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...