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