Lee Floren

 Gunslammer

by

Lee Floren

The Cottonwood Stage carrying Len Drummond was ambushed by vicious killers who ended up shooting the wrong man. They had a name but no description, and instead of Drummond, a whiskey‑soaked salesman took the bullets. Now the question is: who ordered the killing, and why did they want Drummond dead?

The trail leads back to his uncle, Web. Once an outlaw and now on the right side of the law, Web has enemies who covet his ranch. And the one behind the gunmen is a different breed entirely.

Was it Elaine Jordan, the hard‑driving boss of the C‑Bar? Her brutal foreman, Jib Weldon? Or Tod Lambert, whose pretty sister Julia happened to be riding that same stage?

Whoever set the trap, Drummond intended to learn the truth and find out why he had suddenly become the target of blazing gunfire.

Lee Floren delivers another hard-edged Western that pits grit against malice. Drummond stands out as a relentless, no‑nonsense hero, while Weldon embodies the icy brutality of a born killer. The story brings together all the classic frontier figures—the innocent woman who stirs the heart, the weather‑scarred sheriff who’s seen too much, and a landscape thick with tension, treachery, and shifting loyalties.

The pace never lets up and, true to Floren’s style, you find yourself locked in, turning pages to see how the dust finally settles.

I'd give it 4/5.

 

Lee Floren

 Callahan Rides Alone

by

Lee Floren

Published 1977

(Centurion Books)

Ex-Texas Ranger Al Callahan came to Montana to buy into a ranch, but it wasn't that simple. Two men tried to kill and rob him and then his would-be partner turned out to be a woman. Her main rival was another hellcat and that made the situation even worse. What with rustling and murder going on, not to mention a mighty peculiar character who walked around with a pack of wolves as bodyguards, Callahan got to thinking that maybe he should have stayed in Texas. But he had come this far so he might as well go the rest of the way

At first, I found myself a bit lost in this story, but as it progressed, everything fell into place, making for a solid tale. Not the best, but definitely enjoyable. Callahan was lured north under false pretenses to invest in a ranch run by Max Heywood, mistakenly thinking Max was a man, not a woman. From there, chaos ensues. Two men attempt to kill him, a peculiar old man with wolves shows up, he discovers Max has a brother, and learns that Max and Ann Scott, a young woman from the neighboring ranch, absolutely despise each other. Adding to the turmoil, cattle rustlers are targeting the ranch, leaving Callahan in over his head. I think I might have read this book years ago, but I couldn’t quite recall it. All in all, it was a solid entry in the western genre by an author whose work was widely published in magazines, paperbacks, and serials both in the U.S. and internationally.