Scott Harris's Blog, page 19
December 4, 2017
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Forrest Carter’s book was originally titled “Gone to Texas,” but, for marketing purposes, was changed to “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” allowing book sales to be reinvigorated and to capitalize on the successful Clint Eastwood movie. It doesn’t really matter what the name of the book is, what does matter is that it is a terrific [...]
November 27, 2017
The Night McLennan Died
The Night McLennan Died” is Marshall Grover’s very fun book. It has what you’ve come to expect from a good Western yarn: a small town cowed by a greedy rancher who has plenty of hired guns, beautiful women, a valiant, but outgunned and outmanned sheriff, and the stranger who rides into town to save everyone. [...]
November 20, 2017
Book Review: Shorty Thompson U.S. Marshal, #1
Shorty Thompson U.S. Marshal” is Paul L. Thompson’s first book in the Shorty Thompson series, which now totals more than 40 books. And this is a problem. The reason it’s a problem is because I enjoyed the first book in the series and will feel compelled to keep reading – the natural drawbacks to loving [...]
November 13, 2017
Book Review: The Name’s Buchanan
Jonas Ward’s “The Name’s Buchanan,” starts out fast and picks up speed from there. It’s a short book and virtually every page is filled with action. If you like fights — gun or fist — this is the book for you. If you’re a fan of character development and slow-building plots, just move on to [...]
November 6, 2017
Book Review: Mustang Man
First, let me come right out and say it, I’m a huge Louis L’Amour fan. He was my introduction into Westerns and for decades has remained my “go-to” for a Saturday afternoon. I’ve read each of his books at least three times over the years and many of them more often than that. Before today, [...]
November 2, 2017
Book Review: Outrage at Blanco
I just finished reading Bill Crider’s “Outrage at Blanco.” I crawled into my hammock this morning and didn’t leave until I was done. It’s that good. Ellie Taine is raped while on her way home from town. Her husband, a farmer, attempts to avenge her rape and is killed for his efforts, gunned down in [...]
October 30, 2017
Book Review: Edge: The Loner
It seems appropriate to publish this review the day before Halloween. It is one scary book. The timing is also good because this will be one of the odder reviews that I write. It’s for a book I haven’t — and won’t — read. George Gilman’s “Edge: The Loner” is one of the books featured [...]
October 23, 2017
Book Review: The Last Notch
“The Last Notch” is Arnold Hano’s twisted take on the traditional Western. The antagonist is known only as The Kid — we never learn his given name. It is established early on that he is pure evil, a hired killer who takes pleasure in striking fear and killing, sometimes slowly. He spends much of his [...]
October 20, 2017
OUT NOW ~ 52 Weeks * 52 Western Novels: Old Favorites & New Discoveries
For years, I have read at least one book per week. As part of the ritual, every January 1, I take a new pack of playing cards, open it up and use each of the 52 cards (loving the symmetry of there being 52 cards in a deck and 52 weeks in a year) as [...]
October 16, 2017
Book Review: The Man in Black
Al Conroy wrote this book and it’s a fun read. The story is fairly common — a small town held under the thumb of a greedy (in this case, two), wealthy, cruel landowner. Town folk are afraid to stand up for themselves until a tall, strong, handy-with-a-gun stranger (Clayburn, no first name) rides into town [...]
