Ray Hogan

 The Outside Gun

by

Ray Hogan

(An Ace Double)

Dan Wade left Big Bill Krask's Double K Ranch because there was little chance for advancement when everything Big Bill did was to benefit his son and heir, Little Bill. Then a letter comes to Wade in Abilene from Marshal William Krask, asking him to come back and help out. Wade returns to find that much has changed: The marshal is not Big Bill, but his son Little Bill. And the great enemy to law and order is Big Bill and his gang of hardcases.

Dan Wade returns to Burnt Springs after receiving a call for help—but not from the man he expected. Instead, it’s Big Bill Krask’s son, Little Bill, who’s reached out. Newly married and now wearing the town marshal’s badge, Little Bill has derailed his father’s plans for him to take over the family ranch. In response, Big Bill hires a crew of hardcases and sets out to make his son’s life miserable. But the hired guns have their own agenda, and none of it bodes well.

Ray Hogan delivers another engaging Western. It’s shorter than many of his novels, but he still manages to pack plenty into the story. It’s not his strongest work, if I’m being honest, but it’s well written and keeps the pages turning.

Dan Wade makes for a solid protagonist, caught squarely between a feuding father and son—though the real villains are the men Big Bill brings in.

Entertaining overall, even if not Hogan’s best. A solid 4/5.