Wednesday 31 August 2011

Black Horse Westerns - August 2011


Range War Hell by Ryan Bodie

For many in the war-torn county of Fort Such memories of the bloody feud between the mighty Doubletree and Rancho Antigua cattle country giants were re-awakened. This had caused many an honest settler to up stakes and move on, to be replaced in turn by those of the new breed. They called them gunfighters, but most were simply killers, lethal gunmen and drifters who could quickly convert any troubled territory into a graveyard. Yet the bloodshed and carnage also attracted a lone man with a gun whom Fort Such had all but forgotten over the years. His arrival brought the feud to explosion point.


The Mark of Trask by Michael D. George

The Largo gang had found one of the few places in the West where no one seemed to own a gun. The ruthless outlaws were quick to take full advantage of that fact. Mohawk Flats was a peaceful town set in a fertile valley and had never required weaponry of any sort in all its time. People along the valley had grown wealthy and a little naive. They knew little of the outside world and were not prepared for the horror the five deadly outlaws brought with them. Grant Largo and his followers imagined they had discovered an Eden ripe and ready for the taking. What none of them knew was that the famed gunfighter known as Trask was hot on their trail. Although ill, Trask knew what had to be done. Soon the Largo gang would know why Trask was feared by all who faced him.


In Need of Hanging by Billy Hall

For months Thad Palmer had been on Vince Long's trail - a trial littered with raped, beaten women and people killed in cold blood. Now Thad's hunt led him into the very valley where his own sweetheart awaited his return. He knew with certainty that she was the object of his quarry's intent and his heart was already racing at the prospect of being with Coralee. But as he emerged into sunlight again bent on reaching the budding settlement, he didn't even see the rifle barrel aimed at the centre of his forehead. Can Thad save himself and the life of the ones he holds dear?


Kato's Army by D.M. Harrison

Wells Fargo Agent, Jay Kato, didn't want the job of taking a consignment of gold to Green River Springs. The town held too many memories - bad ones. His cousin, Duke Heeley, had threatened to kill him if he ever came back to town, but he put aside his misgivings when he was offered a generous bonus. After all, he only had to deliver the money to the marshal. However, when the time came to step off the train, a hail of bullets greeted him. Kato knew then he'd have to raise an army to fight them all.


Battle at Gun Barrel Canyon by Wolf Lundgren

There is only one law in Gunbarrel Valley out in the wilds of Montana: the law of the gun. Old frontiersman, Joshua Vincent, is incensed that his fence wire is being cut and his stock rustled. Chief suspect is his northern neighbour, the young rancher, Matthew Saunders. So, he sends assassins to kill him and range war threatens to erupt. Meanwhile, pretty Polly Vincent is being held prisoner at her uncle's ranch, subjected to the lascivious attentions of her cousin, Grat, who vows to make her his wife. As bullets fly Matthew buckles on his trusty peacemaker. Can he rescue Polly? Can Matthew fight back against Vincent's overwhelming firepower?


The Prairie Man by I.J. Parnham

Tales about the spectre of the night known as the Prairie Man were told to frighten children, but one day those tales nearly led to a tragic accident for Temple Kennedy. His friend Hank Pierce saved his life, Temple vowed that one day he would return the favour. Fifteen years later the two friends grew up to lead different lives: Hank is a respected citizen while Temple is an outlaw. But, when Hank is wrongly accused of murder, Temple is given a chance for redemption. He vows to save Hank or die in the attempt. However, in seeking to unmask the real culprit his investigation leads to a man who isn't even supposed to exist: the Prairie Man.


Colorado Clean-Up by Corba Sunman

Provost Captain Slade Moran sets out from Fort Benson, Colorado, to investigate the disappearance of an army pay roll and its military escort. The grim trail brings them to the empty roll coach and a murdered escort, with one soldier mysteriously missing. Captain Moran is led to Moundville where he is confronted by desperate men plotting to steal a gold mine. In this story of double-cross and mayhem Moran fears he will fail in his duty. Against all odds can he succeed?


Ryan's Legacy by Bill Williams

Ryan Buchanan is given his father's pistol on the day of his eighteenth birthday, unaware of his legacy and the tragic events that lie ahead. Ryan refuses to sell his land to his neighbour and is soon faced with a death sentence for killing a man even though he cannot remember the fight that witnesses say took place. With his life in danger he uncovers secret details from the past that could cost him his life...

