C. William Harrison

 Unarmed Killer

by

C. William Harrison

Big Matt McKenna hadn’t touched a gun since that night in Kansas when he went kill‑crazy.

He rode into Sentinel as a veterinarian, hoping to bury the past. But within five minutes he’d made himself a couple of enemies.

Sentinel was about to become the battleground of a range war — cattlemen on one side, homesteaders on the other — and McKenna found himself squarely in the middle. He tried to fight guns with his fists, and it nearly got him killed. Beaten so badly he lost his memory until the pieces of his past began to return.

When they did, he knew there was only one path left. Fight fire with fire. Pick up the gun again.

There was just one problem — he wasn’t much good with it.

C. William Harrison, the pen name of Chester William Harrison, was a prolific American writer best known for his Western novels and hard‑driving pulp magazine stories.

Unarmed Killer was a fast read with plenty of tension and enjoyable characters. 

5/5 

H.A. DeRosso

 The Dark Brand

by

H.A. DeRosso

Stuck in a jail cell with a man due to be hanged, Driscoll found out that the guy had robbed a bank and killed a man. He also found out that the money was never recovered. Now out of jail, Driscoll realizes that the townspeople think the condemned man had told Driscoll where the loot was buried before he had died. Now it seems that everybody wants that money enough to kill for it.

Some westerns are good and others are great — but DeRosso takes things a step beyond. The Dark Brand opens with Driscoll arrested and thrown into a cell with a man named Tennant. Tennant is set to hang, yet the stolen money he hid is never recovered.

That’s the hook. Tennant goes to the gallows, Driscoll goes to prison. When Driscoll finally gets out, he returns to hunt down the missing money — not for himself, but for Tennant’s wife, Hazel, and their boy, Billy. Trouble is, everyone assumes Tennant revealed the hiding place to Driscoll, turning him into a walking target for every greedy soul in the territory. That includes Ira Longstreet, the local lawman who wants the money badly enough to kill for it.

But if Tennant confided in anyone, it wasn’t Driscoll. That doesn’t matter. Driscoll is determined to find the stash and deliver it to the woman and the boy — even if it costs him his life.

A tough, gritty story with plenty of action to keep the pages flying. Highly recommended for western fans.

5/5 

Six White Horses

 Six White Horses

by

James Robert Daniels

It’s the brutal aftermath of the Civil War. Texas Ranger Lieutenant James Quinn, a battle-scarred veteran, rides into a town he’s never seen before—badly wounded, alone, and dragging captured outlaw Cole Twist.

Quinn is saved by China Smallwood, a Quaker schoolteacher who stands against the town she calls home. While Quinn heals, the jailed, smooth-talking killer recasts himself as a folk hero, whipping the town into a frenzy against the Ranger—and China, who is determined to educate newly freed slaves. Meanwhile, Twist’s gang is still out there, along with the stolen cash Quinn is sworn to recover.

Now Quinn faces two suicidal choices: hunt the gang alone, or defend China single-handedly from a violent uprising.

Quinn rides into town half‑dead, dragging the outlaw Cole Twist behind him. He barely has time to register the calm, steady presence of China Smallwood before he slips from the saddle. As he fades, he hears a warning delivered in a quiet but unshakable voice: “Stay where thee are. Dismount, and I’ll kill thee.”

China may be a Quaker schoolteacher, but she’s no ordinary one. Something about her unsettles Quinn in all the best ways, and before long the hardened Texas Ranger finds himself falling for her—complicating his life far more than any bullet ever has.

Then the verdict comes down. Cole Twist walks free. And the moment he does, chaos erupts.

A gripping tale with sharp writing, plenty of action to keep the pages flying, and a cast of characters—good, bad, and everything in between—that you can’t help but enjoy.

Thanks to Net Galley and Brash Books for an ARC of this story. 

George G. Gilman

Savage Dawn

Edge #26

 by

George G. Gilman

The half-breed Edge is about to settle down for his share of love and happiness in San Parral, about to ask the beautiful Isabella to marry him, when six brutal bounty hunters ride into town raising hell. Their prize captive is the woman of a hated bandit chief and their torture is their amusement. Hard on the bounty hunters' trail is a thirty-man band of thieves headed by the ruthless Gonzales, who wants his woman back alive. Once again, Edge has to throw love aside as he pits himself against two violent gangs, hell-bent on destroying each other. And anyone who gets in their way!

