William S. Brady

 Comanche!

(Peacemaker #1)

by

William S. Brady

War taught him to kill …to stay alive!

McLain had nothing left in Missouri. His wife was dead, his farm was burned out.

The Civil War taught him the bloody art of killing, and now he was alone. He owned a brace of Colt Dragoons pistols, a Sharps carbine, and a horse. He followed the rebel guerrilla trail south to Texas …

And there, the Nokoni Comanche took his horse and plunged him into violent struggle for survival that was even more savage than the White man’s war.

A brutal fight for life that sent McLain down the killing trail again.

But this time in pursuit of a dream.

John T. McLain headed for Texas after the war with nothing left to his name and the hope of building a new life. Instead, he rode straight into a world of trouble.

Walking Bear and his Comanche warriors were on the warpath, with a small troop of soldiers firmly in their sights. The main body of the small force had been drawn away from a remote outpost, leaving only a handful of men isolated, surrounded, and cut off from help.

The sergeant in command asked McLain to ride for assistance. He agreed, but by the time help arrived, the garrison had been wiped out and the only woman at the post, Alice Patterson, had been taken captive.

Faced with the disaster, the captain leading the relief patrol chose the easiest way to protect his own career: he blamed McLain for everything. Suddenly branded responsible for the massacre, McLain was left with only two choices. He could run for his life, or he could find Alice Patterson, the one person who could clear his name.

McLain was never the kind of man to run.

Published under the famed Piccadilly Cowboys imprint, Comanche is not as relentlessly violent as the Edge series or even some of the Apache adventures. Nevertheless, it is a solid and enjoyable western, with strong writing and plenty of action to keep the pages turning.

I remember reading a number of these books as a teenager, and I suspect I may even have read this one before. If so, I had completely forgotten the story, which was no bad thing. It allowed me to experience and enjoy the novel all over again.

If the ultra-violent excesses of Piccadilly's harder-edged titles, such as Edge, are not to your taste, then Comanche may be just the western you're looking for.

You can pick it up from Amazon or direct from Piccadilly Publishing. 5/5.

   

William M. James

Border Killing

(Apache #22)

by

William M. James 

Cuchillo Oro, the powerful Apache who calls no man master, takes a wife—a white woman. Immediately the life of the two newly-weds becomes a bloodbath. A relentless gang of killer outlaws with a bitter grudge from way back, dogs their trail, trigger-fingers itching for murder and vengeance.

And Cuchillo has nowhere to run. In ultimate betrayal, his own people turn against him in violence as Apache clashes with Apache to the death.

As deadly forces closes in, Cuchillo is alone, fighting for a marriage doomed to breed on blood and destruction.

Blood on his wedding day, and more blood spilled after. This Apache should never have taken a bride, but the woman he married was tougher than rawhide. She went hand‑to‑hand with an Apache warrior and beat him, and later stood her ground against vicious killers who thought she’d be easy prey.

I didn’t find this entry quite as strong as others in the series, but it was still a solid read. The prose was crisp, the pace never faltered, and there was plenty of action to keep the pages turning.

You can get this book from Amazon or Piccadilly Publishing. 4/5 

William M. James

  Death Dragon

Apache #20

by 

William M. James

Apache warrior, Cuchillo Oro, vows to protect an attractive white woman through thick and thin on her way to lay claim to a piece of land. Unfortunately, the two are not the first to arrive. Or the last. Judging by the amount of killings, it's a valuable plot. And nobody's going to leave without a fight to the finish.

After being rescued by a woman who desperately needs his help, Cuchillo Oro agrees to protect her—posing as her husband to keep her safe. Their journey quickly turns violent, and after she is brutally attacked, the Apache unleashes a ferocious and uncompromising vengeance on those responsible.

This is one of the more violent Apache instalments I’ve read, packed with relentless action that keeps the pages turning. A grim, bloody, and ultimately satisfying entry for readers who love the series.

This story is available from Piccadilly Publishing.

William M. James

 Death Dragon

Apache #20

by 

William M. James

Get it here from Piccadilly Publishing!

Is it destiny or chance that brings Cuchillo Oro into the desert to interrupt a gruesome scene of blood and death?

The proud Apache of the famous golden knife is drawn into a deadly conflict surrounding a mystical Oriental woman, Water Lily, who possesses a disquieting blend of irresistible physical attraction and awesome spiritual power.

Her story is a strange one, threaded with brutality and teeming with bizarre ritual.

Once again Cuchillo is fighting in a world where fear and terror are a way of life, where death will strike whoever moves last ...

After saving a young Chinese woman from her brutal father, Cuchillo Oro finds himself dragged into a fresh cycle of violence, used as an unwitting pawn in a game he never meant to join. He feels an unexpected pull toward the woman, Water Lily — a feeling he hasn’t experienced since the death of his wife. But Water Lily carries a secret, and when it finally surfaces, it’s one I genuinely didn’t see coming.

As expected from the Piccadilly Cowboy stable, the story delivers its trademark brutal, unflinching violence. It’s raw, direct, and unapologetic. Having read a few of these books when I was younger, I don’t remember Cuchillo relying on his knife quite this much. The final bloody showdown pushes things even further, ending with yet another surprise that hits hard.

I’m not entirely sure which of the three regular contributors — Terry Harknett, John Harvey, or Laurence James — wrote this instalment, but it captures everything I remember about the series. It’s exactly the kind of gritty, relentless storytelling I expected, and I’m already looking forward to diving into the next one.

5/5  

George G. Gilman

Savage Dawn

Edge #26

 by

George G. Gilman

The half-breed Edge is about to settle down for his share of love and happiness in San Parral, about to ask the beautiful Isabella to marry him, when six brutal bounty hunters ride into town raising hell. Their prize captive is the woman of a hated bandit chief and their torture is their amusement. Hard on the bounty hunters' trail is a thirty-man band of thieves headed by the ruthless Gonzales, who wants his woman back alive. Once again, Edge has to throw love aside as he pits himself against two violent gangs, hell-bent on destroying each other. And anyone who gets in their way!

Edge is ready to settle down — until bounty hunters ride in with a brutalized captive who belongs to Gonzales, a notoriously sadistic Mexican bandit. Edge wants to stay out of it, but once Gonzales drags him into the conflict, he’s fighting for his life, his love, and the people of San Parral.

A classic Gilman western: sharp, violent, dark, and unapologetic. I read many of these years ago, but this one feels new to me, which is a bonus.

Not for readers who prefer their westerns tame.

5/5

John J. McLaglen

White Death

by

John J. McLaglen 

The sun was getting well up, and its warmth was melting the snow fast. Its rays broke through the open doorway, striking across towards Louise, and as she moved through them, Jed saw her face properly for the first time.

It took all his self-discipline to stop himself jumping up and grabbing her. There was a great bruise under her right eye, and her nose had been bleeding. A thread of black blood crept drily from the corner of her mouth, down across her chin, on her neck. And there were deep scratches around her throat.

He realized that Yates had also seen it at the same moment, hearing the strangled gasp, and feeling the man’s body tense in the chair beside him, ready to leap up. Herne reached across and seized his arm, squeezing it with all his strength …

What was done to Herne’s wife—and to his neighbors—defied all decency. Now the two men were united in their thirst for vengeance, and nothing would stand in their way. Herne pursued his retribution with a cold, deliberate precision, while his neighbor Yates slipped into outright cruelty, leaving a trail that might as well have been marked in blood. Revenge is supposed to be served cold, but was it meant to be this brutal?

This is classic Piccadilly Cowboy territory: raw, relentless, and unapologetically violent. All the hallmarks that defined the genre are here. I read only a handful of these years ago, so I’m finally committing to the full ride—from book one straight through to the finale.

It’s gripping and well-crafted, but if excessive violence isn’t your thing, this series won’t win you over.

John J. McLaglen is the pseudonym for the writing team of Laurence James and John Harvey.

Piccadilly Publishing Edition.