Sunday 5 July 2009

DOUBLE-DEALING AT DIRTVILLE by Clay More

BLACK HORSE WESTERN published 2005

For five years Abe Gibson has lived a peaceful life. In the past he had done things that were not exactly downright illegal but he had made enough money to buy the Dead Ringer saloon and settle down. He had made a few friends and was hoping that the owner of the local eatery, Martha, would settle down with him.
However, his peace is shattered when wanted killer, Ethan Grant, walks into his saloon with a couple of pouches of gold. Sheriff Mat Hughes and Deputy Burt Lister arrive on the scene intending to make an arrest but Grant has other ideas and is gunned down.
No sooner is he buried than Laura Hollister turns up claiming to be the dead man's fiance. Burt Lister is quick to take her to the grave where he has no qualms in boasting of his acheivements. Though he's taken by surprise when she promptly shoots herself in the head.
Meanwhile Abe Gibson has taken himself for a ride and finds a semi-concious man who has quite a tale to tell. When he's been checked over by the Doctor the man, Zeke Kincaid, is hired by Abe as the saloon's piano player.
This is the opener to a real page turner of a book that is full of twists and turns that involves the death of a rancher, a gold mine and the town's rich entrepeneur, Grover Wilkins who may or may not be on the side of the angels.
Clay More brings his characters to life that has the reader rooting for the good guys and wondering how the bad guys plans are going to fall apart.
To date Clay More has written a total of five Black Horse Westerns:
Raw Deal At Pasco Springs (2004)
Nemesis For The Judge (2004)
A Rope For Scudder (2006)
Stampede At Rattlesnake Pass (2007)
Just hope that there will be more.

And don't forget that other writers will be riding for the Black Horse Western brand on Wild Bunch Wednesday.

4 comments:

Randy Johnson said...

This sounds like one I'd love to read. A little pricey on Abebooks though.

Steve M said...

Great review Ray, you've got me intrigued enough to hunt this book out.

Unknown said...

Sigh! Many of them are, Randy -- pricey, I mean. But the BHWs are handsome hardback books, as long as they're new and not well-worn library withdrawals. A lot of us dream of seeing similar yarns in slim, inexpensive paperbacks of the old Gold Medal or NEL kind. But its realization will depend on the public demanding them, which is -- partly -- what Gary Dobbs' inspired Wild West Mondays have been about.

Very shortly, I'll be promoting a western original, Misfit Lil Cheats the Hangrope, which will be available as a paperback of the traditional pocket-book dimensions for purchase online. The book price will be $US7.70, less a 10% discount for a "coupon" code which will be offered to readers via as many of the western blogs and websites as possible. Unfortunately, shipping and handling will come on top of the book price. But who knows? If the sales show a market does exist, perhaps the bricks-and-mortar stores and the Book Depository can be persuaded to come on board. Then the book can be developed into a series.

Randy Johnson said...

I'd love to see that, Mr. O'Keefe. I ordered The Tarnished Star from The Book Depository and would be on board if they carried Black Horse paperbacks. Especially since I see they are planning a North American branch. Either way, I'd definitely give them the business for a line of paperbacks.