Barry Cord

 Trouble in Peaceful Valley

by

Barry Cord

(Peter Germano)

After riding into Peaceful Valley at the request of a letter warning of dire trouble, Deputy Marshal Matt Vickers faces a war between cattlemen and sheep herders. Trouble has been brewing for years and now it is about to explode. The sheep herders are backed by a gunman who had once been a school teacher. The other side were led by a foreman who was tough and fast on the draw. Throw into the mix a band of rustlers and a feisty woman and Vickers has more than his share of trouble.

Barry Cord (Peter Germano) delivers what feels more like a mystery‑driven western than the action‑heavy stories I usually associate with the genre. There’s still some solid action, just not at the level I’ve come to expect from other westerns. Even so, the story moves well and the characters have real strength to them.

Trouble in Peaceful Valley originally appeared as an Ace Double under the title Hell in Paradise Valley, though I’m not sure what prompted the title change.

While it’s not my favorite Barry Cord novel so far, it certainly doesn’t put me off reading more. The good continues to outweigh the bad—and to be clear, this one isn’t that bad at all.

4/5

Jon Sharpe

 Dakota Deception

Trailsman #217

by

Jon Sharpe

(David Robbins)

Skye Fargo wants to help a lovely heiress...

But where there's no will, there's no way!

Normally, when the Trailsman says "no" to a job, it's final. But wealthy spitfire Charlotte Weldon has the knack for arousing his curiosity. Especially when Charlotte's sister runs off with their father's will--and without it, the family fortune is lost. All Charlotte actually wants now is her sister dead....

And since Fargo knows the truth, she wants him dead, too...

Skye Fargo turned the job down at first, but curiosity finally got its hooks in him. It didn’t take long to track down Darlene Weldon—and even less time to learn the ugly truth. Her family wanted her dead. And once they realized Fargo knew it, they added his name to the kill list.

As if that wasn’t enough, trouble was riding hard in the form of the renegade Moon Killer, a blood‑crazed butcher who left no one alive. For a while, it looked like Fargo might be headed for an early grave.

I’m told that “Jon Sharpe” on this one was actually David Robbins, and it shows. The writing has his trademark pull, tight action, sharp tension, and a story that keeps you turning pages. It’s one of the stronger entries I’ve read in the series.

5/5

 

Barry Cord

 Cain Basin

by

Barry Cord

(Peter Germano)

Drifter Steve Crystal travels from town to town, searching for his missing wife and child. Then an attack on him outside Cain Basin leads him to assume a new identity...

In a case of mistaken identity, Steve Crystal, who happens to be looking for his missing wife and child, and he is beaten and left unconscious on the trail into Cain Basin. His attackers thought he was Marshal Jim Bretman, summoned there by Sheriff Arch Akers. They were wrong—and when Crystal finally came to, he discovered the killers had eventually found their real target, for the marshal lay dead beside him.

With a score to settle, Crystal takes on Bretman’s identity and rides into Cain Basin, straight into the trouble brewing there. This time he intends to show the men responsible just how tough he is—and that they should have finished the job when they had the chance. But as the situation begins to unravel, Crystal may have taken on far more than he can handle.

Another strong story by Barry Cord (Peter Germano), filled with great characters and fast‑paced action. I read it in a single day because I had to know what was coming next.

Sam Bowie (Todhunter Ballard)

 Thunderhead Range

by

Sam Bowie

(Todhunter Ballard)

Dale Thorne returned home with one purpose: vengeance.

His target was King Parson, an ornery, brutal tyrant of a man—the same man who’d driven Dale off Thunderhead Ranch and driven Dale’s mother into an early grave. Waiting for him, too, were the remnants of a broken family: two half brothers. Les—already dead, killed the night before Dale’s return—and Ford, simmering with resentment toward both his father and his brother.

And then there was Lucy Colton, who despised everything and everyone connected to Thunderhead Ranch.

But Dale hadn’t come back empty‑handed. He carried one crucial piece of knowledge: His father had rewritten his will the night before he died, leaving everything not to Dale’s mother nor King Parson, but to Dale himself. Now Dale was home to uncover that will—and reclaim what should have been his all along.

The story was solid—maybe not great, but certainly engaging—with action that steadily escalated toward a brutal, satisfying finale. The writing held up well, and the plot kept me entertained throughout.

