The renowned author Elmer Kelton, born on August 22, 1926, has made a lasting impact on the Western literary landscape, a century after his birth. Though he passed away in 2009, his legacy continues to resonate, leading many to crown him as perhaps the greatest Western writer of all time. Over his prolific career, Kelton published forty-eight novels, fourteen non-fiction books, and six short-story collections. He was not just a writer but a storyteller who lived and breathed the spirit of the Wild West.

His editorial prowess shone through fifteen years as the farm-and-ranch editor for the San Angelo Standard-Times, then five years at Sheep and Goat Raiser Magazine, and an additional twenty-two years steering Livestock Weekly. Kelton won eight Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America, three Western Heritage Awards, and an Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement. In April 1997, the Texas State Legislature even declared an Elmer Kelton Day.

To commemorate what would have been Kelton's 100th birthday, TCU Press has released a new hardcover edition of Living and Writing in West Texas: Two Speeches by Elmer Kelton. This collection is remarkable in its brevity, listed on Amazon ^[*] at just 37 pages, but don’t dismiss it as lightweight. Beyond its foreword and afterward, this book presents the heart and soul of Elmer through two stirring speeches delivered at the Friends of the Library Symposium and the Texas Folklore Society, both in Lubbock, Texas, during the mid-80s.

As my reading preferences have veered into the rugged terrain of Western adventures, I've found myself on an unexpected path. Out of the blue, I've been inundated with review requests from Western authors. This influx led me to the audiobook of Subtraction, a novella by Stephenson Crossley and Peter Gibson. It's funny to think about it, really; the person who once declared their dislike toward audiobooks (yes, that's me) has somehow embraced them this year.

A little background on the creative minds behind this novella: Peter Gibson and Stephenson Crossley have over fifty years of experience in film and television. Peter, a seasoned producer, has worked on everything from award-winning ad campaigns for Mercedes to Broadway productions like The Ten Commandments. He's been mentored by the great Joseph Papp and has an impressive array of films to his name, including Kill Your Darlings and Free. 

On the other hand, Stephenson Crossley is an award-winning location manager with projects that span from the critically acclaimed Nocturnal Animals to the long-running comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. With a lineage linked to Broadway royalty, his great-grandfather was the illustrious Florenz Ziegfeld, and his great-grandmother, Billie Burke, enchanted as Glinda the Good Witch in 1939's The Wizard of Oz.

Running at a brisk 2 hours and 27 minutes, the audiobook is narrated by the wonderfully talented Natalie Naudus, whose smooth voice captures the gravity of the protagonist, Clara Kane, with exquisite precision. This novella isn’t your typical Western; rather, it unfolds against the stark backdrop of the alkali flats of the 1869 Colorado Territory. The story centers on Clara, a half-Chinese young woman driven by a singular obsession: revenge. With her parents insidiously burned alive before her eyes and her brother left for dead, she harnesses her prodigious math skills to turn grief into a cold, calculated means of vengeance.

From the very outset, Clara feels more like a calculating machine than a mere mortal. She's a mathematics genius, her mind racing with equations and trajectories as she plots her revenge against the seventeen men who shattered her world. Every bullet drop, wind shift, and heartbeat between shots becomes part of her mathematical arsenal. While this obsession might suggest a character on the autism spectrum, her social awkwardness and cold demeanor give off a Sheldon Cooper-esque vibe; it's a nuance that adds rich depth. The childhood trauma undoubtedly plays a role in her emotional landscape, but her fascination with numbers seems to have a life of its own, an echo of her brilliance that existed long before the tragedy struck.

As Clara navigates the desert city of New Rome, a harsh fortress ruled by the villainous General Titus Creed, I couldn't help but relish the intricacies of her revenge plot. The bad guys here serve their purpose: cannon fodder for Clara's quest for vengeance. And while revenge stories might swim in a sea of clichés, Subtraction reinvigorates the trope with a fresh and thrilling approach that’s hard to resist.

The production quality of the audiobook is exceptional, rivalling some of the big-name publishers, if not surpassing them. Naudus's narration pulls the listener into Clara's world, making time swiftly disappear as the plot unfolds. The brevity of the novella adds to its charm; it’s a quick ride, yet it leaves a lasting impression.