Edge is ready to settle down — until bounty hunters ride in with a brutalized captive who belongs to Gonzales, a notoriously sadistic Mexican bandit. Edge wants to stay out of it, but once Gonzales drags him into the conflict, he’s fighting for his life, his love, and the people of San Parral.

A classic Gilman western: sharp, violent, dark, and unapologetic. I read many of these years ago, but this one feels new to me, which is a bonus.

Not for readers who prefer their westerns tame.

5/5

Simon Scarrow

 Warlord of Britannia

by

Simon Scarrow

&

T.J. Andrews

AD 43, Britannia. A barbarian land . . .

Caratacus is warlord of his tribe. Only King Cunobelinus holds more power. The island's clans are constantly at war. Caratacus has relentlessly driven new alliances, but those are ready to crumble at any provocation. A situation King Verica, an implacable enemy, is keen to exploit, with the support of ever-ambitious Rome. And Rome has a spy in Cunobelinus's inner circle.

The elders believe their island is impregnable. Caratacus is powerful enough to ignore their mockery, as he calls on thousands of men to enlist, and prepare to defend their homeland. But even Caratacus cannot be certain that an army of warriors and ragtag bands of farmers can be turned into a disciplined fighting force that can defy the mighty military machine poised to invade.

Caratacus and his men are preparing for the most deadly battle of their lives. The future of their world is at stake.

An intriguing perspective on Caratacus, especially in the way he recounts his story to a Roman historian. It feels fresh and different, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. As with most books bearing Scarrow’s name, you know exactly what you’re in for: strong storytelling and a compelling read.

Norman A. Fox

 Roughshod

by

Norman A. Fox

Reb Kittredge rides into Sleeping Cat, Montana as hired muscle, paid to break a stubborn rancher, to squeeze the last honest man in the basin until he folds. It's dirty work. He's done it before.

Then a single cut of a deck of cards makes him the owner of the very ranch he was sent to destroy. Now the cattle boss who hired him wants him dead, the rancher's daughter is getting under his skin, and Kittredge finds himself fighting a war he started… on the wrong side.

But a man who's lived by the gun doesn't fold easy, and Reb Kittredge has never once backed down from a fight.

I really enjoyed this gritty tale. Kittredge makes for a strong, compelling lead, and Fox’s writing is  sharp. There’s plenty of action to keep the pages flying, with just enough romance woven in to soften the edges.

Sleeping Cat is anything but sleepy. Sent to take out rancher Dan Saxon, Kittredge instead ends up owning Saxon’s ranch after a risky cut‑card gamble. Naturally, this doesn’t sit well with the man who hired him.

Add in Rita, Saxon’s daughter, and the jealous Curly Mather, and things heat up fast.

Now I’m tempted to watch the movie adaptation to see how it stacks up.

This book is now available from Wolfpack Publishing. 

5/5.

Gordon D. Shirreffs

Fort Vengeance

by

Gordon D. Shirreffs

Get here!

Major Dan Fayes was sent on a mission to Fort Costain in Arizona to end the apache reign of terror. It was then that the Apaches struck swiftly, armed with new henry rifles.

Fort Costain becomes a kind of hell on earth, isolated in Apache territory and staffed by a complacent, undisciplined cavalry unit. Then Dan Fayes arrives. His mission is twofold: whip the garrison into a real fighting force and uncover who’s supplying the Apaches with brand‑new Henry rifles — a job complicated by the fact that someone is willing to kill to keep that secret buried.

The story delivers steady tension and plenty of action. Among a cast of strong personalities, the standout for me was Sergeant Major Mike Haley — a hard, uncompromising soldier whose loyalty lies entirely with the uniform he wears. When we first meet him, he’s deserted out of sheer disgust with the men around him. Fayes not only brings him back but earns his respect, ultimately promoting him from sergeant to sergeant major.

5/5