The characters were equally strong, especially Lucy, a fiery, strong‑willed woman who added real spark to the narrative. There was also a welcome thread of mystery as Thorne tried to uncover who murdered his brother.

And for those who enjoy digging into author backgrounds, Sam Bowie is yet another pen name used by the remarkably prolific Willis Todhunter Ballard.

4/5

Lee E. Wells

 Vulture's Gold

by 

Lee E. Wells

Hank Allen owned The Golden Vulture mine, The Golden Vulture saloon, and most of the rest of Paso Grande lock, stock and lawman. New people may come into his town from time to time but not for long, unless he says it s all right.

Kate Brent hires Jerry Crane to escort her to Paso Grande, determined to uncover the truth about her brother’s death. Everyone insists Apaches were responsible — until a letter arrives claiming his own partner, Hank Allen, was behind it.

No sooner do they reach town than Crane is jumped by Allen’s hired muscle, and things only escalate from there. Allen isn’t the type to let trouble simmer, and Crane soon realizes the only way to deal with a deadly crew like this is to cut the head off the snake.

Unfortunately, the best thing about this book is the cover. I struggled to stay engaged and found myself skipping sections. The writing is serviceable and the action is plentiful, but something essential just isn’t there.

3/5

William Heuman

 Gunhand from Texas

by

William Heuman

Standing out in front of the Elkhorn National Bank, unshaven, his black hair beginning to curl at his neck, his clothing about as badly worn as that of any of the trail riders who'd come up with him from Texas, Emmett Kane definitely did not look like a man who had a bank draft for 12 thousand dollars in his shirt pocket. It was no surprise that Madge Wilson offered him a job as a ranch hand. What was a surprise was when a cowboy warned him not to take the job.

After finishing a long cattle drive and ignoring a clear warning to stay out of Madge Wilson’s troubles Emmett Kane does exactly what he was told not to. His grit and capability don’t go unnoticed, and before long Madge appoints him as her new foreman, a decision none of her hands see fit to challenge.

The action comes hard and fast as two rival outfits start pushing their stock across Squaw Run, aiming to take over Pine Tree’s winter range in Vermilion Valley—the only decent grazing left once the snow sets in. But nothing is quite what it seems, and Kane digs in, tough as rawhide, to defend the brand he’s sworn to ride for.

This is my second Heuman novel, and it’s every bit as strong—if not stronger—than my first. Kane is a hard-bitten lead who shoulders the job he’s given, while the supporting cast each brings their own weight to the story. The winter setting is painted in broad, vivid strokes; you can almost feel the cold rolling off the page.

Read in one sitting in front of a warm fire, Gunman from Texas is a gritty, well‑crafted, action‑packed tale that cements Heuman firmly on my must‑read list of Western authors.

5/5  

Barry Cord

 Boss of the Barbed Wire

by

Barry Cord

Ben Sladeen left New Orleans to move to a ranch at Two Mile called the Barbed Wire. An old enemy follows him there and buys an adjacent ranch. His painful past in New Orleans returns to haunt him in the guise of the King brothers and Curly Temper. 

Ben Sladeen tricks his boss, John Cross, into signing over the Barbed Wire ranch partly to honor a promise to a dead woman, partly to keep it out of the hands of Curly Temper, his sworn enemy. He tells himself he’s doing the right thing, but as events unfold he starts to wonder whether his motives are as noble as he claims.

At the same time, rustlers are bleeding the Barbed Wire dry.

Adding to the trouble, Cross’s daughter Laura wants the ranch sold  so she can take her father away on the next stagecoach. Sladeen, however, is certain of one thing: whatever his reasons—good or bad—he’ll fight like hell to keep Curly Temper from getting his hands on the Barbed Wire.

I really enjoyed Cord’s (Peter Germano’s) writing. It’s sharp, well‑paced, and reads like an old‑school western film—the kind I prefer over most modern ones. Maybe that makes me old‑fashioned.

I read this one in large print. Maybe that’s a sign of getting older… or maybe it’s just the only way to get many of the classic westerns through the library these days.

5/5 

J.T Edson

 A Town Called Yellowdog

by

J.T. Edson

The citizens of Moondog, Texas, stood staring at the small, blond, insignificant cowhand—only he seemed to be the biggest man present, towering over his two companions, and neither of them lacked size. Cold fury worked on Dusty Fog’s face as he pointed to the signboard announcing the name of the town.