In the end, Subtraction offers an engaging escape from the mundane worries of life, a revenge tale that’s both familiar and refreshingly original. Whether you're a die-hard fan of Westerns or just someone in search of a unique story, I recommend giving it a listen. ╌★★★★★

Please consider supporting future reviews on this blog by purchasing Subtraction as an audiobook ^[*], paperback ^[*], or a Kindle eBook ^[*].

〜B.J. Burgess

Why do some characters embed themselves so deeply in your psyche, leaving you craving more adventures? That's precisely how I felt after reading The Last Gunfighter: Ambush Valley by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. If you're curious, you can check out my review by clicking here. The characters that captured my imagination and heart are Conrad and Rebel Browning. Conrad is the son of the legendary gunfighter Frank Morgan, also known as The Drifter from The Last Gunfighter series. Why do father and son have different last names? The twist is that Frank played no role in raising Conrad; in fact, after Conrad’s mother remarried, he adopted his stepfather's surname. Following the murder of his mother, which Frank avenged, Conrad became the heir to the Browning fortune. Think banks, railroads, mines. In short, Conrad is the picture-perfect businessman, while Frank is the rugged gunfighter. They’re two sides of the same coin, that is, until everything crumbles in The Loner, the first book of J.A. Johnstone's spin-off series. I was aware of the series thanks to Western Fiction Review, and had even heard whispers of a certain dramatic death from another blog that I now cannot recall, much to my chagrin. There are fifteen books in The Loner series, and my impatient self scoured for the remainder after settling into the first installment.

In The Loner, Conrad's newlywed bliss is brutally shattered when a wretched group of thugs kidnaps his spirited wife, Rebel, with a ransom demand of $50,000. His immediate instinct is to reach out to his father for assistance, but alas, Frank Morgan's whereabouts are unknown, so it falls squarely on Conrad's shoulders to rescue his beloved. Armed with cash and guns, he plunges into the canyons outside Carson City, Nevada, for a perilous exchange that turns sinister. Just when you think he has the upper hand, the gang leader catches him off guard. Spoiler Alert! Rebel meets her tragic end!

Today, I’m shedding light on my latest reading foray: The Yellow Hair, the 10th entry in Dwight Holing's Nick Drake Mysteries. This series flew under my radar until now, but it hums with a vibe reminiscent of C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett books, albeit with a wildlife ranger-turned-sheriff instead of a game warden.

Nick Drake isn’t just any lawman; he’s a Native American Vietnam War veteran. The story takes place in the haunting backdrop of late 1979 or early 1980, and I've deduced this from the brand-new 1980 Cadillac Sedan de Ville referenced on the first page. Now, while the book is marketed as a "Contemporary Western," I'd argue it straddles genres better suited for a breezy mix of Joe Pickett and Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn & Chee novels. Sure, there are Western elements, but don't expect gunfights at high noon or dusty saloon brawls. This isn't the Wild West.

Now, let’s talk about the plot: Nick’s tenure as sheriff gets off to a brutal start with a double homicide; a couple found dead in a scene so meticulously fabricated to resemble a tragic murder-suicide that it’s almost a paint-by-numbers tragedy. Convenient, isn’t it? A smooth lie crafted to soothe the masses, but Nick’s far from fooled. As he begins peeling back the layers of this rotten onion, he finds himself embroiled in a two-front battle.

On the internal front, he’s grappling with a motley crew of green deputies who’d need more than just a badge and a uniform to keep the peace. On the external front? A ruthless political machine, fueled by shadowy figures hell-bent on burying him before the truth sees the light of day. Outmaneuvered and isolated, Nick is caught in a high-stakes game, and he must strike first and strike hard.

Lately, I’ve developed a strange fascination with autobiographies and biographies, especially those chronicling the lives of pulp-era authors. It’s like my aging mind is reaching back to the frontier of literature, drawn to old stories of grit and creativity. Among those who pique my interest is the Western author Ben Haas, born Benjamin Leopold Haas (1926 - 1977). A prolific writer, he churned out the first sixteen books in the Sundance series, as well as the Fargo and Culter series, under the pen name John Benteen. His 1968 Double D Western, Big Bend, written under Richard Meade, sits proudly on my shelf in hardcover.

Recently, I stumbled upon A Hack's Notebook: An Autobiography by Ben Haas, published as an eBook by Piccadilly Publishing for a mere $1.99. This autobiography was originally released in paperback back in 2020 by Lulu Press. “Wait a minute,” I hear you saying, “Didn’t you mention that Ben Haas passed away in 1977?” Rest assured, you’re not losing your grip on sanity. Tragically, Ben did indeed pass away at the age of 51. However, his family unearthed an unfinished autobiography that contained six chapters. After rummaging through his papers, they couldn’t find the rest of it, leaving us with a patchwork of his life. They decided to publish those fragments alongside Jim Henderson's memoir—Henderson being Ben’s long-time friend—and a scrapbook filled with samples of Ben's artwork, family photographs, and a bibliography. The 2026 edition is lovingly edited by Joel Haas, Ben’s son, who added a nostalgic touch with his personal introduction, Remembering My Father.

When I started reading Rathuun: King of the Prairie by David Fitz-Gerald, I didn't anticipated what I was about to embark upon. Calling it historical fiction seems a bit of a stretch, given that it’s from the perspective of a buffalo named Rathuun. Yes, you read that right: a buffalo. And let me tell you, if you want to grasp the essence of this tale, you’ll need a passport into the peculiar realm of buffalo linguistics. The author himself nudges readers toward a website full of buffalo terms like a guide trying to teach a language on the brink of extinction. Call it a quirk of mine, but I can’t help but feel slightly irked when a book requires a mini-lexicon. Yet, like a stubborn bull, I pressed through my annoyance to see what awaited me across the prairies.

Rathuun isn’t just any buffalo calf; he’s marked by a splash of white on his chin, which somehow makes him feel like a prophet of misfortune from the get-go. Born in a serene canyon, his world plunges into chaos instantly: his twin is murdered by a grizzly bear. The plains are filled with wagons rolling westward in a relentless procession, telegraph wires tattooing the sky, and locomotives roaring like angry beasts across polished steel. All the while, the specter of extinction hangs over Rathuun and his fellow buffalo, as hunters turn the prairie into a veritable slaughterhouse. You’ve got native hunters armed with arrows, herds being driven off cliffs, and an obsessed assassin on a misshapen personal vendetta against the species. You can practically hear the rifles barking, each shot a grim reminder that Rathuun’s days could be numbered. Will he become just another story buried in the dirt of history, left to rot under the relentless sun?

There was a time when the Western novel came roaring back, thanks to a flashy revival that ignited in the late 1970s. Adult Westerns, they called them; your run-of-the-mill tales with a spicy twist of love scenes. Publishers were desperate to breathe life into a fading genre, and for a while, it worked like a charm. Among these was the series Chance, published by Avon Books and penned under the pen name Clay Tanner by the Spur Award-nominated George W. Proctor (1946-2008). Dubbed The Maverick with a Winning Hand, the protagonist, Chance Sharpe, is a slick card shark who owns the riverboat Wild Card. You could easily argue that Proctor borrowed a page or several from the legendary Brett Maverick, but that’s a tale as old as the Wild West itself. Only twelve novels graced this series, published from 1986 to 1988.

Fast forward to my recent thrift store adventure, where I stumbled upon the ninth installment, Chance: Deadly Deal. Maybe it was fate, or perhaps just some cosmic irony, but this book felt oddly familiar. I distinctly remember having owned it in the 1990s, maybe not this exact paperback, but close enough. Back then, I was much too young to be reading Western yarns with sex scenes. I could almost picture my mom snagging it from a garage sale, blissfully unaware of the literary mischief I would engage in. I read everything I could get my hands on, regardless of age appropriateness, thinking I was wise beyond my years. Who knows what ever happened to that first copy? Perhaps it found its way to another garage sale. But I digress. There it sat amid the dust and knickknacks: Deadly Deal. The cover was a siren song, pulling me back into nostalgia, and I couldn't resist the urge to scoop it up.

It's astonishing to realize that the Adult Western series The Gunsmith has reached the ripe old age of forty-four, a year younger than I am; yes, the passage of time is a cruel companion, and I'm feeling every tick of the clock as I write this. It's the creation of J.R. Roberts, the pseudonym for the late Robert J. Randisi (1951-2024); this series stands as the last bastion of Adult Westerns from the 1980s. Following Randisi’s passing in 2024, his stepson, Marcus Pelegrimas, has stepped up to the plate, spinning new tales inspired by a query Randisi submitted before his untimely death. If the name Marcus Galloway rings a bell, it’s likely due to his work on the Snake Oil series, the Man From Boot Hill series, and several titles in the Ralph Compton books, solidifying his status among Western aficionados.

This brings us to my review of The Gunsmith: Tent City, the 496th installment, released in June 2026 by Speaking Volumes, LLC. While I could call it the latest addition, that wouldn’t exactly be truthful since the 497th title, Skinwalker, has just hit the shelves. I’ll have my thoughts on that one once I manage to snag a copy.

So, here’s the heart of the matter: our protagonist, ex-lawman Clint Adams, or as he’s known, The Gunsmith, is wrapping up a brief stint as a poker tournament enforcer in Leadville, Colorado. His journey to, well, who knows where, is abruptly thrown off course by the frantic appearance of a redhead named Mandy, a widowed damsel fresh off a narrow escape from four male kidnappers. Clint, ever the gallant knight willing to brave the wild west for a pretty face, can't turn a blind eye to her distress... but he could never predict the dangers he's about to be swept into.

When did legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid crawl his way into the fabric of mainstream culture? Was it in 1882 when Pat Garrett, the man who ended his life, published The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid? (Although technically, he had a ghostwriter, Marshall Ashmun Upson.) Or was it in 1948 when Brush Bill Roberts strolled in claiming to be the infamous outlaw himself? Perhaps it was 1988, when Emilio Estevez donned a bowler hat and roamed the screen as Billy in the film Young Guns? Regardless, Billy the Kid continues to haunt our collective imagination like a restless specter.

I've long been enthralled by Billy the Kid; in fact, I had a wall plaque of his famous wanted poster proudly displayed in my childhood bedroom. Maybe it’s because my name is Billy, or maybe because as a kid, he felt like a kindred spirit; an outcast bound by fate. I even remember the nostalgia of late '80s Billy the Kid apparel; I had a shiny belt buckle and a few shirts that made me feel like a renegade at recess. Of course, my parents took me to see Young Guns in theaters when I was probably a bit too young; but hey, that was a different time.

Over the years, I’ve read a range of books about this enigmatic outlaw. Recently, I read Sing to Me Billy the Kid, written by Frances Bonney Jenner and published earlier this year by Speaking Volumes. It popped onto my radar thanks to a publicist who reached out, and naturally, I couldn’t resist the chance to jump into its pages.

Yeepee! It’s the weekend, and here I am, venturing back into the realm of Western reviews. Well, sort of. This one’s more of a horror-sci-fi cocktail set against a Western backdrop. Does that still count as a Western? I suppose it does! The book in the spotlight today is Trouble at New Barnsley, the first book in the Legends of the Alchemist Hunter series by James Collins, who also wrote A Joyful Noise. Earlier this year, the author reached out about his work, branding it a 'weird Western.' My curiosity was piqued, and I couldn’t resist the pull to review it, though I’ll admit it took me a tad longer than I planned to get my thoughts together. But here we are!

So, what’s the story about, you ask? It centers around U.S.T.S. Marshal John Fellman, a True Science Marshal and a legendary Alchemist Hunter whose name strikes fear in the hearts of deranged scientists in the West. He’s a cowboy with a mission, bringing judgment to those who tinker with the very laws of nature. When he’s contracted to investigate a string of bizarre deaths at New Barnsley ranch, our intrepid marshal gears up to confront yet another alchemical monstrosity. However, lurking in the shadows are dangers greater than he anticipated. His brainy, firebrand partner, Dell Ginsley, accompanies him as they journey to the ranch nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Just beyond the picturesque facade of the mansion lies a web of deception and sinister threats that could swallow them whole. John and his crew must race against time to uncover the New Barnsley menace before it spreads its malevolent tentacles beyond the ranch.

Today, I’m venturing into the Ambush Valley, the 17th installment of The Last Gunfighter series, which was kicked off in 2000 by the late William W. Johnstone (1938-2004). The last solo effort in the series from Johnstone was Renegades in 2005. After that, Fred Austin stepped in for Savage Country in 2006, paving the way for J.A. Johnstone, William's niece, to join the fray, starting with the fourteenth book, The Devil's Legion. However, I am unsure about his niece's involvement in the actual writing of the books. A "Publisher's Note" appeared in later installments, detailing how the Johnstone family selected authors to complete unfinished outlines and craft new tales, breathing fresh life into the series.

At the center of The Last Gunfighter saga is Frank "The Drifter" Morgan, a legendary figure renowned and feared across the Wild West. After six tumultuous months, Frank has taken a rare breather, settling into the role of town Marshal in Buckskin. It’s not his first experience donning a badge, but this stint promises to be the longest by far.

Frank’s son, Conrad Browning, is now a man unto himself, married to the spirited Rebel Callahan. Following the death of Conrad's mother, the pair inherited the Browning empire, which includes banks. However, Frank has little interest in the family's business affairs. He prefers to leave those matters in the hands of lawyers to ensure fairness prevails. Yet, the peace is shattered when a gang led by Cicero McCoy pulls a daring heist, making off with eighty thousand dollars from one of the banks. McCoy, in a sinister twist, hides the loot in Ambush Valley before turning on his own men, leaving a trail of bodies behind. Captured by bounty hunters, he’s sentenced to a long, bleak twenty-five years in Yuma Territorial Prison.

Reading a novel by a new author—at least new to me—is always an exciting experience, especially when there’s positive buzz surrounding them. This has certainly been true for Lane R. Warenski, who is known for his Western adventures, particularly the Frontier Scout series. His latest installment, Silent Stalker, is the fifth book in the series and was published in April by Dusty Saddle Publishing. I must admit that I had a review copy sitting on my Kindle for several months. Due to family commitments and responsibilities, the eBook was put on the back burner, but it was never forgotten. Now, I’m eager to share my thoughts on the book.

The story unfolds with Caleb Miller, also known as the Night Tracker, a man whose reputation as Chief Scout for the 2nd Cavalry out of Fort Laramie precedes him. As his wife prepares to bring their child into the world, Caleb must make a heart-wrenching decision: to brave the perils of the plains or return to Springfield and welcome his newborn among family.

What follows is a treacherous journey home that forces Caleb to take the responsibility of escorting orphaned twins, Clara and Cloe, through a landscape alive with danger: outlaws, hostile war parties, and the unknown. Along their perilous route, they encounter Gray Owl, the Silent Stalker, a young Pawnee warrior whose intentions towards Cloe are complicated yet rooted in mutual respect. What begins as a cautious alliance between Caleb and Gray Owl soon blossoms into a deep and meaningful friendship, a bond forged in the fires of adversity.

Today, I’m unpacking The Familiar Stranger, a posthumous collaboration by Steve Kelton and John Bradshaw, which marks the fifth entry in the "Hewey Calloway" series started by the late Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) in 1978 with The Good Old Boys. This series has seen a gradual evolution over the years, with The Smiling Country following in 1998 and Six Bits a Day in 2005. Elmer's son, Steve, wrote the fourth entry, The Unlikely Lawman, pub. in 2022. Tragically, Steve Kelton was in the midst of writing The Familiar Stranger ^[*] when he passed in March 2022, and his wife, Karen, entrusted John Bradshaw with completing the manuscript.

The plot revolves around Hewey Calloway, who intended to breeze through Durango, Colorado, on his way to a friend’s place northeast of the city. A year out from his home range with a herd of young horses, he expected a straightforward journey: deliver the horses, pocket the payment, and head home. However, fate plays a different hand, and a year later, Hewey finds himself still in Durango, sensing the pull to explore new territory rather than returning south.

It isn't long before his path leads him to a cabin amidst a biting rain. Inside, he encounters a sickly young man who desperately tries to shoo him away. This man, battling smallpox, ends up caring for Hewey when he himself contracts the disease. Just as Hewey starts feeling better, the young man vanishes, and the next morning, a Pinkerton detective arrives with a posse on the hunt for a wanted bank robber.

It's been a while since my last Western read. Life's little complications can often overshadow the joy of blogging, and my blog, more of a passion hobby than a primary focus, has taken a backseat amid recent events. My father's surgery in late April has been a significant distraction. As he prepares for another operation, my time and energy have dwindled. It has led to a reading slump that’s been quite the unwelcome guest. But here I am, ready to share my thoughts on The Last Ride of the Dirty Creek Gang by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: ghostwriters. The new Johnstone’s books are notorious for the mystery surrounding their authorship, and I can't help but wonder—who’s really behind the pen? If anyone has insights, I’m all ears. This particular book hails from the March 2026 release batch. With the decline of mass-market paperbacks, we’re now treated to a trilogy of titles every other month, albeit at a steeper price and larger format. My local Walmart has stopped carrying these books altogether, squeezing their book section to a mere shadow of its former self, prompting me to turn to Amazon ^[*]. 

The gunslinger Clint Adams is back in The Gunsmith: Freaktown, the 495th installment of the adult western series, published by Speaking Volumes. This series began in 1982 with Macklin's Women, written by Robert J. Randisi under the pseudonym J.R. Roberts. Following Randisi's passing in 2024, his stepson, Marcus Pelegrimas, has taken over, creating new stories inspired by a query that Randisi submitted for future installments before his death. Pelegrimas is not new to the genre; he has also written other Westerns under the name Marcus Galloway. 

As with every Gunsmith installment, Freaktown promises a mix of grit and intrigue, along with the relentless pursuit of justice in a lawless land. This series stands as a testament to the resilience of storytelling, continuing even after the original author’s lifetime, and serves as a reminder that the spirit of the West lives on through these narratives.

The story opens with a jarring discovery: Harriet Sands has been gruesomely murdered, her daughter Pearl left dazed in the wake of horror. The scene is stark and chilling, setting the tone for what is to come. As Clint, our ever-reluctant hero, joins the sheriff's posse to investigate, he is greeted by a tableau of violence that threatens to haunt him. Though Clint is no stranger to brutality, the savagery of this crime pushes even his hardened sensibilities to the limit.

Welcome back, fellow aficionados of the Wild West. Today, we’re diving into the newly minted sequel, The Maverick Marshal ^[*], by R.J. Sloane, a follow-up to The Rustler Hunter ^[*] —if you haven’t caught that review yet, it’s worth a peek. Like its predecessor, this installment is a Christian Western, offering a clean-cut narrative reminiscent of Roy Rogers’ adventures while encapsulating that gritty, pulpy essence found in the vintage magazines of the 1930s and 1940s. 

Set in Arizona in 1899, the story revolves around Deputy U.S. Marshal Flynn Harper, who has built his reputation on one unyielding principle: bring them in dead or alive. When a federal warrant for A.C. Beaumont, a master swindler draining the railroads dry, lands on his desk, Flynn rushes to Holbrook, expecting a straightforward arrest.

However, what he encounters is a town ensnared in a web of deception. Everything appears just a bit too perfect, the witnesses seem far too rehearsed, and the frightened shopkeeper’s daughter is hell-bent on protecting a man she insists is innocent.

As Flynn delves deeper, the plot thickens, ultimately guiding him to an unexpected revelation: his own past. In a world where justice often hangs by a thread—sometimes literally—Flynn’s most formidable adversary proves to be not the outlaw he’s pursuing, but the very system he’s sworn to uphold.

Today, we explore No Smoke Without Fire: A Harlequin Town Western Mystery, the inaugural book in a new series by Gary Diamond and D.O. Michael and published by Dusty Saddle Publishing. The cover reads, “with Special Guest Culpepper, Texas Bounty Hunter,” a nod to a character who also struts his stuff in the Culpepper: Texas Bounty Hunter series by Diamond and Paul L. Thompson.

Set against the dusty backdrop of Harlequin, Texas, the story revolves around Sheriff Matt Carson, a devoted family man navigating life in a tight-knit community. Just as the town’s annual dance kicks off, a brutal murder sends shockwaves through what was supposed to be a night of revelry. Sheriff Carson is faced with a web of suspects, each harboring secrets that could unravel the fabric of their close-knit town. As the investigation unravels, the Carson family finds themselves ensnared in the very heart of the mystery, with danger lurking at every turn. And then there’s Culpepper, the bounty hunter, who rides into Harlequin on the trail of a dangerous fugitive. Are these killings somehow intertwined, or is there a more sinister threat hiding in plain sight? Who can Sheriff Carson trust amidst this chaos?

Today, I’m reviewing the audiobook The Widowmaker: Invitation to a Hanging ^[*], penned by the late Robert J. Randisi, who authored The Gunsmith series under the pseudonym J.R. Roberts. Invitation to a Hanging marks the inaugural entry in The Widowmaker series, first published by Pocket Star Books in December 2003. I do own the second installment, Turnback Creek, which followed in 2004, in paperback. A third volume, Dead Weight, teased within the pages of the second book, remains shrouded in mystery—never to see the light of day, likely due to the tepid sales of its predecessors. Was Dead Weight merely a concept, or was it fully drafted? The truth eludes me.

The audiobook adaptation, released in 2005 on CD and later available on Audible by Recorded Books, is brought to life by the late Richard Ferrone, with a runtime of 6 hours and 16 minutes.

The narrative unfurls around John Locke, a man molded by the trials of his past as a lawman, bounty hunter, and gun-for-hire. Now, he's attempting to carve out an existence by taking on perilous odd jobs that only someone of his notorious reputation could manage. His newest journey leads him to Fredericksburg, Texas, where he assumes the role of bastonero, essentially the Master of Ceremonies, for the hanging of the infamous Ignacio Delgado, a man painted in shades of both villainy and martyrdom. In the beginning, Locke finds himself fending off Delgado’s loyalists, who view their leader as part saint, part Robin Hood. Yet, as tension mounts, Locke's perspective shifts; respect for Delgado begins to seep into his philosophies, even as he unravels the sheriff’s ulterior motives behind the hanging—a classic standoff brewing like storm clouds on the horizon.

As the weekend rolls in, I find myself drawn into the vivid landscapes of the Wild West through the lens of Stephen Hunter's latest novel, The Gun Man Jackson Swagger ^[*]. For those unfamiliar, Hunter is a lauded figure in the literary realm, a Pulitzer Prize winner for Criticism and the former chief film critic of The Washington Post. Known for his non-fiction work, American Gunfighter, and an impressive collection of novels collectively known as the "Swaggerverse," he is a master storyteller. While I've long been aware of his work and origins from Missouri, I must admit that I hadn’t yet ventured into his fiction until I serendipitously stumbled upon his newest offering at the library.

Set against the sun-bleached backdrop of a drought-stricken 1890s Southwest, The Gun Man Jackson Swagger introduces us to Jack, an aging yet formidable gunman seeking employment at the thriving Callahan ranch. With a weathered exterior and the sharp instincts of a seasoned fighter, Jack presents his extraordinary skills with one of Winchester’s latest models to the skeptical foreman. Clearly, a sharpshooter is a valuable asset for both Colonel Callahan and head gunman Tom Voth.

However, Jack’s motives veil a deeper mystery. Upon discovering the mysterious death of a young cowboy on the ranch, his instincts compel him to investigate, unraveling a web of dark conspiracies tightly woven with the Callahan fortune. It’s a tale of survival and justice, where six-guns and quick draw reign supreme amidst the treachery of the Old West.

Welcome back, fellow lovers of the Wild West. Today, I want to delve into Cabin Gulch ^[*] by Zane Grey, a mesmerizing nearly five-hour audiobook ^[*] from GraphicAudio. Originally penned in 1915, this tale likely graced the pages of a Pulp magazine in serialized format—though I must admit, I couldn't track down the specifics of its initial publication. If anyone has that information, please share it in the comments. It was subsequently retitled The Border Legion and published in book form in 1916 by Harper & Row. Remarkably, the story has been adapted into film five times, the most-famous being The Last Round-Up in 1934, starring Randolph Scott.

As with many Westerns that started their lives in magazines, Cabin Gulch underwent various changes in its transformation to The Border Legion. Thankfully, GraphicAudio chose to adapt the original 1915 text, giving us an uncensored version of Grey's gripping story.

At the heart of Cabin Gulch ^[*] is Joan Randle, a young woman driven by anger who sends Jim Cleve into the lawless mining frontier of Idaho Territory to test his courage. But when she regrets their quarrel, she sets off to bring him back, only to fall prey to the infamous bandit Jack Kells.

Kells is a character drenched in menace, willing to kill—not hesitating even against his own men—to possess Joan. The plot thickens with a burgeoning gold strike at Alder Creek, enticing Kells and his gang to descend upon the miners with malicious intent. The intensifying emotional landscape for Joan is the crushing realization that Jim has allied himself with Kells's nefarious crew. Grey weaves a powerful tapestry of tragedy, romance, historical detail, and flickers of hope that resonate even today.