Tuesday 30 August 2011

Review of Kato's Army by D.M. Harrison


Jay Kato’s ties to the town of Green River Springs provide some excellent confrontations with people from his past, particularly with Blossom Lessard. Blossom becomes the girl for romantic interest, but not with Kato, he has bridges to rebuild with another woman. Along with trying to mend his relationship with his cousin, Kato finds his social life a big problem, but this is nothing compared to the difficulties of hanging onto the gold...

Read more at Western Fiction Review.

Monday 29 August 2011

Bestsellers on Amazon - 29 August

1. The Snake River Bounty by Bill Shields (Hardcover - 28 Feb 2011)
From £8.71

2. The Ballad of Delta Rose by Jack Martin (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £9.11

3. The Black Horse Westerns: Collection No. 1 by Abe Dancer, Dean Edwards, Tyler Hatch and Scott Connor (Kindle Edition - 1 Jan 2011)
Buy: £6.86

4. The Tarnished Star by Jack Martin (Hardcover - 30 Jun 2009)
From £4.00

5. Revenge for a Hanging by Richard Smith (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £9.11

6. Drive to Redemption by Mike Deane (Hardcover - 31 May 2011)
From £8.71

7. Showdown at Snakebite Creek by Thomas McNulty (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £9.12

8. The Shadow of Iron Eyes by Rory Black (Hardcover - 31 Oct 2011)
Buy new: £13.25

9. Scar County Showdown by Elliot Long (Hardcover - 28 Feb 2011)
From £9.07

10. Ace High in Wilderness by Rob Hill (Hardcover - 30 Jun 2011)
From £8.73

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Linford Westerns - August 2011


Wade's War by Chet Cunningham

ISBN: 9781444807608
Large Print (Soft Cover) - 384 Pages
Published - 01-08-2011
Genre - Western
Price - £ 8.99

It's 1865 and the Civil War is ending. On their small Missouri farm outlaws murder Wade Tretter's parents. Fourteen-year-old Wade sells the few cattle remaining and heads west to find the killers. After killing two of them in an act of retribution, Wade finds the last two men posing as model citizens in a small Kansas town. How can he beat the odds and bring these powerful men to justice without hurting their new families?



Vengeance Rides The River by Hugh Martin

ISBN: 9781444807615
Large Print (Soft Cover) - 240 Pages
Published - 01-08-2011
Genre - Western
Price - £ 8.99

The murder of Dave Lockhart's wife, by desperados who plague the Red River country of Texas, results in his desperate mission for revenge. Lockhart is no natural killer, but his quest for revenge becomes marked by murder, bullets and gun-smoke, and brings him face to face with deadly men. Then he meets Helen, who must overcome difficulties that few women ever face. Now she must teach Lockhart that there can be a world of difference between vengeance and justice...


Murdering Wells by Greg Mitchell

ISBN: 9781444807622
Large Print (Soft Cover) - 232 Pages
Published - 01-08-2011
Genre - Western
Price - £ 8.99

Military deserters rob a mail contractor and leave him to the mercy of Apache raiders in a remote corner of Arizona. The contractor's brother, Luke Adison, vows to track down those responsible. Soon the tables turn, however, as Luke is captured by the deserters. Will he manage to escape and avenge his brother - or will he learn the true secret behind the sinisterly named Murdering Wells?


Doc Dryden, Gunslinger by Ted Rushgrove

ISBN: 9781444807639
Large Print (Soft Cover) - 208 Pages
Published - 01-08-2011
Genre - Western
Price - £ 8.99

Clay Dryden, one of the band of outlaws known as the Sankey gang, is challenged to a gunfight by the brother of the gang leader and kills him. Finding that there were no bullets in his brother's revolver, Sankey vows to avenge his death. Then, in the town of Crossville, Sankey finds the former outlaw has set up a medical practice. Will Dryden be spared? It seems that Clay's future as the town's doctor hangs in the balance...


