire Fargo for such a job? He's a mercenary, not a scientist. He's needed because the land around the Colorado is owlhoot territory—the last refuge for gunmen and outlaws who are running from the ever-encroaching civilization.  In fact, one expedition has already vanished. A warrior like Fargo is needed to get this latest one through. Benteen builds a superb story off this premise. 

The book is full of great characters (both good guys and bad guys), fast-paced action and a few sharp plot twists. And Benteen's descriptions of the expedition boats running the rapids of the river are breathtaking. He succeeds in making the river itself a character in the story. The way the climax plays out is unexpected and powerful. 

This is a top-notch Fargo book from start to finish.

SIX-GUN JUSTICE PODCAST EPISODE #210—WORLDWIDE WEST TOUR: ENGLAND PT 2

SIX-GUN JUSTICE PODCAST

EPISODE #210

WORLDWIDE WEST TOUR

ENGLAND PART 2

WITH GUEST

ANDREW MCBRIDE

Welcome back, buckaroos, for the second part of our Six-Gun Justice Podcast's Worldwide West Tour visit to England. Join host Paul Bishop as he chats with British Western wordslinger Andrew McBride about all things Western with a British twist...

 

Available now on all major podcast streaming platforms or by clicking on the player below...

WESTERN NOVELS—OVER WESTERN TRAILS

WESTERN NOVELS

OVER WESTERN TRAILS

WESTERN FICTIONEERS

SHORT STORY ANTHOLOGY

REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST 

Over Western Trails is an excellent anthology of new Western short stories. Most of them are set aboard stagecoaches and its amazing how much variety in terms of plot and character the various authors drew from that basic Wild West setting.

I enjoyed every story here, but the ones that standout in my mind are: 

Minuet has an ending that could easily have been corny and contrived, but works perfectly because of the author's effective prose and characterizations. This endows the story with real humanity. 

Coffin Trace and Bullet Trap for the Stagecoach Queen both mix a lot of great action in with fun and unusual characters. Mrs. Stokes from Bullet Trap is now one of my favorite-ever supporting characters. 

Stage to Yosemite contains a brilliant and unexpected plot twist involving the protagonist. 

Run for Ruby Camp uses an unusual narrative technique to give us an exciting Pony Express tale. 

Stagecoach to Trinidad and The Strongbox give their protagonists strong character arcs involving redemption while telling strong, action-packed stories. 

These are my personal favorites, but every story in Over Western Trails is worth reading.

SIX-GUN JUSTICE PODCAST EPISODE #209—WORLDWIDE WEST TOUR: ENGLAND PT 1

SIX-GUN JUSTICE PODCAST

EPISODE #209

WORLDWIDE WEST TOUR

ENGLAND PART 1

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

DAVID WHITEHEAD

Howdy, cowpokes... It's tea time on the range as the Six-Gun Justice Podcast returns to its Worldwide West Tour with a stop in Ol' Blighty... Join host Paul Bishop and his special guest David Whitehead (aka bestselling Western wordslinger Ben Bridges) as they face down a violent gang of Piccadilly Cowboys and then delve even further into the extensive history of the many indigenous Westerns spawned on British shores...

Available now on all major podcast streaming platforms or by clicking on the player below...

 

WESTERN NOVELS—THE GUNS OF LEGENDE #6: DIRTY DEEDS

WESTERN NOVELS

DIRTY DEEDS 

THE GUNS OF LEGENDE #6

BRODY WEATHERFORD 

REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST

The Society of Buckhorn and Bison is tasked with catching a con artist who is specializing in selling phony deeds to supposedly valuable land. Beautiful gambler Emily O'Connor is assigned to the case, which also involves solving a murder, rescuing a kidnapped woman who might actually be in cahoots with the bad guys and (on a personal level) recovering thousands of dollars in poker winnings that were stolen from her. 

Her ex-husband, whiskey peddler Frank Landry, is also put on the case, though at first they aren't working together. Frank teams up with a beautiful Italian countess, using her as window dressing as he tries to out-con the con man. He discovers, though, that the countess might have an agenda of her own. 

The story smoothly blends action and mystery, keeping it fast-paced and interesting. Frank and Emily , who have appeared in all but one of the books in the series so far, are strong protagonists. They handle themselves well in gun fights and other dangerous situations, but are also smart and able to think quickly when they need to.

The climax, which involves several characters getting trapped in a mine before the villains come to a satisfying comeuppance, is wonderfully handled. "Dirty Deeds" is yet another winner in the Guns of Legende series.

WESTERN NOVELS—SHADOW VALLEY

WESTERN NOVELS

SHADOW VALLEY

GORDON D SHIRREFFS

REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST

Holt Cooper inherits a ranch in Shadow Valley after his brother is murdered. Holt is determined to keep the ranch and even more determined to find his brother's killer. That won't be an easy job.

Shadow Valley is pretty much ringed in with violence. An unknown assassin has been bushwacking small ranch owners, including Holt's brother. In addition, the owner of the biggest ranch wants Holt's ranch for himself and is apparently willing to play rough to get it.

Holt's worries are increased when a woman who had run out on her brother shows up. She has just enough of a Femme Fatale vibe to make her untrustworthy, but its equally possible that she might turn out to be Holt's ally. More murders take place and Holt is accused of being the killer.

Pretty much everyone in the area is against him, while all he has on his side is "his own gun, a little peace-loving cowpoke wo drank medicine that was mostly alcohol, and a woman he didn't understand." 

All this is mixed together to form a plot that expertly combines action and mystery to make "Shadow Valley" a fast, fun read.

SIX-GUN JUSTICE PODCAST EPISODE #208—1876:THE YEAR OF THE GUN

SIX-GUN JUSTICE PODCAST

EPISODE #208

1876:THE YEAR OF THE GUN

WITH GUEST CO-HOST

STEVE WIEGAND

Get them spurs jangling, wranglers, 'cause today's episode is gonna take us back to the year 1876, when the West was truly wild and legends roamed the frontier. Join host Paul Bishop as he chats with Steve Wiegand, author of 1876: The Year of the Gun, about Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, Custer and more...It's gonna be a rootin', shootin', good time...

 

Available now on all major podcast streaming platforms or by clicking on the player below...

 

WESTERN NOVELS—KILLING SPREE

WESTERN NOVELS

KILLING SPREE

JOHN BENTEEN

REVIEWED BY 

TIM DEFOREST 

Killing Spree is arguably one of the most intense novels in the series, filled with brutal non-stop action from start to finish. 

Fargo has invested money in a gold mine and that investment is paying off--until four sadistic outlaws/brothers kill the prospector, kidnap his daughter and leave Fargo for dead. 

However, Fargo isn't quite dead, but he is alone in a ghost town, with his weapons and his boots taken. He's tightly tied up with rawhide and beaten badly enough to leave him with broken ribs and nearly no strength. 

But, then again...well, this is Fargo. Giving up isn't an option.  Driven perhaps more by pure hatred than by a desire to rescue the girl, he figures out a way to get free from the rawhide. 

Then, armed only with a lance made from a broomstick and a nail, carrying a few old whiskey bottles filled with water and meat taken from a coyote he beat to death with a piece of wood, Fargo sets out to kill the four brothers.

 

The brothers have separated, so Fargo eventually encounters each of them separately. Between these encounters, Fargo endures desert heat, pain from his injuries and--at one point--a sandstorm. 

Benteen adds ambiance to the book by spending just a page or two to give the brothers enough of a history (each fathered by a different wife of an apostate Mormon) to give them some uniqueness. 

He also gives each of Fargo's encounters with one of the brothers its own uniqueness, both in setting (a desert camp--a saloon--a ranchhouse--and a camp of Mexican revolutionaries) and in the weapons used. 

These include that broomstick/lance Fargo initially carries, then having him move up to pistols, dynamite, and finally a machine gun and a half-dozen hand grenades. 

Essentially, Fargo has access to more advanced weapons with each encounter, as well as gradually re-acquiring his personal weapons from the bad guys. 

From the moment Fargo is left for dead to when he finally rescues the girl, the story never stops to breath and effortlessly carries us along with it. It may be my favorite of the series.