The Gunmaster

by

Ray Hogan

Aaron Ledbetter, fastest gun in the West, was trapped by US Marshal Sam Back, who had a reputation to maintain and a kidnapping to solve. So they made a deal - Ledbetter's life in exchange for Melanie Feak and her $5,000 ransom. Ledbetter had twenty-four hours to find the kidnapping gang and the missing girl. Twenty-four hours to play the deadly doublecross that would win the Widowmaker his freedom - or cost him his funeral.

Ledbetter is caught between a rock and a hard place in this suspense-filled story. Given the choice between prison and rescuing a kidnapped girl from killer outlaws by U.S. Marshal Sam Back, there is no choice to be made. The gunman known as the Widowmaker rides out after staging an escape into the jaws of what could possibly be his own death. 

Ray Hogan delivers another gripping, fast-paced tale filled with suspense, memorable characters, and subtle twists waiting to be uncovered. While certain moments may feel predictable, the story remains engaging and thoroughly enjoyable.

Give the Bastards Hell

 Give the Bastards Hell

The Battle for Milne Bay

New Guinea 1942

by

David W. Cameron

In New Guinea’s jungles, a fierce battle turned the tide of the Pacific War—the first major land defeat for the unstoppable Japanese forces.

By mid-August 1942, Imperial Japanese forces dominated the Southeast Asian and Pacific theatres, seemingly unstoppable in their advance. While the Japanese South Seas Force pushed north toward Port Moresby along the Kokoda Track, they launched an operation against Milne Bay at the eastern tip of New Guinea. Their objective: to seize the crucial Allied airfields under construction, which would pave the way for capturing Port Moresby and consolidating their hold on the region.

For two intense weeks, Japanese marines, supported by tanks and naval bombardments, battled through the jungle-covered strip of land between the beaches and mountains. Facing them was a determined and diverse Allied force—Australian militia, 2nd AIF troops, American engineers, and, critically, Australian fighter pilots—who fought the Japanese to a standstill near the partially completed Air Strip No. 3. Despite desperate human wave attacks by the Japanese, the Allies held their ground.

When the smoke cleared, the Japanese had suffered their first significant land defeat since Pearl Harbor. The Battle of Milne Bay marked a turning point in the Pacific War, signalling the beginning of the end for the Imperial Japanese Empire.

Another outstanding work from historian David Cameron. Give the Bastards Hell recounts the Australians’ desperate fight to halt the Japanese advance at Milne Bay. Through meticulous research and vivid first‑hand accounts, the book transports the reader straight into a brutal campaign where Allied soldiers and airmen threw everything they had into protecting the newly built airfields.

The battle ultimately became Japan’s first land defeat of World War II, shattering the myth of their invincibility in jungle warfare. It’s one of those remarkable engagements that rarely gets the attention it deserves.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys well‑crafted historical nonfiction.

Hunting Hitler's Nukes

Hunting Hitler's Nukes

 by

Damien Lewis

In the Spring of 1940, as Britain reeled from defeats on all fronts and America seemed frozen in isolation, one fear united the British and American leaders like no other: the Nazis had stolen a march on the Allies towards building the atomic bomb. So began the hunt for Hitler's nuclear weapons - nothing else came close in terms of priorities. It was to be the most secret war of those wars fought amongst the shadows. The highest stakes. The greatest odds.

Prior to the outbreak of the war the massive German chemicals conglomerate I.G. Farben - the future manufacturers of Zyklon-B, the gas used in the Nazi concentration camps - had started producing bulk supplies of deuterium oxide - heavy water - at the remote Norwegian plant of Vemork. This was the central target of three separate missions - Operations GROUSE, FRESHMAN and GUNNERSIDE - over the ensuing four years. As Churchill commented: 'The actual facts in many cases were equal to the most fantastic inventions of romance and melodrama. Tangle with tangle, plot and counter-plot, ruse and treachery, cross and double-cross, true agent, false agent, double agent, gold and steel, the bomb, the dagger and the firing party were interwoven in a texture so intricate as to be incredible yet true.'

Anyone familiar with Damien Lewis knows they’re in for a masterfully told story. From the early failed attempts to the eventual triumph of Operation Gunnerside, he delivers a gripping account of courage, loss, and the relentless determination of those willing to push themselves beyond all limits.

Written with a narrative style that pulls you in from the first page, Hunting Hitler’s Nukes becomes a compelling testament to human endurance in some of the harshest conditions imaginable.

A thoroughly rewarding read.

Owen G. Irons

 Gunsmoke Mountain

by

Owen G. Irons

When Wyoming rancher Amos Corbett's daughter is abducted, Dan Featherskill is offered the job of finding her. A skilled mountain man, Dan turns down the job when Corbett demands that he also kill Celia's abductor. Two hardcases are set upon the trail, but when they threaten the ranch of Deucie Campbell, the mountain girl who once loved Dan, he has to take a hand. And then a winter storm grips Shadow Mountain and all hell breaks loose across the timberland.