Smuggler's Gulch by Logan Winters

ISBN: 9781444807646
Large Print (Soft Cover) - 208 Pages
Published - 01-08-2011
Genre - Western
Price - £ 8.99

The dark-eyed lady wants Jake Staggs to collect the bounties on twenty members of an outlaw band. She might be crazy, but the only other option for this wanted man is the hangman's noose. He can easily ride into the rustlers' camp at Smuggler's Gulch - he went there once before. But will Kit Blanchard allow him to leave...alive? Now he must try again - for the sake of a madwoman. Meanwhile, should Jake fail, Marshal Trouffant waits to hang him.


Silent Woman Showdown by M.C. Young

ISBN: 9781444807653
Large Print (Soft Cover) - 320 Pages
Published - 01-08-2011
Genre - Western
Price - £ 8.99

Tom Bantry can't understand why the pretty Cora Lee won't give him the time of day, especially after he rescued her from a man like Rufus Earle. But Tom has other problems to think about. He stands to lose his ranch to the Earle brothers while his friend Silas Sidwell hopes to benefit from the chaos the troublemakers cause. Ultimately, Cora Lee will have a crucial role to play in bringing things to a head when the time comes...

Tuesday 23 August 2011

Review of In Need of Hanging by Billy Hall


The book begins by showing why Long became the crazy killer he is. After that the book mainly follows Palmer as his hunt becomes sidetracked a couple of times, one being warning a wagon train about a possible Indian attack. At the same time he manages to save Coralee from becoming another of Long’s kills. This, of course, is the beginning of Palmer’s and Coralee’s relationship...

Read more at Western Fiction Review.

Monday 22 August 2011

Bestsellers on Amazon - 22 August

1. The Snake River Bounty by Bill Shields (Hardcover - 28 Feb 2011)
From £8.79

2. Kill Or Be Killed by Corba Sunman (Hardcover - 31 Jul 2008)
From £0.01

3. The Tarnished Star by Jack Martin (Hardcover - 30 Jun 2009)
From £4.00

4. The Ballad of Delta Rose by Jack Martin (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £10.28

5. The Black Horse Westerns: Collection No. 1 by Abe Dancer, Dean Edwards, Tyler Hatch and Scott Connor (Kindle Edition - 1 Jan 2011)
Buy: £6.86

6. Revenge for a Hanging by Richard Smith (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £10.20

7. Drive to Redemption by Mike Deane (Hardcover - 31 May 2011)
From £8.62

8. Showdown at Snakebite Creek by Thomas McNulty (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £10.28

9. The Iron Roads by Caleb Rand (Hardcover - 31 May 2007)
From £0.01

10. The Shadow of Iron Eyes by Rory Black (Hardcover - 31 Oct 2011)
Buy new: £13.25

Friday 19 August 2011

Vulture Gold is a finalist




Originally published as a Black Horse Western, Hale returned the rights to me and Western Trail Blazers published Vulture Gold first as an e-Book, then as a printed book. I sent the book to Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards competition and was notified that VG is a finalist.

Garet Havelock was a Cherokee half-breed and the marshal of Vulture City. But that wasn’t enough to stop outlaw kingpin Barnabas Donovan from sending in three armed men to rob $100,000 in bullion from the Vulture Mine headquarters, killing two people in the process. Havelock set out to catch the thieves and recover the gold and in the unforgiving Mojave Desert, Jicarilla Apaches forced Havelock and Donovan’s bunch together in a cave on Eagle Eye Mountain. Then there was Laura Donovan, half-sister to the outlaw leader . . . Now Havelock must survive the Apache ‘run of death” and face Donovan’s gunslingers to get the gold and the girl.

Available as an e-Book here.

Thursday 18 August 2011

Review of The Prairie Man by I.J. Parnham


Ian Parnham sure piles on the problems for his hero, Temple Kennedy. Not only does he have only two days to find the real killer, a task made increasingly difficult due to the fact the everyone else seems to think Hank is guilty, including the town lawman. Kennedy will also uncover, and have to deal with, the truth behind his parent’s deaths. And as for the Prairie Man, how can he catch someone who isn’t real...?

Read more at Western Fiction Review.

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Dales Westerns - August 2011


Arizona Gold by Dean Ashton

ISBN: 9781842628171
Large Print (Soft Cover) - 192 Pages
Published - 01-08-2011
Genre - Western
Price - £ 11.99

Saved from a slow death in a Mexican desert by the Cordoba family, Wade O'Hara believes that he has found a new life. Then once again his past catches up with him and he has to brand himself a thief to save the map of an Arizona gold mine from falling into the hands of his crooked ex-partners. Wade's subsequent adventures in his attempt to find the mine and thereby aid the Cordoba family, and also to win back their respect, take him to Tombstone and Superstition Mountain, in a fast moving tale of the rugged American South West.


Gun Loose by Lance Ellison

ISBN: 9781842628188
Large Print (Soft Cover) - 208 Pages
Published - 01-08-2011
Genre - Western
Price - £ 11.99

Curt Neilsen wishes to run Red Springs for his own ends but finds that the sheriff, Dan McCoy, is unwilling to play along. McCoy is framed on a bank robbery charge but his escape from jail presents Neilsen with problems. Nevertheless he is determined to carry out his schemes to fleece the cattle drovers and rustle their cattle. Dan McCoy is equally determined to stop this. The resulting conflict brings rustling, kidnapping and gun fights to the fore in an exciting tale of the West.

Monday 15 August 2011

Bestsellers on Amazon - 15 August

1. The Ballad of Delta Rose by Jack Martin (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £10.94

2. Revenge for a Hanging by Richard Smith (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £10.20

3. Drive to Redemption by Mike Deane (Hardcover - 31 May 2011)
From £8.42

4. The Black Horse Westerns: Collection No. 1 by Abe Dancer, Dean Edwards, Tyler Hatch and Scott Connor (Kindle Edition - 1 Jan 2011)
Buy: £6.86

5. Showdown at Snakebite Creek by Thomas McNulty (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £10.28

6. The Snake River Bounty by Bill Shields (Hardcover - 28 Feb 2011)
From £8.82

7. The Shadow of Iron Eyes by Rory Black (Hardcover - 31 Oct 2011)
Buy new: £13.25

8. All Guns Blazing by Douglas Thorne (Hardcover - 30 Nov 2008)
From £0.01

9. Scar County Showdown by Elliot Long (Hardcover - 28 Feb 2011)
From £8.92

10. Iron Eyes is Dead by Rory Black (Hardcover - 30 Nov 2010)
From £9.12

Friday 12 August 2011

Review of The Sheriff and the Widow by Chap O'Keefe


The fast flowing, easy-to-read story, proves to be a very entertaining book. Descriptions of action and landscape paint vivid imagery and the characters will soon have you shouting for them to be triumphant, or for their demise...

Read more at Western Fiction Review.

Thursday 11 August 2011

An interview with David Whitehead


David Whitehead was born in East London in 1958 and grew up loving westerns. He published his first book in 1986 and to date has published over 70 novels. He is best known as one of the Black Horse Western writers (Black Horse Westerns are an imprint of Robert Hale Publishers in London and the pre-eminent publisher of westerns worldwide) although David’s talent includes thrillers, romance and science fiction. I am pleased to present this exclusive interview with David Whitehead.

1: First, thanks for consenting to this interview! With 70 books to your credit I want to ask you up front what was your first book?

Read more at Dispatches from the Last Outlaw.

Tuesday 9 August 2011

Review of Dark Angel Riding by Logan Winters


John Dancer was a drifting man. Following the trail to nowhere he came upon a pretty young woman weeping at her lynched husband's feet. Raiders had hit her ranch wanting everything the widow owned...

Read more at Joanne Walpole

Monday 8 August 2011

Bestsellers at Amazon - 8 August

1. Revenge for a Hanging by Richard Smith (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £10.20

2. The Ballad of Delta Rose by Jack Martin (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £11.93

3. The Black Horse Westerns: Collection No. 1 by Abe Dancer, Dean Edwards, Tyler Hatch and Scott Connor (Kindle Edition - 1 Jan 2011)
Buy: £6.86

4. Barbary Coast Gundown by James Gordon White (Hardcover - 29 Sep 2006)
From £0.01

5. Hanging Party by James Gordon White (Hardcover - 31 May 2006)
From £0.01

6. Ambush in Purgatory by Daniel Rockfern (Hardcover - 31 Aug 2005)
From £0.01

7. Showdown at Snakebite Creek by Thomas McNulty (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £10.28

8. The Iron Roads by Caleb Rand (Hardcover - 31 May 2007)
5 used from £0.05

9. Drive to Redemption by Mike Deane (Hardcover - 31 May 2011)
From £8.48

10. The Goose Moon by Caleb Rand (Hardcover - 29 Apr 2005)
From £0.01

Sunday 7 August 2011

Black Horse Extra #23 available now


The Black Horse Western line originated in 1986 when UK publisher Robert Hale Ltd introduced new, uniform branding of all its western fiction, which it had been producing for years as hardback books primarily for sale to public libraries. This year the series has its 25th anniversary. Congratulations on the BHW Silver Jubilee are in order from grateful western readers and writers everywhere.

BHWs pass the milestone with no fanfare, their appearance consistent as ever. The books' attractive look remains almost unchanged in times that have changed and continue to change. It takes close examination to distinguish between an early and late BHW. Clouds may have gathered over the future of "light fiction" in public libraries funded from the taxpayer's purse, but the company continues to publish eight new western titles a month, although for a spell they did issue as many as ten...

Read More at Black Horse Extra.

Friday 5 August 2011

An interview with Tony Masero


'Jake Rains' is my first book to be published in hardback. Hale Books (aka Black Horse Westerns) were kind enough to let one of their cover artists have a try with the pen instead of the paintbrush and miraculously it was accepted and they let me do the cover art for my book as well.

Having painted Western book covers for four decades, it seemed about time to put something between the covers instead of on them. Over the years its meant a lot of visual research whilst doing the Edge and Steele series amongst others and that of course led to an interest in the era and also, like so many of my generation, as a youngster I was raised on a diet of both Western movies and comics...

Read more at Tainted Archive.

Thursday 4 August 2011

Review of The Ballad of Delta Rose by Jack Martin


Jack Martin starts this book with a strong opening scene and the story never lets up from there. The plot moves forwards quickly and defies the reader to put the book down before finding out how things will end for Delta Rose. Can you save his son? Will he tell his son that he is his father? Will he tell anyone he has come home to die, and will he still be alive by the end...?

Read more at Western Fiction Review.

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Review of Hanging Party by James Gordon White


Claiming to be wrongly accused of murder, drifter Rafe Lonis takes Diana Logan hostage and leaves Matt Sutton in his clothes to face a blood-mad hanging party...

Read more at Joanne Walpole

Tuesday 2 August 2011

Review of The Sandhills Shootings by Chap O'Keefe


THE SANDHILLS SHOOTING is one of Chap O'Keefe's early novels and the second to feature range detective/hired gun Joshua Dillard. In this one, Dillard gets a letter from his brother-in-law, who is serving as a deputy marshal in a small town in Nebraska, asking him to come and help prevent a range war that's brewing in the sandhills area of that state.

Read more at James Reasoner.

Monday 1 August 2011

Bestsellers on Amazon - 1 August

1. The Black Horse Westerns: Collection No. 1 by Abe Dancer, Dean Edwards, Tyler Hatch and Scott Connor (Kindle Edition - 1 Jan 2011) - Kindle eBook
Buy: £6.86

2. Revenge for a Hanging by Richard Smith (Hardcover - 29 Jul 2011)
From £11.93

3. The Snake River Bounty by Bill Shields (Hardcover - 28 Feb 2011)
From £8.76

4. The Shadow of Iron Eyes by Rory Black (Hardcover - 31 Oct 2011)
Buy new: £13.25

5. Drive to Redemption by Mike Deane (Hardcover - 31 May 2011)
From £8.56

6. Scar County Showdown by Elliot Long (Hardcover - 28 Feb 2011)
From £9.06

7. All Guns Blazing by Douglas Thorne (Hardcover - 30 Nov 2008)
From £0.01

8. Iron Eyes is Dead by Rory Black (Hardcover - 30 Nov 2010)
From £9.12

9. The Skull of Iron Eyes by Rory Black (Hardcover - 31 Mar 2011)
From £8.61

10. Ace High in Wilderness by Rob Hill (Hardcover - 30 Jun 2011)
From £9.12