Black Horse Westerns - December 2011

Gunsmoke over New Mexico by Dale Graham

Nobody in the town of Tularosa is aware of the secret harboured by the proprietor of the local firearms store. The truth is that Sol Henshaw has never fired a gun in his life. All that changes when the infamous Clanton Gang rob the bank in the sleepy New Mexico town. Instinctively, Sol grabs the nearest revolver and runs into the street. A lucky shot kills the gang leader thus foiling the theft. Revered as a hero, Sol's picture is splashed across the front page of the Tularosa Tribune. The hot-headed younger brother of Rafe Clanton also sees it and wants revenge. But all does not go according to plan and innocent victims are placed in the firing line. How can Sol Henshaw save his family and bring the gang to justice? Much blood will be spilled before the final denouement.


Comes a Horseman by C. J. Sommers

When the heavily armed and mysterious John Dancer rides into the town of Matchstick, everyone knows there is trouble ahead. They just aren't sure what kind. Brian Solon owner of the huge SS Ranch figures Dancer has been sent to help the small ranchers along the river who have been blocking his access to water. Some believe that the beautiful Esperanza Del Rio, who still has tenuous claim on Solon's land, has induced the gunman to come to her aid. Debt-ridden banker, Sanford Wilkes panics at the sight of Dancer, believing that he has come because of the missing money he has embezzled from the bank. When someone in town goes to the extreme of sending for the brutal killer, Mad Jack Doyle, to murder Dancer there is nothing to do but fight his way out of Matchstick.


Running Wild by Corba Sunman

Deputy Sheriff Cole Paston does not know what lies behind the trouble festering around Clear Spring, Kansas. He suspects Floyd Kennedy, the wilful son of Buck Kennedy the biggest rancher in the country, of being the cause of it. Floyd was sent to prison for three years for trying to kill Mart, Cole's brother, after Mart had shot and wounded hotel owner Frank Bartram. To complicate matters further, Buck Kennedy is trying to take over the Paston ranch for Floyd, who is about to be let out of prison. Cole senses that the trouble is far from over, and he is right. When all hell breaks loose, bloodshed and murder rages until the last shot.


Gun Law of Phoneix Cline By Terrell L. Bowers

Phoenix Cline had seen the error of his ways and wanted to do something worthwhile with his life. Helping a few indentured Chinese didn't seem like a bad start. But making dangerous enemies by opposing them, or leaving dead bodies behind, is not the smartest way to escape life as a gunfighter. Seeking a peaceful existence and a woman to love are all Phoenix wants. But when men start shooting at him from ambush or come to town gunning for him, the only law he can make them respect is The Gun Law of Phoenix Cline!


Trouble at Mesquite Flats by Will Keen

Soon after his arrival in Mesquite Flats, ex-New York businessman Bodene Rich is committed to Yuma Penitentiary for a vicious assault. Six months later Rich is released, in light of new evidence, and pardoned by Warden Bradley Shaw. On the day of Rich's release, Shaw hands in his resignation and when he is shot dead on the trail by an unknown gunman, Rich is once again in trouble. Rich finds himself further blighted by circumstance and finds himself working towards a showdown involving a bloody gun battle in open country, where the outcome hangs in the balance until the final shot is fired...


The Devil's Payroll by Paul Green

John Harrison, a lawyer turned bounty hunter, finds himself entangled in a web of intrigue after capturing fugitive outlaw Clay Barton. He is persuaded by the beautiful Maggie Sloane to allow Barton to lead them to the loot robbed from an army payroll. But things get complicated when Barton double-crosses them and Maggie is kidnapped by the mysterious Leo Gabriel. With the veteran buffalo soldier, Sergeant Eli Johnson, at his side, Harrison battles ruthless vaqueros and a Commanche war party to recover the money, re-capture Barton and rescue Maggie. However, a further surprise awaits him when he finally catches up with his enemies.


Showdown in Jeopardy by John Davage

In the depths of a winter's night, a train is sent off its tracks near Cutler's Pass and raided for the $80,000 gold shipment it's carrying. Just after midnight, five years later in the town of Jeopardy, ex-Bostonian Clyde Pascoe is puzzling over the anonymous arrival of a newspaper cutting. Minutes later, he is shot and killed by an unknown assassin. Sheriff Cyrus Yapp and local newspaper editor, Will Bullard, are soon making the connection between Pascoe's death and the five-year-old train raid and wondering if newcomer to Jeopardy, Luke Frey, is mixed up in the murders that suddenly occur in this once peaceful town. Luke, however, is more interested in discovering the identity of the train's mysterious fifth raider. But why?


Sheriff without a Star by I. J. Parnham

Despite his four years of distinguished service Sheriff Cassidy Yates lost the confidence of Monotony's townsfolk because his error of judgement has led to the death of Leland Matlock's son. But when the star Cassidy had worn with pride was removed from his chest, Leland claimed he knew something that would shed new light on the sheriff's downfall. Before Leland could reveal what he knew he was shot, but Cassidy still had the instincts of a lawman. He believed Leland's shooting was connected to the death of his son and that if he could uncover the link it would restore the townsfolk's confidence in him. So Cassidy embarked on his greatest ever challenge: to get the star pinned back on his chest where it belonged.