Norman A. Fox

 Night Passage

by

Norman A. Fox

Five years ago, Grant McLain rode for the railroad until one bad night stripped him of his name, his job, and every chance at the life he wanted.

Now he drifts the Montana frontier playing accordion in saloons, the last man any outfit would trust with ten thousand dollars in payroll money. That is exactly why they asked him. Curly Harbin's gang has robbed the B.C. & T. Railroad blind three times running, and someone on the inside is feeding them every move. McLain is the perfect courier, too disgraced to be suspected, too desperate to say no.

One night. One train ride into the Crazy Mountains. But Harbin already knows he is coming, the darkness is full of hard men with guns, and the only thing standing between McLain and a shallow grave is the grit he buried five years ago and is not sure he still has.

Some debts can only be paid in lead.

I found myself comparing the book to the film as I read, spotting the familiar beats and differences along the way. Once I set that aside, though, the story pulled me in. Grant McLain is hired by the B.C. & T. Railroad to shepherd a payroll through dangerous country — but his real mission is the Utica Kid. The two share a complicated past, and McLain’s history doesn’t end there. Verna Kimball is another ghost from earlier days, and it’s her father Ben who brings McLain back into the fold. Their last partnership ended badly, with suspicion hanging over McLain. Trust is in short supply.

Then there’s Charley Drew, driven by her own reasons for hunting the Utica Kid, adding another layer to the chase.

The question lingers: can Kimball and his people rely on McLain this time? The answer comes in a gunsmoke‑thick finale as McLain faces off against Curly Harbin’s outlaws.

Once I stopped measuring the book against the movie, I settled into an action‑packed, tightly written Western that kept the pages turning.

Published by Wolfpack Publishing, you can get the book here!

Kirk Hamilton

 Rawhide Breed

by

Kirk Hamilton

(Keith Hetherington)

Fate brought wounded gunfighter Logan Keogh to the Rancho Estrella. He certainly would have died had the beautiful Margarita Chavez not nursed him back to health. That put Logan in the debt of the girl and her father, and to repay them, he offered to go after Tonto Ramirez, the bloodthirsty bandit who was routinely stealing Estrella cattle.

But there were sinister forces at work on the Rancho Estrella, men who, for their own murderous reasons, didn’t want Ramirez stopped.

So they decided to kill Logan before he could reach the outlaw’s stronghold.

That wasn’t just a bad mistake … it was a fatal one.

In a land ruled by bullets and betrayal, one gunfighter will deliver frontier justice—no matter the cost.

After killing Lex Weaver—brother of the local sheriff—in a fair fight, Logan Keogh has only two choices: run, or face a man who won’t stop until he’s dead. Keogh chooses the latter and makes for Mexico. But before he gets far, an ambush leaves him wounded and near death. When he finally wakes, he’s in a warm bed at Rancho Estrella.

Once he’s back on his feet, Keogh agrees to hunt down Tonto Ramirez, a bandit stealing stock from the ranch. But nothing at Rancho Estrella is quite what it seems, and Keogh soon finds himself fighting for his life all over again. Add to that Earl Weaver—hell‑bent on avenging his kin and putting Keogh in the ground—and the odds of Keogh making it out alive shrink fast.

A great story: well written, packed with action, and every bit as entertaining now as the westerns I devoured in my younger days.

You can get the book from Piccadilly Publishing here!

Louis L'Amour

 Silver Canyon

by

Louis L'Amour

“You’re not wanted in Hattan’s Point,” Matt Brennan was told moments after arriving in town. “There’s trouble here and men are picking sides.” But Matt decided he wasn’t going anywhere. Not until he found out what the dispute was about, and not before he got to know Moira Maclaren. She considered him nothing more than a drifting ranch hand, but Matt was determined to prove her wrong. To do so, he’d have to solve a mystery that was at the center of the growing violence in Hattan’s Point–a secret that could make a man rich . . . or dead. Probably dead.

They threw everything at Matt Brennan. He was beaten, shot, threatened, even framed for murder — but he never walked away. He stayed because of Moira Maclaren. He intended to marry her, and nothing on earth was going to turn him from that path.

From the moment he first saw her, he knew their story would end at the altar. Her father had other plans, but Brennan wasn’t the kind of man who backed off when told to.

He’d only meant to pass through town, right up until they forced him to choose a side — and then he saw the girl. After that, they murdered his business partner. Then the gunfighter from Mobeetie showed them exactly how tough he was.

I read this book years ago and didn’t realize until now just how strong a story it really is. Brennan’s hardness, his unwavering direction, and the sheer grit he carries make him unforgettable. Moira takes her time adjusting to Brennan’s unusual ways, but she gets there. And Mother O’Hara? She sees the ending long before any of them do.

There’s plenty of grit and action throughout, and Brennan is far from indestructible. He’s beaten badly more than once, and he’s shot — but none of it slows him down. If anything, it reminds you what kind of man he is. It also makes me want to revisit the other L’Amour stories I read long ago.

5/5

William W. Johnstone

 Betrayal of the Mountain Man

by 

William W. Johnstone

&

J.A. Johnstone

They called him fastest gun alive, but Smoke Jensen is determined to stay on the right side of the law. That is, until he's jumped by six low-life robbers who steal his shirt - and his identity. Smoke's tried for robbery and murder, and sentenced to hang in morning. Someone's out to frame the Mountain Man...someone who's made a big mistake. Barely managing to escape on the morning of his hanging, Smoke's going after the desperados who've set him up. The gang thinks they have nothing to fear; they've already divided up the loot and gone their separate ways. But Smoke's going to hunt them down one by one. Because nobody frames the Mountain Man. Nobody who plans on staying alive, that is.

Smoke Jensen faces the possible loss of his Sugarloaf ranch, and even for a man used to trouble, this time the odds are stacked high. Then Ebenezer Dooley and his gang frame him for bank robbery and murder, turning a bad situation into a disaster.

Convicted on damning evidence and sentenced to hang, Smoke refuses to die for another man’s crimes. After a jailbreak, he rides out to hunt down the men who set him up. Clearing his name is only half the mission—vengeance is the rest.

A strong, fast‑moving entry in the Mountain Man saga, this instalment delivers the action, grit, and frontier justice longtime fans expect. Even if you can guess where the trail leads, the journey is still a satisfying one.

5/5

Barry Cord

 Gun-Proddy Hombre

by

Berry Cord

(Peter Germano)

Brett Havolin was too late when he reached his friend Tony Mareno’s Flying Club outfit. Tony was already dead. The ranch was left to him, and Havolin planned to sell it and get out as fast as he could. But with his friend murdered, he wasn’t about to leave without finding the killer. Then the offers to buy him out started coming thick and fast, and Havolin knew the two things had to be connected.

It wasn’t until later, when he came across an unposted letter, that he finally understood what was really going on. From that moment, he was more determined than ever to track down the killer.

This was a good read with mystery on two fronts: who killed Havolin’s friend and why everyone is so desperate to buy the spread. Another great cast of characters and a story that keeps you guessing right up to the violent end, where a twist hits that you won’t see coming.

Once again, Barry Cord—Peter Germano—delivers a tale that leaves me wanting more of his work.

(This work was also published as Maverick Gun)

5/5 

William Heuman

 Mulvane's War

by

 William Heuman

Mulvane rides from the high country to Boulder City - and into the middle of a range war. When he takes the sheriff's badge, he wonders how long he'll stay alive.

Mulvane might not have been the brother Rosslyn Elder sent for, but he was no second‑string substitute. Some would say he was the better man—harder, sharper, and far more dangerous. Once he stepped into the range war between cattlemen and sheep herders, both sides learned fast just how tough he really was.

This is a tough, gritty western with a lead character carved out of stone. Mulvane comes across as granite‑hard, and the supporting cast is drawn with the same rugged authenticity. Heuman delivers a straight‑up, hard‑edged tale packed with action and momentum.

4/5 

William W. Johnstone

 Fury Over Texas

by

William W. Johnstone

& 

J.A. Johnstone

At the height of the Civil War, a Confederate soldier was captured and held in New York’s infamous Elmira prison camp. He managed to escape during a snowstorm—after killing a sadistic guard—and made his way to Texas. There, he started a new life in the small lumber town of Pine Lick where he served as sheriff until he retired. Today, his son wears the badge; his nightmares of the war are long forgotten. But tonight, his past will return with a vengeance . . .

When nature unleashes its fury.

Sheriff Mack Armstrong is as fine a lawman as his father, dedicated to protecting the townspeople of Pine Lick—especially when trouble shows up. But when he hears that a mysterious newcomer is armed, angry, and looking to kill a man named Armstrong, he barely has a chance to react. Another force of nature arrives—even deadlier than the stranger. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime hurricane, the worst he’s ever seen. The windstorm tears apart the sawmill, the church, the homes. The torrential rains destroy the dam then flood the streets. And all Sheriff Armstrong can do is save as many people as he can—before the stranger gets revenge. . . .

A tale of revenge, destruction, and violence puts Sheriff Mack Armstrong to the test. His town has been nearly obliterated by a brutal storm and floods, and a determined killer is willing to do anything to get to Mack’s father. The story delivers plenty of action and tension, keeping the pages moving.

Overall, it’s not the strongest Johnstone novel I’ve read, but it’s solid. Some of his books can be hit or miss; this one lands somewhere in the middle. The vivid descriptions—especially of the storm—stand out, and I’d still recommend it to fellow western fans.

Thankyou to Net Galley and Kensington Publishing for an ARC of this story.