Tuesday 31 March 2009

Review of Left Hand Gun by Walt Masterson

Review at new blog The Dominic Fox scene

Interview with Jack Martin

Interview available at whohub

Bestselling books on Amazon - 31 March

1. Stampede at Rattlesnake Pass by Clay More
New: £11.99, 4 Used & new from £8.98

2. Blast to Oblivion by Chap O'Keefe
New £9.19, 10 Used & new from £8.02

3. Guns Up by Ernest Haycox
6 Used & new from £0.01

4. Trail Dust by Alan Irwin
3 Used & new from £0.01

5. The Savage Hills by Carl Eddings
3 Used & new from £36.24

6. The Tarnished Star by Jack Martin
Order new: £9.19

7. West of the Pecos by Alan C. Porter
4 Used & new from £1.48

8. Desperate Men by Corba Sunman
New: £11.03, 13 Used & new from £8.08

9. Gun for Revenge by Steve Hayes
New: £11.03, 2 Used & new from £11.03

10. Revenge of Ellis Stack by Frank Fields
4 Used & new from £1.09

Saturday 28 March 2009

The BHW Poll

The first BHW poll (in the top left hand corner) has a few days left to run. Please take a moment to vote if you haven't done so, as this is a chance for us all to see some useful information about reading habits. I'll start a new poll on April 1, and if there's any subject you'd like to see polled please add a suggestion to the comments. Thanks.

Thursday 26 March 2009

Bestsellers at The Book Depository - 26 March

1. Nightmare Pass - Lance Howard

2. The Tarnished Star - Jack Martin

3. Last Chance Saloon - Ross Morton

4. All Guns Blazing - Douglas Thorne

5. Draw Down the Lightning - Ben Bridges

6. Death at Bethesda Falls - Ross Morton

7. Return to Black Rock - Scott Connor

8. Silver Galore - John Dyson

9. Meredith's Gold - Philip Harbottle

10. Two for Sonora - Ryan Bodie

All books available at http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/ where worldwide postage is free.

Wednesday 25 March 2009

Review of Guns of Virtue by Peter Wilson

Review available at Western Fiction Review

March's Black Horse Westerns


Die This Day - Dempsey Clay
When their troubled town found itself yet again without a peace officer to enforce the law, the citizens finally agreed on what must be done: forget the cost and risks involved and hire a town-tamer. The famed marshal seemed to meet all their requirements - until the day gun hell erupted again. The town looked confidently to their hero to deal with the trouble - while only the marshal himself realised that this town - and this adversary - might prove the one to put him in his grave.
Amazon.co.uk


The Guns of Caleb Jones - Alan C. Porter
Caleb Jones rode into Desert Bluffs to make peace with his daughter whom he had not seen in twenty years, but Aguilar's raider, from across the Mexican border, robbed him of that chance, killing her and taking his granddaughters. It was down to Caleb to get them back whatever the cost, so he rode with guns blazing in an explosive, rescue mission into Mexico that seemed doomed from the start. But Caleb was not a man to accept defeat lying down and when his guns spoke, men listened or died.
Amazon.co.uk


Left-Hand Gun - Walt Masterson
When grasping landowner Morgan Fetterman hires a professional gunman to get rid of lovely Jemima Penrose from her remote ranch in the mountains of Arizona, he makes a bad mistake by choosing Luke Horn for the job. Horn doesn't like what he hears about Fetterman, and despite a disabling wound in his right arm, assists in getting the rustlers bought to justice. Can Horn bring Fetterman's plans tumbling down? Rustling, plotting and plenty of gunplay follow in Horn's fight for freedom.
Amazon.co.uk


Guns of Virtue - Peter Wilson
The brutal murder of his lawman father and the memory of a younger brother's decline into a life of lawlessness set Adam Wade on a quest for revenge on the man he holds responsible. The search takes him to the town of Virtue where the man he is hunting, rich ranch owner Hal Kember, is a pillar of society and a future state governor. But just when he thinks his search is over and vengeance is his, Adam becomes involved in a web of deceit and murder involving Kember's beautiful wife, Laura, his errant son, Luke, and a group of stage robbers and killers. Now it will end in a shoot-out that brings one last life-changing shock for Adam.
Amazon.co.uk


Anderson's War - Jackson Davis
Drifter Hank Anderson planned to go straight when he pinned on the town marshal's badge and tried to tame the wild and rambunctious cattle capital of Abilene. But dark secrets about his outlaw past and shady part in a Civil War massacre are being winkled out of him by the town reporter Jane Cox. To make matters worse, fanatical Kanan 'redlegs' are on his trail vowing revenge. And when a young lad, Newt, turns up claiming to be his son it adds to his troubles. Six guns roar as the action accelerates and fast-shooting killers rob the town bank. With Newt alongside, Hank heads after them into Indian Territory. But even if he can recover the stolen cash should he return with it to Jane Abilene or ride on to a new life in California?
Amazon.co.uk


Daughter of Evil - H. H. Cody
When Jake Probyn hauled up outside the Circle F ranch, he was looking for work and not trouble. But trouble in the shape of the boss' daughters and the foreman, Ransome, was what he found. Things got worse when the old man died and left the ranch equally to his daughters. Then there were back shootings and range fires with one daughter going missing. There was trouble galore waiting for Jake. "The Drowned Valley on Circle F Land" certainly had its own eerie story to tell.
Amazon.co.uk

Monday 23 March 2009

Sunday 22 March 2009

March's Linford Westerns

Robert Anderson - Renegade Gold
In Goldrush, an Indian uprising forces Kit Napier to rediscover his skills as an army scout. It wasn't the Indians who started the war, rather those white men plotting to supply them with guns for payment in gold. But their payment was destined to be made in blood. In partnership with a saloon girl, he fought both the renegade Indians and treacherous members of his own race: a desperate bid to prevent the territory going up in flames.
Amazon.co.uk

Terrell L. Bowers - A Reckoning At Orphan Creek
When Sandy Wakefield, Flint's uncle, dies in a mining mishap, Flint and Johnny Wakefield suspect foul play. Sandy was trying to improve the miners' lot, who work long hours in dangerous conditions for a pittance. Then, Flint and Johnny discover the stripped body of an unknown man and seek to learn his identity. But life above ground gets as dangerous as below. Ultimately, it seems, Flint will have to die before there can be a reckoning at Orphan Creek!
Amazon.co.uk

Elliot Conway - Judge Parker's Lawmen
'Hanging' Judge Parker orders Marshal Houseman and his greenhorn deputy, Zeke Butler, to deal with raiders who are burning out Indian farmers in the Cherokee Strip in Indian Territory. Houseman begrudgingly sets off with Zeke, doubting he could be of any help at all. But with the aid of Bear Paw, and some of his kin, the two lawmen face the raiders in a series of shoot-outs, which prove Zeke to be one of the Judge's toughest manhunters.
Amazon.co.uk

Tyler Hatch - Wilde Country
When Logan found he'd outlived his welcome in Mexico, he rode back north of the Rio, to reconcile himself with his father. But his father had died and there was no welcome from big brother Tate, whose alliance with a crooked attorney threatened to destroy the rest of the family. So, if Logan was to survive, and his kid sister and brother were to get what was due to them, he had to oil his guns - and use them!
Amazon.co.uk

Alan Irwin - The Long Chase
Jake Madison quit his job as marshal in Wildern, Wyoming Territory, when his wife Emma was killed during a bank raid by outlaw Bart Peary. Jake embarked on a hunt for the killer, which took him to Colorado, the Texas Panhandle, and the Indian Territory. Jake was facing a dangerous and difficult task, so even with the help of a retired army scout and two prospectors could he ever succeed in bringing Bart Peary and his associates to justice?
Amazon.co.uk

Carlton Youngblood - Gold For Durango
When James Buckley Armstrong comes upon a young woman fighting off two men, he finds that his deadly .44 Colt changes their minds. But then Rufus Ludel, her husband, rides up with his men, and he wants Buck hanged. He escapes the necktie party, only to run headlong into a range war and a series of gold bullion robberies. Buck tries to help with the gold shipment but is mistrusted by everyone it seems...including the local vigilante committee.
Amazon.co.uk

Friday 20 March 2009

March's Dales Westerns

Ethan Flagg - Dead Man Walking
Young Nelson is more than a little surprised when he receives a letter from his dying uncle who claims to have secreted a fortune in gold in Bronco Canyon, Arizona. Eager to take advantage of this unexpected windfall, he secures a job with a wagon train heading west, but Fate steps in, in the form of a ghost from the past. Who is the mysterious predator also claiming a right to the loot? Will he succeed in thwarting Nelson's plan for a new life with the lovely Emma Driscoll? A final bloody showdown will settle the matter once and for all.
Amazon.co.uk

Walt Masterson - Guns Along The Gila
When he finds the struggling Wheatley family trying to make it all by themselves through troubled Apache territory of the Sonora Desert, army scout John Best begs them to wait for him to guide them, but they set out on their own and the Apaches strike first. Now Best finds himself helping the teenager Lucien to rescue his beautiful sister Emma from a terrible fate. However the US Cavalry, under a demented newly commissioned officer, seems to be determined to complicate matters instead of riding to the rescue. It's all down to Best to fight his way through despite the odds.
Amazon.co.uk

Thursday 19 March 2009

Howard Hopkins reports on progress with Dead Man Riding

Howard's update on his 31st BHW to be found at Dark Bits

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Bestselling Linford Westerns on Amazon - 17 March

1. The Gambling Man by John Dyson, used from £2.79

2. Comes the Reaper by B.J. Holmes, used from £8.99

3. McAllister and Cheyenne Death by Matt Chisholm, used from £52.34

4. Gunsmoke in Crosbie by Mark S. Donovan, new £9.99, used from £1.70

5. Big Bad River by Tyler Hatch, new £8.99, used from £8.99

6. The Spanish Bit by Will Houston, used from £4.91

7. The Haunting Wind by D.J. Richards, used from £3.85

8. McAllister on the Comanche Crossing by Matt Chisholm, used from £4.99

9. A Corner of Boot Hill by Jake Douglas, used from £1.89

10. Mean as Hell by Ben Bridges, used from £11.78

Monday 16 March 2009

The Sheriff and the Widow by Chap O'Keefe

The third part (of 4) available to read at tainted-archive

Peter Taylor's new blog

The author of The Blood Runs Deep and other BHWs has set up a blog at http://ty-alor-peter-books.blogspot.com/

Friday 13 March 2009

Steve Hayes launches his new website

Steve Hayes, author of the forthcoming Gun for Revenge, has opened his new website at http://www.stevehayes.org/

Thursday 12 March 2009

Wednesday 11 March 2009

Monday 9 March 2009

Bestselling BHWs on Amazon - 9 Mar '09

1. The Tarnished Star by Jack Martin (Hardcover - 30 Jun 2009) - Available for pre-order

2. The Outlawed Deputy by I.J. Parnham (Hardcover - 31 Aug 2001) - 8 Used & new from £0.99

3. Loco by Ethan Wall (Hardcover - 31 Jul 1991) - 10 Used & new from £0.72

4. Dakota Hit by Charles Langley Hayes (Hardcover - 28 Feb 1995) - 10 Used & new from £0.98

5. Montana Hit by Charles Langley Hayes (Hardcover - 31 Oct 1993) - 5 Used & new from £3.79

6. Darrow's Word by Gillian F. Taylor (Hardcover - 29 April 2001) - 4 Used & new from £4.85

7. Just Breathin' Hate by Dempsey Clay (Hardcover - 31 Dec 2008) - 2 Used & new from £8.08

8. Doomsday Mesa by Chap O'Keefe (Hardcover - Dec 1995) - 6 Used & new from £7.50

9. The Gunman and the Actress by Chap O'Keefe (Hardcover - 31 Mar 1995) - 6 Used & new from £4.95

10. Shadow Man by Andrew McBride (Hardcover - 30 Nov 2008) - 2 Used & new from £8.08

New BHW accepted for publication: Wind Rider

Tom McNulty reports that Wind Rider has been accepted for publication and will appear some time in 2010. His first BHW Trail of the Burned Man will be published in November 2009.

The Sheriff and the Widow by Chap O'Keefe

The second part (of 4) of a complete BHW available to read on-line at The Tainted Archive

Friday 6 March 2009

February's Linford Westerns

Every month Ulverscroft publish around six Linford Westerns. These are large print paperbacks and most are reprints of Black Horse Westerns.

David Bingley - Owlhoot Bandits
When ex-Cavalry officer Lieutenant Bob McCleave hurries home to the Diamond M in Rockwall County, New Mexico, it's because his father's freight business is under threat. Approaching home, Bob clashes with freight raiders at Indian Ridge. But when it appears that it's the local banks that are now at risk, he becomes a temporary deputy. After a renegade outfit raids the South-Western National in Broad Creek, will Bob's ruthlessness and shooting accuracy be enough to overthrow those responsible?

Luther Chance - Mist Rider
Dawn breaks in the town of Random on a bad note. A local man is found dead, hanging from the tree in the livery corral. Worse follows with the discovery of the victims of slaughter and rape at a nearby homestead. Are the two events linked? Who is responsible? Then as Edrow Scoone and his ruthless, tormenting sidekicks make life for the townsfolk a nightmare, a stranger, scarred and silent, books himself a room at the Golden Gaze saloon...

Owen G. Irons - The Bounty Killers
Most bounty hunters operated legally to bring their quarries to justice 'dead or alive'. But for Big Jack Corrigan however, it had to be dead every time - and the law took objection to that. So, to prevent bounty hunters killing the killers, deputy US Marshal Lee Saleen followed when Corrigan and his henchmen set off in pursuit of bank robber and killer Pearly Gillis and his gang. Surrounded by enemies, how would Saleen cope against the overwhelming odds?

Clay More - Stampede At Rattlesnake Pass
When Jake Scudder sees the cloud of dust he knows there's been a stampede. But there is more. A massacre has taken place at Rattlesnake Pass and the Rocking H herd has been rustled, leaving the wrangler Johnnie Parker barely alive. Jake helps the Rocking H owners and escorts Elly Horrocks to Silver City to retrieve the herd. But Jake faces murder, rustlers' bullets and the hangman's noose. Scudder is determined to find those responsible - and make them pay!

Frank Roderus - Dead Man's Journey
The Civil War took everything from Alex Adamley. He was once the captain of the blockade runner the SAVANNAH BELLE. He'd been crippled; left penniless; his ship destroyed and his home and family gone. Yet his dead brother had left him some property in the distant West. Alex determined to go and see this property. He started walking ever westward...on a journey that would end in the toughest fight of his life. He was on a Dead Man's Journey.

Corba Sunman - Running Crooked
Despite his innocence, Taw Landry served five years in prison for robbery. Freed at last, his troubles seemed over, but when he reached the home range, they were just beginning. He was determined to discover who'd stolen twenty thousand dollars from the stage office in Cottonwood. But Taw's resolution was overtaken by events. Murder was committed and rustling was rife as Taw tried to unravel the five-year-old mystery. As the guns began to blaze - could he survive to the final showdown?

Thursday 5 March 2009

Corba Sunman

Article on BHW writer Corba Sunman available at Broken Trails

Wednesday 4 March 2009

Blurb available for Arkansas Smith by Jack Martin

Early sighting of the blurb here at Tainted Archive

Review of Silent Wolf by Jake Douglas


The latest from a prolific author with several pennames. This one starts out slow with cattle spooked by wolves but soon gets going. A cattle herder encounters a man savaged by wolves, his throat almost torn out. The man survives though can hardly speak and adopts the monicker ‘Silent’. It seems that Silent has mislaid his memory as a result of his ordeal. In repayment for saving his life, Silent cooks for the cowboys – until a couple of gunmen come looking for him.

Silent is slow to rile but fast to settle scores. The sudden gunplay sparks something in Silent’s mind. When his memory begins to return, Silent sets out to discover why he was literally thrown to the wolves. On this journey of self-discovery he meets up with Gail, the sister of the trail sawbones who patched him up. They both find that they’re intent on digging up the truth behind the massacre of a stagecoach’s passengers. Unfortunately, they may end up digging their graves instead…

Fast-paced with plenty of characterisation, with a puzzle at its heart, this is an enjoyable fast read. Silent is a great invention and of necessity speaks volumes without articulating much.

Nik (Ross Morton)
www.freewebs.com/nikmorton
http://nik-writealot.blogspot.com

Note: Dales Large Print out soon: Amazon.co.uk

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Len Meares

Dave Whitehead reports on why he won't be able to get Len Meares' earlier books republished at Benbridges.co.uk

February's Dales Westerns

Every month Ulverscroft publish several Dales westerns. These are often reprints of Black Horse Westerns. The large print paperbacks are slightly larger than BHWs.

Jim Bowden - Two Gun Justice
I'm fairly sure this wasn't previously a BHW.
Jake Warren, owner of the Diamond D ranch near Santa Rosa, New Mexico, desires to add the Lazy A spread to his property and to run the town. Two men stand in his way, Mal Clements, property owner in Santa Rosa, and the sheriff, Frank McCoy. Warren frames McCoy for the murder of Mal Clements, but McCoy escapes from jail with the help of his girl, Abbe Clements, who believes in his innocence, and of his deputy, Mark Stevens. They have already sent word about the trouble to Frank's brother Dan, sheriff of Red Springs - can he clear his brother's name?
Amazon.co.uk

Hank J. Kirby - Call me Ringo
The man called Ringo almost drowned in a flooded river, but thanks to a strange old wanderer calling himself Cap he survived. Ringo was a man who didn't care to be beholden to anyone, so when Cap told him about his quest for vengeance, Ringo knew how he could square the score. What he didn't know was just how much blood and gunsmoke he was riding into, and he began to have doubts about the man to whom he owed his life. Who was he? Could he be trusted? Now it was a case of life or death - Ringo's.
Amazon.co.uk

Sunday 1 March 2009

February's Black Horse Westerns

A new crop of Black Horse Western titles are available this month:



Eugene Clifton - Long Road to Revenge
A stage coach is robbed, and there are no witnesses; every soul who was aboard is missing or dead. With his sister among those who were killed, Cole Garvin swears he'll not rest until those responsible are six feet under. He's not the only one seeking out the murderers, but it's hard to know who can be trusted. Tracking down a gang of ruthless outlaws is no job for a peace loving rancher, and Garvin leaves his scruples behind to take up the way of the gun. When he meets a special lady it's just too bad; there's no time for love on the road to revenge.
Amazon.co.uk


Jake Douglas - Too Many Sundowns
Chance Benbow thought that at long last he had found a place - and a woman - where he would have peace and quiet and a future. Things went smoothly at first but then it all blew up in his face. When he recovered from the bullet wounds, he saw his future clearly, even though it was clouded by gunsmoke. He would stride through it with a gun in each hand - and if Hell waited on the other side, then he would meet it head-on, taking a lot of dead men with him.
Amazon.co.uk


Lance Howard - Coyote Deadly
When the Chulo brothers sweep into the town of Thanody, a town that has sworn off violence, all hell breaks loose.And when Marshal James Tredder calls in an old friend and manhunter Josh Dellin to track down the vicious killers known as the Prairie Wolves the West runs scarlet with blood.Within hours Josh find himself forced to confront a powerful land owner bent on covering up his sons' brutal raids and struggling to protect the life of a beautiful young woman who's the only witness to their foul deeds.
Amazon.co.uk
Read an extract - Black Horse Express


Owen G. Irons - The Shadow Riders
It wasn't asking too much of a man. The Arizona Rangers only wanted Tyrone Cannfield to let himself be thrown into an army punishment camp sentenced to hard labour, escape from the chain gang, track down the Shadow Riders, a gang of plundering, murderous thugs, bring in Mingo, the savage leader of the badmen, and halt a train robbery. All of this to be done on his own with forty badmen ready to shoot him down at the first misstep. It wasn't asking too much of him because Mingo was the man who had murdered Cannfield's wife back in Texas, and he would do everything possible to eliminate him and the Shadow Riders. But would he survive?
Amazon.co.uk


Chap O'Keefe - Blast to Oblivion
Zach Skann came to Denver toting a deadly 12-gauge Greener shotgun. His mind was warped and sick from fifteen years in a penitentiary and it sought the palliative of vengeance against mines investor Ryan Bennett, the former Pinkerton detective responsible for his incarceration and the hangings of comrades. Subsequently, it fell to Joshua Dillard, gun-for-hire, to seek the truth about Bennett's murder for his sister, icily beautiful Flora Bennett. She declared she'd been cheated of a bequest; that Ryan's widow and his smooth ex-secretary knew more than they were letting on. To clear up the sorry mess of accusation and trickery, Joshua rode to a mining-town hell-hole. There the trail of inquiry became a trail of more blood!
Amazon.co.uk
Read an extract - Black Horse Extra
Read a review at The Tainted Archive


Ronald Martin Wade - Lanigan and the Silent Mourner
Shawnee Lanigan, half-breed man-hunter, accepts a commission from a grieving grandfather to track down and bring to justice Marsh Kennebec, the murderer of his daughter and her husband. The old man's grandson, traumatized by the loss of his parents, has been unable to weep or mourn the loss.Lanigan sets out to track down Kennebec but must repeatedly fight for his life against both outlaws and corrupt lawmen who try to bar his path. After tracking the killer to his hiding place, he finds himself outnumbered, outgunned and standing trial for his life before a jury of killers, fugitives and thieves.If convicted, he will hang. If found innocent, he must fight a duel to the death.
Amazon.co.uk


Ron Watkins - Sharpshooters in the Hills
Two sharpshooters, McGee and Salmon, go into Indian territory hoping to claim a reward. First they must find a man named Roger Stone, who has disappeared in the Black Hills but death dogs their progress. Stone had already been murdered and McGee is attacked by an Indian. Salmon is close to being hanged. Their friend, Dan the whisky man and his daughter, Daisy, turn up in Caraton. He has a mysterious order to supply one hundred bottles of whiskey. Will they inflame the Indians' brooding resentment at being herded into the reservation? Will the duo be able to stop the proposed uprising? They will need all their sharpshooting skills to survive the gun battles ahead.
Amazon.co.uk

An interview with Terry James



Joanne Walpole is the person behind Terry James and this May sees the publication of her debut Black Horse Western. An interview is to be found at the Tainted Archive.

Mission Statement

Around ten years ago when I first logged on to the Internet and searched for Black Horse Westerns there was next to no information available. Now all that has changed. There are on-line magazines, blogs, personal websites, myspace pages, facebook groups, twitters... all to varying degrees containing information on BHWs. Keeping track of all the places to look for new material is becoming a difficult task and so that is where the Black Horse Express Blog aims to help.

This blog will keep readers updated on all the new Black Horse related material as it becomes available. It may from time to time provide new material, but in the main it will be a place for readers to visit to find out what the latest Black Horse news is without having to trawl through dozens of different sites. The site will update only on Black Horse news and so information on western fiction generally will not appear here.

The intention is to create a resource that promotes all Black Horse Western novels and authors equally. So over the next few weeks I will amend the look of this blog to create a full list of all resources and links. I admit that I am unsure if this resource will turn out to be a useful one as I have started this blog simply because I have found it difficult to keep track of all the places where information is becoming available. Accordingly I will review how useful it has become in, say, six months, but it is hoped that this blog will help bring together the on-line Black Horse community.

Ian Parnham