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The Floating Outfit #24
Trigger Fast
Karl Mallick was a genius at the real estate business. Anybody who was reluctant to sell at his price had his mind changed my Mallick's Double K gun thugs. Then Mallick hit a snag. Three Texans were waiting at the Lasalle ranch: Mark Counter, the Ysabel Kid and Dusty Fog...
- GenresWesterns
360 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1969
40 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
J.T. Edson
183 books78 followersJohn Thomas Edson is an English writer of Westerns.
He was born in 1928.He was obsessed with Westerns from an early age and often "rewrote" cowboy movies that he had seen at the cinema. One thing that always intrigued him was the minutiae—how did the baddie's gun jam? What were the mechanics of cheating at cards? How did Westerners really dress and speak?
His writing was helped to develop by a schoolteacher who encouraged him. Now lives in Leicester, Leicestershire.[citation needed]
During his 20s and 30s, Edson served in His Majesty's Armed Forces for 12 years as a Dog Trainer. Cooped up in barracks for long periods, he devoured books by the great escapist writers (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert McCraig, Nelson C. Nye and Edgar Wallace). He also sat through hours of movies starring John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Errol Flynn and his all-time favourite, Audie Murphy.
His first appearance in print was "Hints On Self-Preservation when attacked by a War Dog" in the Osnabrück camp magazine Shufti in 1947. Acquiring a typewriter in the early 1950s and putting it to good use while posted to Hong Kong, by the time of his discharge he had written 10 Westerns, an early version of Bunduki and the first of the short detective-type stories starring Waco.
Upon leaving HM forces, JT won second prize (with Trail Boss) in the Western division of a Literary Competition run by Brown & Watson Ltd, which led to the publication of 46 novels with them, becoming a major earner for the company.
He had the need for supplementary income from time-to-time and also served as a postman, and the proprietor of a fish 'n' chip shop. Furthermore, he branched out as a writer and wrote five series of short stories (Dan Hollick, Dog Handler) for the Victor boys papers, and wrote the "box captions" for comic strips, which instilled discipline and the ability to convey maximum information with minimum words.
His writing career forged ahead when he joined Corgi Books in the late '60s, which gave JT exposure through a major publishing house, as well as the opportunity to branch out from the core Westerns into the Rockabye County, the science-fiction hero Bunduki and other series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._T._Edson
He was born in 1928.He was obsessed with Westerns from an early age and often "rewrote" cowboy movies that he had seen at the cinema. One thing that always intrigued him was the minutiae—how did the baddie's gun jam? What were the mechanics of cheating at cards? How did Westerners really dress and speak?
His writing was helped to develop by a schoolteacher who encouraged him. Now lives in Leicester, Leicestershire.[citation needed]
During his 20s and 30s, Edson served in His Majesty's Armed Forces for 12 years as a Dog Trainer. Cooped up in barracks for long periods, he devoured books by the great escapist writers (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert McCraig, Nelson C. Nye and Edgar Wallace). He also sat through hours of movies starring John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Errol Flynn and his all-time favourite, Audie Murphy.
His first appearance in print was "Hints On Self-Preservation when attacked by a War Dog" in the Osnabrück camp magazine Shufti in 1947. Acquiring a typewriter in the early 1950s and putting it to good use while posted to Hong Kong, by the time of his discharge he had written 10 Westerns, an early version of Bunduki and the first of the short detective-type stories starring Waco.
Upon leaving HM forces, JT won second prize (with Trail Boss) in the Western division of a Literary Competition run by Brown & Watson Ltd, which led to the publication of 46 novels with them, becoming a major earner for the company.
He had the need for supplementary income from time-to-time and also served as a postman, and the proprietor of a fish 'n' chip shop. Furthermore, he branched out as a writer and wrote five series of short stories (Dan Hollick, Dog Handler) for the Victor boys papers, and wrote the "box captions" for comic strips, which instilled discipline and the ability to convey maximum information with minimum words.
His writing career forged ahead when he joined Corgi Books in the late '60s, which gave JT exposure through a major publishing house, as well as the opportunity to branch out from the core Westerns into the Rockabye County, the science-fiction hero Bunduki and other series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._T._Edson
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 24, 2013
This book is one of the pivotal in the series because it adds a new permanent member to the floating outfit. Red Blaze, Kiowa, Billy Jack and even Doc Leroy drift in and out of the floating outfit throughout the series (sometimes in a way that contradicts earlier events) but from this point on until Return to Backsight the boy known as Waco is a full fledged member of the team. The main part of the story is a classic western plot: hired guns trying to drive out small ranchers. Unfortunately for the gunmen they hit one ranch while Dusty, Mark and the Kid are passing by. Dusty recruits the help of Stone Hart's Wedge riders (they seem to spend more time backing him up than the OD connected hands) including Rusty Willis and future floating outfit member Doc Leroy who served as Dusty's deputies in Quiet Town.
In order to antagonize the trail drives and provoke a range war the villains have strung wire across the open range. Knowing he must force a showdown before things get out of hand, Dusty also goes to rancher Clay Allison for help. This book follows A Town Called Yellowdog and Dusty is still grieving for his younger brother Danny who was brutally murdered there. This becomes important when a trigger happy young kid in Clay's crew tries to throw down on Dusty. The boy, known only as Waco, reminds Dusty of Danny and so he spares him. A stampede prevents a second fight between Waco and Mark Counter and while trying to turn the herd Waco's horse goes down. Dusty saves his life at considerable risk to his own and wins the other's eternal devotion. Clay Allison shows his softer side when he releases Waco from his obligation to see the drive through so he can go with the three men he now hero worships. In following books Waco receives the best of all possible educations: Mark teaches him to box, the Kid teaches him to track, Frank Derringer and Doc Leroy teach him how to spot crooked gambling and Dusty teaches him when to use his gun as well as how to be the kind of man all would want to call a friend. He later puts these lessons to good use in his own spin-off series while serving in the Arizona Rangers with Doc Leroy (Waco's Badge est.), as a county sheriff (The Drifter) and finally a U.S. Marshal (Hound Dog Man).
