Kirk Hamilton

 Luck of the Drifter

by

Kirk Hamilton

(Keith Hetherington)

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Drifter Ben Gannon was out of work and a long way from Texas. The best he could manage was tending a high country line camp for Hank Pettus’ Broken Spur ranch. It meant being snowed in for the winter, living off poor rations and constantly battling the Montana cold, but Ben reckoned he could manage it.

But as soon as he hit the mountains, a man he’d never seen before tried to kill him. Fortunately Ben Gannon knew how to handle himself in a tight spot … but those tight spots, they just kept on coming. The high country held more than its share of desperadoes … and it seemed that each and every one of them wanted the man from Texas dead.

Every now and then you get a western that stands out from the rest. This is one of those.

Ben Gannon hits the Broken Spur ranch looking for work, not knowing he’s already crossed paths with the owner’s son , Trace Pettus , in a brutal dust‑up back in town. All Gannon wants now is distance and a quiet line camp, a roof over his head, and a chance to stay clear of Trace and his hard‑riding friends.

The line camp gives him no such peace. A rustler beats him there, and Gannon is forced to gun the man down. Before he can catch his breath, Trace and his friends show up, take the dead rustler for the reward, and leave Gannon to die in the blizzard. They should’ve known better. Gannon is a hard man to kill.

While this takes place, rustlers strike Broken Spur and drive off prime beef. When the truth finally shakes loose, Gannon is handed the job of running the thieves to ground and bringing them in. But there’s a joker in the deck — the dead rustler’s brother. He’s out for blood, and when he murders Trace Pettus and Gannon is blamed, the drifter is left with two choices: a bullet or a rope.

Gannon figures a bullet is quicker.

A standout Western set against snow‑choked country, packed with action and painted in broad, icy strokes that make you feel the cold right through your coat. I tore through it in one sitting. If I ever read it back when Cleveland first published it, I sure don’t remember it. Which probably means I never came across it.

It can now be purchased in eBook form from Piccadilly Publishing. 5/5