All is not as it seems in this Owen G. Irons entry from the Black Horse Westerns line. When Corbett’s daughter is abducted, the job of bringing her back—along with an $800 fee—is offered to Dan Featherskill. But Featherskill refuses, leaving Corbett to hire a pair of killers instead.

Featherskill’s path leads him into the mountains, not in pursuit of the missing girl, but to confront a looming threat against a woman from his past, Ducie Campbell. From there, the story twists and turns like a river, each bend revealing new dangers.

Irons delivers a suspenseful western that keeps readers guessing who will survive to the final page. With sharp pacing, relentless action, and a climax that shatters expectations, this is a tale that grips from start to finish.

Wolf Lawman

 Wolf Lawman

by

Ray Hogan

Genesis was a peaceful place which was prospering. John Fontana, a capable marshal, had no trouble preventing lawlessness until a strange unkempt group of men rode into town - and one of them was in fact Fontana's own brother. After killing, raping and plundering, Genesis was peaceful no longer and the men rode out of town - but there was no doubt that revenge had to be taken for all the men who had died and the women who had suffered...

John Fontana had been content as the marshal of Genesis—until the day his own brother and a band of ruthless riders tore the town apart. By the time they rode out, Genesis lay in ashes and Fontana was left for dead.

When he finally healed, he saddled up with one purpose burning in his gut: track them down and make every last man pay for what they’d done. But vengeance gets complicated when the trail leads straight to family, and Fontana has to face the hardest question of all—can he pull the trigger on his own brother.

Ray Hogan delivers another sharp, fast‑moving western packed with grit and action. At its heart is John Fontana, a tough, relentless man driven by a fierce sense of justice.

A gripping story from start to finish, and Hogan is quickly becoming one of my go‑to western writers.

Brazos Fugitive

 Brazos Fugitive

by

Tyler Hatch

(Keith Hetherington)

They marked Jared Clay with a lynch rope but the scar went a lot deeper than that. His life was ruined, and when the chance came for him to square things, he took it with both fists and blazing guns. Before the final showdown, Clay has to run for his life. He is a fugitive with a 'dead-or-alive' bounty on his head and he must face killer deserts, Texas twisters, flooded rivers and treachery on all sides. It all ends where it began: Clay stands alone, surrounded by enemies...

The blurb from the back of the book says it all. There isn't much more I can add except this was a great read.

Tyler Hatch was Australian author Keith Hetherington known for his many, many Cleveland western stories. He also wrote Black Horse Westerns under several names. This is just one of them.

As with all of his stories, this was fast-paced with plenty of action to keep the pages turning until the final showdown. 

Land of the Lost (Hale Publishing)

 Land of the Lost

by

Dean Edwards

Young drifter Hal Harper rides into the remote town of Senora when he finds himself looking down the barrels of the law. What Harper does not realise is that the ruthless outlaw Tate Talbot and his gang have managed to get themselves elected as sheriff and deputies. Talbot has discovered that there is a wanted poster on his own head worth a small fortune so he has the ingenious idea of collecting his own bounty by killing the innocent Harper and claiming the drifter is the outlaw known as Diamond Bob Casey. Harper manages to escape to the remote uncharted desert south of Senora but can he survive in the Land of the Lost?

Tate Talbot’s plan is as ruthless as it is cunning: kill Hal Harper, tell everyone he's the outlaw Diamond Bob Casey, and walk away with a $20,000 bounty. 

 But Harper slips away into the desert—a place as merciless as the killers on his trail.

When the sands seem certain to finish him, Harper is rescued by a small band of Indians from a tribe he’s never encountered before. Yet salvation comes with its own peril: the Apache are hunting them, and Harper is caught in the middle.

From the frying pan into the fire, Harper must fight to survive as enemies close in from every side.

This is a taut, fast-paced western packed with action. Edwards keeps the tension high, the twists sharp, and the pages turning right to the last shot.

Judgement Trail (Hale Publishing)

 Judgement Trail

by

Rob Hill

At the outbreak of Civil War, regiments stationed along the Oregon Trail are posted back East to fight for the Union. Hastily assembled militia units seize control of the trail forts and wagon trains are left vulnerable to exploitation and attack.

Halted with a broken axle, westbound pioneers Eve Maddison and Wesley Jackson encounter a mysterious frontiersman known simply as ‘Stranger’. They also run up against the vicious Viperine brothers, in charge of a local militia and plotting to extort money from the stranded pioneers.

Stranger insists that everyone is judged by their actions on the trail. His philosophy of courage and self-reliance inspires Eve and Wesley to make a stand against the Viperines – and face up to some difficult truths…

Eve Maddison and Wesley Jackson are pushing west with a wagon train when disaster strikes—a broken axle halts their journey. Wesley heads to Fort Dove in search of a replacement, but while he’s gone, a lone rider appears. He calls himself simply, Stranger.

At Fort Dove, the ruthless Viperines enforce a militia tax on all who pass. When Eve and Wesley refuse to bow, tensions flare. It’s only through the steel of the mysterious rider that they discover what it truly means to stand tall on the frontier. Yet both Eve and Wesley carry secrets of their own—secrets that could change everything.

I recently picked up a stack of Black Horse Westerns, and this was among the first I read. It’s a sharp, well-crafted tale with strong characters and twists you won’t see coming. Years ago, I wrote thirteen of these myself, and I can tell you—they’re always fast-paced, packed with action, and brimming with rugged heroes. A true pleasure to read.

A Copper Grave

A Copper Grave

A Mark Hayes Story #3

by

Brent Towns 

Get your copy here! 

PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR MARK HAYES IS BACK—AND HOPETOWN WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.

New town. New criminals. Same danger.

After Police Sergeant Nicole Berger’s transfer, Mark Hayes lands in Hopetown—a place where “hope” is in short supply. Within days, he’s neck-deep in trouble: illegal dogfights, an ICE epidemic, a missing woman, and the chilling echoes of a thirty-year-old murder.

When the old case stirs up new enemies, Mark quickly learns that in Hopetown, the past doesn’t stay buried—and neither might he.

Every suspect has something to hide. Every lead could be a trap. And if Mark doesn’t unravel the truth fast, the next body in the ground could be his own.

Preview:

  Thirty Years Ago…

Les Jones eased his horse to a halt and surveyed the table-flat land stretching out before him. It wasn’t just a cursory glance, but one of love. This was the driest, harshest, toughest piece of dirt he had ever seen, but he’d managed to eke a living out of it, which made it even more special. Apart from his family and rodeo riding, this wasteland was the biggest passion of his life.

It was, however, in desperate need of rain, two years passing since the last great downpour. But once it came, the transformation would be unbelievable. No one, not anyone, would take it away from him.

Les turned in the saddle as he heard the bleating of sheep off to his right. There was a line of them coming toward him. To the south, the crackle of thunder signaled the passage of a distant storm. The sky was dark, and he could see the heavy curtain of rain sweeping across the land, punctuated by jagged forks of lightning. If only it would come further north to fill his dams.

That’s what Les was doing—checking dams. Some were getting too low, like the feed in the paddocks, which meant he would have to move stock around. Maybe in another week or two, before he went to Queensland for a stint on the rodeo circuit. 

Another rumble of thunder, this one a lot closer than the others. Les’s horse shifted nervously beneath him. Reaching down, he patted its neck reassuringly, soothing the animal with his voice. “Easy, boy. It’s just the big fella shifting some furniture around.”

Les looked up and saw the ominous clouds roiling above him. He frowned. The storm couldn’t have moved that quickly. He looked back to the south and saw the storm still tracking on its original path. No, there was one forming over him.

“Looks like we’re going to get some rain after all, boy,” he said in a low voice. “Time to go.”

Using just the pressure of his knees, the bay started to walk forward. 

Suddenly, a jagged fork of lightning dropped from the gray clouds like the fist of God, striking the only tree for miles. The tree sparked and seemed to explode. The sound of the thunder was deafening, and this time the horse lurched wildly beneath him. It took several minutes and all of Les’s skills to bring him back under control. 

“Easy now,” he murmured.

The first drop of rain landed heavily on his shirt, leaving a circular outline of moisture. It was soon followed by another, and another, until the landscape was covered with the wet gray curtain of the sudden squall. 

Les urged his mount on. Being caught out in the open with lightning all around wasn’t a place he was eager to be. Another lightning bolt crashed earthward, followed by the deep boom of thunder. 

There was a lean-to he’d built for the sheep beside the next dam. It was scant cover, but shelter was shelter. He’d head there. 

For the next ten minutes, Les rode through the unabating storm. If anything, it had intensified. The bolt of lightning had now turned into a sheet, and the sky illuminated constantly with bright flashes.

The horse slopped through hoof-deep water as the hard-baked earth refused to let the water penetrate it. Then, ahead of him, Les saw something. The horse stopped. Les peered into the gloom and saw the movement again. It looked to be another rider. Out here? Who’d be this far afield on his property? 

Les removed his Akubra so that he wouldn’t have to look through the water cascading off its brim. He narrowed his eyes and caught sight of the rider again. “Bloody hell,” he muttered.

Then, replacing his hat, Les urged his horse forward once more, determined to find out who the rider was and what they were doing on his land.

 

Peter Bentley #5

 Command

by

J.E. MacDonnell

A Peter Bentley Story

In recognition of his bravery in piloting a midget submarine into a harbour thick with the Japanese, and sending one of the Japs’ largest battleships to the bottom of the sea, Peter Bentley was given command of H M A S Wind Rode. It should have been a proud moment for the young lieutenant-commander … but Wind Rode was a sorry-looking destroyer. Everything about her had been allowed to slide.

Peter had his work cut out for him, bringing her up to the standards he’d grown used to aboard his old ship, the Scimitar. And it was a job he couldn’t do alone.

His old commander, Bruce Sainsbury V.C., recognized this and acted at once. He sent Bentley a new Number One, Bob Randall. And of course the one and only Hooky Walker as his buffer. With their support, Bentley was going to bring Wind Rode up to scratch, or the merciless enemy was going to send them down to Davy Jones’ locker …

I worked my way through a stack of these naval novels years ago, and among the many characters, Peter Bentley and John “Dutchy” Holland stood out as my favourites. This particular book, however, focuses squarely on Bentley as he assumes command of H.M.A. Destroyer Wind Rode.

On arrival, Bentley finds the ship’s crew unruly and undisciplined, presenting him with challenges from the very start. But things begin to turn around with the appointment of a new first lieutenant and a new Buffer—both men Bentley knows well, and both perfectly suited to restore order and efficiency.

J.E. MacDonnell delivers another stirring sea-faring tale, one that proves enjoyable throughout. While the first two-thirds concentrate on Bentley’s struggle to whip the ship into shape, the pace quickens later, bringing plenty of action and excitement. It may not rank as the finest MacDonnell I’ve read, but it remains a thoroughly satisfying adventure.

Bannerman The Enforcer #41

 The Buckskinners

by 

Kirk Hamilton

(Keith Hetherington)

Bannerman The Enforcer #41

They came out of the mountains, a tight-riding bunch just like a breath from the past in their blood-stiff, stained and reeking buckskins. They all wore beaver tail caps, and their hair was shoulder-length, their features almost completely hidden behind bushy, matted beards. They were the Buckskinners, and they robbed and often killed to get what they wanted.

But now it seemed that they’d gone into the kidnapping business, and the husband of the beautiful woman they’d abducted was very specific about what he wanted Yancey Bannerman and Johnny Cato to do about it.

If possible, they were to save his wife. But one way or the other, they were to kill the Buckskinners—every last one of them.

The tale begins in Mexico, where Johnny Cato pulls Yancey Bannerman out of a perilous scrape. A fierce gunfight erupts, and the two men barely manage to escape, crossing the border to safety.

Their respite is short-lived. When a brutal kidnapping shocks the region, Bannerman and Cato are charged with rescuing a woman held by the ruthless gang known as the Buckskinners. Yet the mission proves far from straightforward and nothing is quite as it appears.

This is classic Hetherington storytelling: a Bannerman adventure packed with relentless action, sharp intrigue, and unexpected twists. As the pair hunt for the missing wife of a powerful cattle baron—whose influence reaches all the way to Governor Dukes—the stakes rise dangerously high.

A gripping entry in the Bannerman saga, sure to satisfy long-time fans and newcomers alike.

Clay Nash #25

Paydirt in Scars

by

Brett Waring

(Keith Hetherington)

Clay Nash #25 

Wells Fargo’s top detective, Clay Nash, was transporting a wounded outlaw to San Antonio when he came across the town of Saguaro Flats. Immediately he sensed that the town was hiding a sinister secret. Marshal Mace Tanner ran things with a firm hand, and was not above cold-blooded murder when it suited him. That put him and Clay at loggerheads straight away.

Clay suspected that the town was involved in the smuggling of impoverished Mexicans across the Rio Grande, where wealthy cattle barons could exploit them as cheap labor. Before he could do anything about it, however, he had to prove it.

Technically, it wasn’t any of Clay’s business. But he’d just helped two Mexicans, Manuel and Rosa Alvarez, to cross the big river into the United States, and he hated like hell to think that he might have inadvertently condemned them to a life of pain, misery, starvation and ultimately … death.

Clay Nash rides one last time—and it’s a gripping tale.

From the moment he heads into Saguaro Flats, Nash is fighting uphill battles. Even before arriving, he survives two gunfights and a dangerous crossing of the Rio, all in the effort to drag Laredo Pitt back onto U.S. soil.

But the real trouble begins once he gets there. A crooked sheriff, a ruthless landowner exploiting Mexican laborers, and the slippery Laredo Pitt—who manages to escape again—stand in his way. Add to that a beating, getting shot, and the constant danger, and it feels like this could truly be Nash’s final ride.

As expected from the Cleveland stable, the pace never lets up. Hetherington delivers his trademark blend of sharp writing and relentless action, keeping the reader hooked from start to finish. I’m currently working through the installments I missed, and once I’m done, I may just circle back to revisit the earlier ones.

This was one I had to read in ebook form.