In order to antagonize the trail drives and provoke a range war the villains have strung wire across the open range. Knowing he must force a showdown before things get out of hand, Dusty also goes to rancher Clay Allison for help. This book follows A Town Called Yellowdog and Dusty is still grieving for his younger brother Danny who was brutally murdered there. This becomes important when a trigger happy young kid in Clay's crew tries to throw down on Dusty. The boy, known only as Waco, reminds Dusty of Danny and so he spares him. A stampede prevents a second fight between Waco and Mark Counter and while trying to turn the herd Waco's horse goes down. Dusty saves his life at considerable risk to his own and wins the other's eternal devotion. Clay Allison shows his softer side when he releases Waco from his obligation to see the drive through so he can go with the three men he now hero worships. In following books Waco receives the best of all possible educations: Mark teaches him to box, the Kid teaches him to track, Frank Derringer and Doc Leroy teach him how to spot crooked gambling and Dusty teaches him when to use his gun as well as how to be the kind of man all would want to call a friend. He later puts these lessons to good use in his own spin-off series while serving in the Arizona Rangers with Doc Leroy (Waco's Badge est.), as a county sheriff (The Drifter) and finally a U.S. Marshal (Hound Dog Man).
January 4, 2022
Standard Edson story.
Think 1940's B Western.
Good guys ride into town, the bad guys have taken over and our heroes save the day.
Think 1940's B Western.
Good guys ride into town, the bad guys have taken over and our heroes save the day.
June 21, 2023
Brilliant
Read and reread and then reread again 😁 my favorite western author of all time ... Grab it if you can
Read and reread and then reread again 😁 my favorite western author of all time ... Grab it if you can
August 28, 2023
One of the best stories in the Flpating Outfit series so far. Classic Western tale.
October 14, 2018
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE SIZE
In this adventure we are introduced to "Waco," who had initially started out working for the famous Clay Allison, a gunnie and wealthy Texas rancher. Greed and revenge were on the minds of the players in this adventure. Bullying beating small ranchers out of their land using falsified maps. The characters are well described, such as Knuckles, a body guard who killed with his fists, Jackieboy Disraeli, whose referred as a "swish," but is deadly as a cornered rattlesnake. Elben the Sheriff of Barlock who used t h e town as his private fiefdom, gauged any and everything he wanted from the town's people. The poor ranchers couldn't buy food from the general stores without written permission from Mallick, another member of this gang of thieves.
This is adventure also offers an insight of how life of a driving a herd of almost three thousand head of longhorns to market in Kansas. Captain Dusty Fog continue to show his leadership with the men of the Floating Outfit and their respect a d devotion to him. His brother was beaten to death in the town of Moonstruck, his name was Danny and he was a Texas Ranger...very sad.
Yes all you western readers, get comfortable and read another adventure of Captain Dusty Fog, who when first observed, think he's an insignificant man of the west trying to be a big man. Little do they know how powerful this man is and what his capabilities are. Never judge a person by his size or height as many do when they meet "Dusty Fog and The Wedge."
In this adventure we are introduced to "Waco," who had initially started out working for the famous Clay Allison, a gunnie and wealthy Texas rancher. Greed and revenge were on the minds of the players in this adventure. Bullying beating small ranchers out of their land using falsified maps. The characters are well described, such as Knuckles, a body guard who killed with his fists, Jackieboy Disraeli, whose referred as a "swish," but is deadly as a cornered rattlesnake. Elben the Sheriff of Barlock who used t h e town as his private fiefdom, gauged any and everything he wanted from the town's people. The poor ranchers couldn't buy food from the general stores without written permission from Mallick, another member of this gang of thieves.
This is adventure also offers an insight of how life of a driving a herd of almost three thousand head of longhorns to market in Kansas. Captain Dusty Fog continue to show his leadership with the men of the Floating Outfit and their respect a d devotion to him. His brother was beaten to death in the town of Moonstruck, his name was Danny and he was a Texas Ranger...very sad.
Yes all you western readers, get comfortable and read another adventure of Captain Dusty Fog, who when first observed, think he's an insignificant man of the west trying to be a big man. Little do they know how powerful this man is and what his capabilities are. Never judge a person by his size or height as many do when they meet "Dusty Fog and The Wedge."
April 30, 2020
Some of the names mentioned in these novels are real people.
That is where the similarity ends.
In many ways these are modern versions of the old dime novels. The only similarity to the truth are the fact that... The author mentions real people.
However if you just want to read an old fashion cowboy shoot em up, that's what these books are.
That is where the similarity ends.
In many ways these are modern versions of the old dime novels. The only similarity to the truth are the fact that... The author mentions real people.
However if you just want to read an old fashion cowboy shoot em up, that's what these books are.
June 13, 2022
A western story, great character's
I've been reading J T Edson Books from the age of 12, just love them, easy to read good story lines fabulous characters,read over 100 books, now in my 60s still enjoy 're reading them.
I've been reading J T Edson Books from the age of 12, just love them, easy to read good story lines fabulous characters,read over 100 books, now in my 60s still enjoy 're reading them.
August 10, 2014
The first time we meet Waco. He is changed from a trigger happy gunman riding with a wild crew, to becoming a valuable member of the Floating Outfit.
December 19, 2020
My third favourite story from J T Edson. The roll call of legendary gunfighters towards the end of the book is epic.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews