COMES THE REAPER by B. J. Holmes

Comes The Reaper is the first book in a series about the bounty hunter Jonathan Grimm.


A wagon train leaves Seattle, amongst the migrants looking for a better life is Thomas Jonathan Connor and his young wife. As they cross a snow covered pass they are attacked by a band of Indians. Frightened, the horses bolt and the Connor's wagon slides into oblivion. When Connor recovers he discovers that everyone is dead but there is no sign of his wife. Believing her to be taken by the Indians Connor seeks help from the nearest town but the townspeople are too busy leaving before the Indians attack. Now armed Connor sets out to rescue his wife - which he achieves but it costs her life.


Blaming himself for her death he drifts from job to job until he settles down on his own farm. Although a recluse he allows himself to be dragged off to a hoe-down where he meets his eventual second wife. After a few idyllic years the American Civil War destroys their lives - when a Confederate sergeant called Henderson rapes and kills Connor's wife before burning down the homestead and running off with the stock. Determined on revenge Connor enlists with the Texas Brigade with whom he serves through the war without encountering his quarry.


With the war over Connor finds himself as a 'bodyguard' to Abraham Lincoln and is standing guard at the Ford Theatre when John Wilkes Booth arrives waving an 'invitation' to join the President. Suspected of aiding and abetting the assassin Connor goes on the run and changes his name to Jonathan Grimm - at which point the future path to his life begins.


In 'Comes The Reaper' B. J. Holmes writes the condensed history of a man's life and how several incidents change it forever - but this is a prologue and a journey of discovery before moving on to the rest of the books in the series.


Originally published in 1995 in hardback as a Black Horse Western this series of The Reaper western novels is now available on the Kindle from Piccadilly Publishing.

REDEMPTION ROAD - J C Hulsey

At 54 pages in length Redemption Road is an interesting read.


Although billed as a Christian Western this should not be seen as a 'put off' as the bulk of the story follows the life of Jessie Cuttler from the age of thirteen. A boy who grows up with the love of guns and relishes the power that he has over life and death.


As time moves on so he links up with a man called Jackson with whom he has a clandestine business arrangement - anyone that Jackson wants taken care of Jessie Cuttler kills  - for a price.
Cuttler just cannot hold on to his money- he spends, unwisely, and gambles.


He is used to getting what he wants when he wants it - even down to the blacksmith's daughter, Melissa, who he marries on the Saturday following the day he met her.


So he gives up his killing ways, hangs up his guns and takes up farming. Though things prove tough enough he works his way through problems...but when disaster strikes and the debts mount he feels that he has no choice but to take up the gun again.


The road to redemption is never an easy ride but J C Hulsey makes it an interesting one.


Amazon has both a Kindle and paperback version.

DEVINE by I.J.Parnham

Lieutenant Governor Maddox Kingsley intends to clean up the county so hires Pinkerton detective Nimrod Dunn to infiltrate Cornelius Lee's gang and bring them to justice. Just as it seems that the job is done so the detective's cover is blown.

Marshall Jake T. Devine is sent in to bring the gang to justice - but Devine is a law unto himself.

Devine is a man who acts as Judge, Jury and Executioner who is totally committed to the law. Against him is Nimrod Dunn who is anxious to regain his reputation yet proves to be the perfect foil for the Marshall. And as long as the Pinkerton man does his job then he is the one walking around with a target on his back.

Bounty hunters, hired guns, crooked politicians all are subject to Devine's law - and life changing moments do occur.

If you read the original 'Devine's Law' then this book will not disappoint. Devine makes Edge seem saintly - a great character and a towering prescence.

Publisher: Black Horse Westerns (Robert Hale Ltd)

CHATO'S LAND - 1972 - dvd

The late Michael Winner directed Charles Bronson in this 1972 western.
At the time of release the film was panned by critics and, in my opinion, if I took them at their word would have missed out on a pretty good story.
Charles Bronson plays Pardon Chato, an Apache half-breed, who walks into a saloon to have a quiet drink. Sheriff Eli Saunders follows him in and orders Chato out. Much to the amusement of the saloon's only other customer and the bartender, Saunders takes up station behind the half-breed and draws his gun ready to backshoot Chato. Only Chato is ready and the Sheriff winds up as the corpse.

As Chato rides out of town, so the sole saloon customer rushes off to report what has happened to the harness and saddle maker, Quincey Whitmore (Jack Palance).  Whitmore, a former Confederate Captain takes command and rounds up a posse that includes Richard Basehart, Simon Oakland, Ralph Waite, Richard Jordan, William Watson and James Whitmore.
At first, Chato plays with the persuers by running off their horses and cutting their water bags while, all the time, leading them deeper into hostile territory.
Instead of being put off, the merry band of hunters push doggedly on until they come across Chato's home and rape his wife.
After he rescues his wife the tone of the story changes as the hunters now become, well and truly, the hunted.

While Bronson's Chato is more of a bit part who makes his prescence felt. Some of the later camera angles have the viewer searching the ridges for this elusive half-breed. It is the posse that holds the centre stage with Quincey Whitmore and Jubal Hooker (Simon Oakland) fighting for control.
Jack Palance's character has a depth that I doubt if anyone would have picked up in 1972 and it is when he talks about Chickamauga and still able to hear the screams of the wounded and dying that I realised that he was suffering from what we call 'post traumatic stress syndrome' - just something that is not associated with the western genre.

This film, in many ways, is far better today than it was back when first released - and, therefore, worth another look.