“My brother came here because you begged for help,” he told them. “Danny put his life on the line

and you hadn’t the guts to back him. So he died. The name of this town’s all wrong and I aim to see

it put right. You!” His finger stabbed at the Blue Bull Saloon’s bartender. “Take your paint brush and cover over ‘Moondog’ on that sign. Put ‘Yellowdog’ in its place. Yellowdog, hombre. That’s what your town is—it and everybody in it.”

Slowly, his head hanging in shame, the bartender obeyed; for he and every man in the crowd knew that Dusty spoke the bitter truth.

Danny Fog rides into Moondog hunting for two missing Texas Rangers. They arrived ahead of him…and vanished. Now he’s in danger of becoming the third.

His cover blows almost the moment he hits town, and from that point on he’s playing against a stacked deck—Stella Howkins and her crew of hired guns run Moondog with fear, and the townsfolk are too terrified to speak. Just when Danny finally uncovers the truth, he’s murdered.

That’s when his brother, the Rio Hondo gun wizard Dusty Fog, rides in, backed by the deadly Ysabel Kid and the giant Mark Counter. Together, they aim to uncover what really happened…and settle the score in blood.

I’ve always found J.T. Edson’s work a bit uneven, but this one hits the mark. The action is constant, the mystery is tight, and the violence feels a notch higher than in many of his other books. The writing is sharp too—none of the rambling over‑descriptions that bog down some of his later novels. It left me hopeful that there are still plenty of great Edson stories waiting to be read.

5/5.

Rory Black

 The Shadow of Iron Eyes

Iron Eyes #14

by

Rory Black

(Michael D. George)

Blinded after an accident, bounty hunter Iron Eyes roamed aimlessly until he heard the hungry crackle of flames devouring a ranch house in the distance. As he rode closer, he smelled the cold, metallic stench of spilled blood, and worse, the stink of burning bodies. Dismounting, he tried to learn more about what had happened to these people … but that was when he stopped a bullet, too.

Wounded, he fell, then lay helpless as his assailant came closer, intending to finish the job.

What happened next led the bounty hunter south to a place where only the Devil would feel at home. A place where the law had never ventured, a place where Iron Eyes would have to kill anyone who stood in his way.

Iron Eyes is nearly blind—temporarily, but badly enough that he moves through the world in a fog. In that dazed state he stumbles upon a burning ranch house, the bodies inside already beyond saving. Before he can make sense of the scene, a hidden gunman shoots him down.

When he finally wakes, he discovers his attacker is a girl named Sally—young, sharp, and far more dangerous than she first appears.

Thrown together by circumstance, these unlikely partners set out after the killers, riding hard toward the Mexican border, where their pursuit ends in blood and violence.

As a story, it isn’t the strongest entry in the series, but it isn’t the weakest either. This is the first time readers meet Squirrel Sally, who becomes a recurring presence in later Iron Eyes novels. Iron Eyes himself remains exactly as expected—unyielding, impossible to kill, and stubborn enough to keep going even half‑blind.

The odd piece is Mason Burr, a cold‑blooded killer whose storyline barely intersects with the main plot. He drifts alongside the narrative only to cross paths with the true villains near the end, without contributing to the final showdown. His inclusion seems mainly to set up how Squirrel Sally eventually acquires the stagecoach she uses in future books.

Still, the writing is solid, even if this installment doesn’t quite stand with the best of the series.

3/5 

Ralph Hayes

 Four Ugly Guns

Buffalo hunter #2

by

Ralph Hayes

The four men were as tough as their names: Duke Pritchard, the boss. McComb. Diablo, the Mexican. And the Superstition Kid, considered to be the fastest gun in ten counties. They left O'Brien's friends bullet-stuffed and dead. 

The buffalo hunter didn't know why. All he knew was that he was going to track down the Pritchard bunch and pay them back, if he had to trail them clear to Texas.

When O’Brien discovers his friends murdered by the Pritchard gang, it triggers a brutal chain of events. The lone buffalo hunter refuses to stop until every last one of them is in the ground. Shot, beaten, and pushed to the edge, he keeps going, driven by the need for justice. I’m sure I’ve read one or two of these books before, though I can’t quite remember. This one, though, I really enjoyed — fast‑paced, tough, and sharply written. My copy is the Centurion Books edition, listed as published in 1970.

5/5  

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.