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Bitter Ground
Ben Gann, an aging peace officer, receives unexpected help in facing Doc Sprigge, a gunfighter determined to take over the town of San Ygnacio
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
10 people want to read
About the author
W.R. Burnett
61 books44 followersWilliam Riley "W. R." Burnett was an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for the crime novel Little Caesar, the film adaptation of which is considered the first of the classic American gangster movies. Burnett was born in Springfield, Ohio. He left his civil service job there to move to Chicago when he was 28, by which time he had written over 100 short stories and five novels, all unpublished.
Burnett kept busy, producing a novel or more a year and turning most into screenplays (some as many as three times). Thematically Burnett was similar to Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain but his contrasting of the corruption and corrosion of the city with the better life his characters yearned for, represented by the paradise of the pastoral, was fresh and original. He portrayed characters who, for one reason or another, fell into a life of crime. Once sucked into this life they were unable to climb out. They typically get one last shot at salvation but the oppressive system closes in and denies redemption.
Burnett's characters exist in a world of twilight morality — virtue can come from gangsters and criminals, malice from guardians and protectors. Above all his characters are human and this could be their undoing.
Burnett worked with many of the greats in acting and directing, including Raoul Walsh, John Huston, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Nicholas Ray, Douglas Sirk, Michael Cimino, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Paul Muni, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood.
He received an Oscar nomination for his script for "Wake Island" (1942) and a Writers Guild nomination for his script for "The Great Escape". In addition to his film work he also wrote scripts for television and radio.
On his death in 1982, in Santa Monica, California,Burnett was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
Burnett kept busy, producing a novel or more a year and turning most into screenplays (some as many as three times). Thematically Burnett was similar to Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain but his contrasting of the corruption and corrosion of the city with the better life his characters yearned for, represented by the paradise of the pastoral, was fresh and original. He portrayed characters who, for one reason or another, fell into a life of crime. Once sucked into this life they were unable to climb out. They typically get one last shot at salvation but the oppressive system closes in and denies redemption.
Burnett's characters exist in a world of twilight morality — virtue can come from gangsters and criminals, malice from guardians and protectors. Above all his characters are human and this could be their undoing.
Burnett worked with many of the greats in acting and directing, including Raoul Walsh, John Huston, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Nicholas Ray, Douglas Sirk, Michael Cimino, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Paul Muni, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood.
He received an Oscar nomination for his script for "Wake Island" (1942) and a Writers Guild nomination for his script for "The Great Escape". In addition to his film work he also wrote scripts for television and radio.
On his death in 1982, in Santa Monica, California,Burnett was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 27, 2025
Western. Noir. Avventuroso.
May 22, 2016
I really loved this book. It was a simple Western storyline of a famous, or rather Notorious figure, Doc Sprigge, shaped after the real life Doc Holiday character. Doc Sprigge comes to the town of San Ygnacio, one of the last real Western towns of the era, to make a claim to the town. He knows that this sleepy little Western town will soon explode as the railroad is set to come through. Ben Gann is the old, 65 years old, and wizened town Marshall that has been everywhere and seen everything that the West has to offer. With the railway coming in he knows that the riffraff to the likes of Doc Sprigge will be following and he wants nothing to do with it. He takes a hard line against all "Outsiders" to the town. Push eventual comes to shove and Doc Sprigge and the Marshall eventual come to a head. The one thing that Doc Sprigge does not count on however is the tall, lanky livery hand that everybody calls "Staff". He swears that he has seen this man before, but he just can't place him. From the look in his eye he knows that he is somebody to be weary of he just doesn't know just how much.
With references to Western Legends such as Billy the Kid and famous Western towns such as Tombstone and the like, this novel was very enjoyable. It was a very fast paced story and one that I was able to just about read straight through.
With references to Western Legends such as Billy the Kid and famous Western towns such as Tombstone and the like, this novel was very enjoyable. It was a very fast paced story and one that I was able to just about read straight through.
January 11, 2011
a fairly typical older western, though there are some bright spots of realism, place, and dialog. not sure why i wanted to read this in the first place. maybe thinking it was ahead of its time? like "modern westerns" like "shavetail" by cobb? hmm
March 15, 2013
I toileted this one for a while. A few times I almost gave up on this because the story is cliche' and pretty damn see-through. I ended up speed reading the last two chapters. I don't recommend this one.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews