WESTERN NOVELS—GUNSMOKE AND ICE

WESTERN NOVELS

GUNSMOKE AND ICE

THE GUNS OF LEGENDE #3

BRODY WEATHERFORD

REVIEWED BY

TIM DEFOREST

I am continuing to love this series. Gunsmoke and Ice is the third in the series about a secret organization in the Old West that takes on missions given to it by (presumably) the government. 

In this case, the mission seems straightforward. A bank robbery in New Mexico leaves a politically-important man dead, so the Alistair Legende is tasked with bringing the killer to justice. He assigns beautiful gambler Emily O'Connor to the job. Emily's ex-husband--whiskey peddler Frank Landry-is also in the area. 

At first, though, he's not an official part of the mission. Instead, he's trying to buy a piece of the local moonshine action. The result is a story that is--at first--a little less structured than the earlier novels in the series. That's not a criticism, though. The storytelling style is appropriate to the plot, as both Emily and Frank are tossed in and out of danger.

Gradually, the action narrows to where the two are helping transport a wagon load of ice from Taos to Tombstone. For reasons that Frank and Emily do not at first understand, the one survivor of of the original bank robbers is relentlessly pursing that ice shipment. The plot allows for a lot of great action--with bullets flying fast and thick-- and we meet a number of very memorable supporting characters along the way.

WESTERN NOVELS—DEATH WAITS AT YELLOWSTONE

WESTERN NOVELS

DEATH WAITS AT YELLOWSTONE

GUNS OF LEGENDE #2

BRODY WEATHERFORD

REVIEWED BY

TIM DEFOREST

Another excellent entry in the Guns of Legende series...This one starts with two separate story lines. In one of these, two agents of Alistair Legende are assigned to find a party of VIPs who are apparently lost in the Yellowstone area (which has only recently been made a park by the federal government). 

I don't want to give too much away, because the mystery behind this unfolds in a very satisfying manner, but the reason for the party's disappearance has to do with a haven for outlaws hidden in a remote section of the park. 

Another agent looks into a group of apparent bad guys (called the Scarlet Rogues because they wear red shirts) that has taken an interest in Legende's supposedly secret Society of Buckhorn and Bison. Both story lines include a solid mystery to solve, great action and strong characterizations. 

Eventually, the two story lines join together, unexpected alliances are formed, and the book is brought to a violent and exciting conclusion. The entire story is expertly constructed, with the several plot threads and the actions of the various characters all getting tied together in the climax. 

The two main protagonists, Frank Landry and Emily O'Conner, worked separately in the first novel. In this one, they work together. Because they were once married, but now claim to dislike one another, this allows for some fun interactions between them. 

Some of my favorite highlights from the book include: an encounter in a back alley in Denver that unfolds in an unexpected and very entertaining manner; a truly exciting gun fight in the streets of a small town; a scene in which two sets of protagonists simultaneously outsmart one of the villains in two different ways; and a brutal hand-to-hand fight between Frank Landry and a very dangerous opponent. 

I also learned about the Gardner Machine Gun--a real-life weapon developed in the 1870s that plays an imporant role in the novel. It's always fun when a bit of obscure history gets included in a Western. Like Front Range Rebellion, Death Waits at Yellowstone is a wonderful example of expert storytelling. The Guns of Legende series is two-for-two so far.

WESTERN NOVELS—FRONT RANGE REBELLION

WESTERN NOVELS

FRONT RANGE REBELLION

THE GUNS OF LEGENDE #1

BRODY WEATHERFORD

REVIEWED BY

TIM DEFOREST

The first in a series that has a sort-of Old West "Mission: Impossible" vibe, "Front Range Rebellion" is set in 1876 and involves a secret organization run by a man named Allister Legende. Legende receives assignments from the Federal government, then assigns agents to fulfill those assignments.

In this case, an insane soldier named Carlton Clark has raised an army of outlaws, robbed a train carrying gold to fund operations, and plans on making Colorado an independent nation before it joins the Union as a new state.

To foil this, Legende recruits a fast-talking whiskey salesman named Frank Landry. Frank is also very, very handy with the .36 Navy revolver he carries. Also recruited is the beautiful Emily O'Conner, who is a highly skilled and very observant gambler. Legende doesn't learn until after he recruits the two that they had once been married.

The book is an enormously fun read. The plot is expertly constructed. We get short but informative introductory chapters that bring Clark, Landry and Emily into the story quickly and effectively.

The very first chapter, for instance, recounts the train robbery carried out by Clark and his men. It's action-packed, while also teaching us that Clark is a skilled sniper, a ruthless man willing to slaughter anyone who gets in his way, and probably quite insane. That chapter tells us that Clark is a dangerous man and presents a serious threat.

When Frank and Emily are put on the case, the story jumps back and forth between them, but does so smoothly so that we can always follow the overall plot. Frank infiltrates Clark's army and Emily works to uncover a traitor on the territorial governor's staff. Both story arcs gives us plenty of action and present us with intelligent heroes who often have to think very fast on their feet to keep themselves alive and get the job done. Several great plot twist are dropped in as the story races along.

The book ends with a superb battle scene, with the situation changing rapidly, leading to a tense sniper duel...The book really is enormous fun. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

SIX-GUN JUSTICE PODCAST EPISODE #206—WORLDWIDE WEST TOUR: AUSTRALIA PART 2

SIX-GUN JUSTICE PODCAST

EPISODE #206

WORLD WIDE WEST TOUR

AUSTRALIA PART 2

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

ANDREW NETTE

G'day, cowpokes...It's time to lasso your kangaroo down, mate, as the Six-Gun Justice Podcast's Worldwide West Tour continues its stop in the Land Down Under. Join host Paul Bishop and his special guest, Australian pulp maven Crocodile Andrew Nette as they go walkabout across the Outback in search of Kangaroo Westerns...

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

WESTERN NOVELS—SHERLOCK OF THE SAGELAND

WESTERN NOVELS

SHERLOCK OF THE SAGELAND

W.C. TUTTLE

REVIEWED BY

TIM DEFOREST

The first four stories featuring Henry Harrison Conroy, vaudeville comedian turned sheriff. Set in the early 20th Century, these tales were published in Argosy Magazine beginning in 1935. They are hilarious.

In the first tale, Henry (aging, fat and balding) is no longer getting as many theater bookings. But his luck seems to turn when he inherits a ranch in Arizona from an uncle he had never met.

Henry knows nothing about ranching, but what has he to lose? He travels to Tonto City, AR and is soon embroiled in a murder case. Henry is drunk more often than sober, unable to ride a horse and unable to even come close to a target when he tries to shoot a gun. But he has two things going for him--he has a sense of right and wrong buried in him somewhere and he has a talent for Sherlock Holmesian-level deductions. By the end of the first story, he's solved the murder. At the beginning of the second story, he's been elected sheriff of Tonto County.

The stories work on two levels. First, as I said, they are hilariously funny. Both Henry and the supporting cast provide slapstick humor and witty dialogue. Second, the mysteries that Henry must solve are solid--even while leavening the stories with absurdist humor, the author builds strong plots and brings them to satisfying conclusions.