Gunsmoke & Grit: 'Renegade Lawmen': A Tale of Friendship, Chaos, and Love in the Wild West

Dear Western Readers, 

I've been eager to read Cameron Judd's Renegade Lawmen ever since I stumbled upon it at an antique flea market, where it was going for the unbeatable price of fifty cents. I definitely got my money's worth! 

Originally published in 1992 under the title Fiddler and McCan, Renegade Lawmen was reissued in 1999 as a St. Martin's Paperback. It serves as a sequel to Timber Creek, published in 1989—something I discovered by reading the Author's Note from April 2, 1991, tucked away at the back of Renegade Lawmen. That revelation came as a surprise to me, especially since I hadn't read Timber Creek on my Kindle yet. Had I known they were connected, I would have read it first. But it is what it is; I had no trouble getting the backstory on the protagonist Luke McCan, as Judd skillfully intersperses essential tidbits about McCan's past naturally throughout the narrative.

The story unfolds from McCan's perspective, starting with him locked up in a jail cell after stepping in to defend a loud and smaller man, a fiddler named Fiddler Smith, from an impending beating in a saloon. Before long, Fiddler helps him break out, quickly becoming his closest friend, at least for the moment. 

McCan and Fiddler head to Walden City, Colorado, where Fiddler becomes the sheriff, with McCan as his right-hand man in this newly established town, which supposedly shuns gambling, drinking, and brothels—though that's all put to the test when a nearby saloon opens, triggering a chain of events that lead to chaos, including Fiddler running away with Vera Ann, the pregnant widow of a wealthy land baron. This whirlwind of happenings takes place in the first part of the novel.

Following their time in Walden City, McCan finds himself drifting once again, unfortunately slipping back into old habits. He eventually reconnects with old friends and makes his way back to the Upchurch community near Timber Creek, Montana, where he reunites with a long-lost love, Maggie. As fate would have it, Fiddler and Vera Ann cross paths with him once more, and, along with a madman on the hunt for Fiddler, they irrevocably alter McCan's destiny.

Overall, Renegade Lawmen (formerly "Fiddler and McCan") is a compelling Western filled with richly drawn characters that you'll either love or hate, particularly Fiddler. The story has it all: drama, romance, and shootouts—the essence of a great Western. While Judd may not match the poetic descriptions of Louis L'Amour, he stands out as one of the better Western fiction writers in modern history who's still going strong, though it’s been some time since his last novel, and I hope he still has more stories to share. ╌★★★★★

⁓B.J. Burgess