The Best Western Stories of Wayne D. Overholser

by Wayne D. Overholser

A collection of stories depicts the everyday experiences, hardships and lives of settlers of the frontier

220 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1984

About the author

Wayne D. Overholser (born September 4, 1906 in Pomeroy, Washington; died August 27, 1996 in Boulder, Colorado) was an American Western writer.

Overholser won the 1953 First Spur Award for best novel for Lawman using the pseudonym Lee Leighton. In 1955 he won the 1954 (second) Spur Award for The Violent Land. He also used the pseudonyms John S. Daniels, Dan J. Stevens and Joseph Wayne.

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of 16 short stories compiled by Bill Pronzini and Martin Greenburg, "The Best Western Stories of Wayne D. Overholser" is a smart and varied selection of stories written between 1947-1982 by western legend Wayne Overholser.

Compared to the L'Amour, Loomis, Kelton, and Pronzini western shorts collections I've reviewed lately, this Overholser collection actually holds up better and is more consistently interesting with varied backdrops and characters. His stories are well-paced, concise, easy to read, and there are character twists in all of these that are surprising when they happen but make sense and pay off in an entertaining way.

Verdict: A perfect collection of western short stories. Smart, relatable characters and plots with danger, humor, and surprises. A must-have for western book fans.

Jeff's Rating: 5 / 5 (Excellent)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG