Shadow of the Gun

by Joseph A. West, Ralph Compton

A lawless town lives in the shadow of fear in this western in Ralph Compton's USA Today bestselling series.

Tam Elliot founded Eden Creek to be a utopia of peace and prosperity. The town achieved neither, and in despair Elliot took his own life. His daughter Allison rechristened the town Suicide, blaming its folks for its failure. From her hillside house, she collects property dues from the lost souls unfortunate enough to still reside there—and punishes anyone attempting to leave.
 
John McBride came west to start a new life, only to find himself saddled with the moniker “Tenderfoot Kid” after a single gunfight. He purchased a restaurant in Suicide hoping to put his past behind him, but with marauding Apaches, vicious outlaws, and rising tensions between the townsfolk and Allison Elliot, the town is a powder keg waiting to explode—and McBride’s presence just may be enough to light the fuse…
 
More Than Six Million Ralph Compton Books In Print!

Genres: Westerns

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 2008

About the author

Joe West was born and raised in the seaside town of Saltcoats in Scotland. At 19 he became a police officer, but soon turned his love of writing into a career as a journalist, working for the Daily Mirror in London among others. In 1972 West was recruited as a reporter for the National Enquirer, and began working in the United States. Traveling the world in search of stories, West almost froze to death on an Alaska mountain, and a spider bite nearly killed him in the Amazon rainforest. 'I swelled up like a balloon and turned a real pretty violet color,' he recalls.

Now a full-time novelist, West and his wife Emily reside in sunny Lake Worth, Florida, where he enjoys tamer pursuits like canoeing the alligator-infested swamps of the Everglades. His daughter Alexandria attends a local college where she studies forensic technology. She will have absolutely nothing to do with canoes and alligators.

West researches the settings of his novels by exploring the terrain in person, usually with little more than a sleeping bag and a can of coffee.

Recently he and Emily celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary at the Lodge in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, a gift from the students at Rio Rancho High School who use West's first novel as a textbook. They then spent a month in the mountains and deserts of New Mexico, often pitching their tent where the air is thin at 9,000 feet above the flat.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audio book read by Pete Bradbury, Recorded books 2009. So far, the reader is good, but the story line has made me cringe a couple of times. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to finish it. The hero is an ex NYC police detective who tries his hand at being a range detective & then as a shop keeper. That's when we get to the first idiotic plot hole. He screws that up, almost gets killed by Indians, but is luckily rescued by an old Army scout. OK so far, but then he rides into town, has 1 meal at a place & buys it with all his money. Come on! How could he possibly be sucked in like that? He was a cop in NYC, scam central, for crying out loud! Yet he buys in without even inspecting the bar or the kitchen? Didn't ask around even though he ate an entire meal there & was the only customer? No one is that stupid, but apparently it was the only way for this author to suck him into the situation. One more huge leap in stupidity like that & I'll have to bail.

I had to bail. Too many idiocies. I think I know the rest of the story, anyway. Yuck. Why did I think an author writing as another would be any good? Well, I didn't find that out until I'd downloaded this. I should have looked closer.

[Nan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clamilty of terrible in this 2nd book in the series-all the worst happenings ever to happen to a main character in a Western occurs. No Western Romance-no greenhorn turned western man riding off into the sunset carefree. I spent most of the autiobook going no..oh..that was stupid and just because she is a woman doesn't mean she can't SHOOT. She is in the west after all. Poetic justice in the end. I hope his wards are worth it and value his hard efforts to give them American etiquette schooling. Somehow I think they can better take care of themselves then he can and have more street smarts. I really shouldn't have finished this whole mess. Not going to get the 1st of the series or the 3rd book.

Overall, terrible and cheepy read.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange story

Sort of weird collection of characters doing all sorts of unexpected things ; settlers, outlaws, detective, rich woman and helpers.

[Peter Charleston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second in a 3 book series. Comfortable western reading adventure.

[Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second book in the series of John McBride the idiot. Amazing all the stupid things this guy does and lives. The only smart thing he does is at the end of the story.

[DocHolidavid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the beauty of this Recorded Books addition is the excellent of the reader, Peter Bradbury. His authoritarian air brings out the excellence of Joseph A. West's story telling. Being a man of the American West, born and raised just north of Dodge City, I find West, from Scotland, captures the mind and ambiance of westerners certainly much better than I can.

Although this book has a rather unusual turn of events and transition of character, I find this book something other than the common "paperback western."

It's a good read.

Doc Holidavid

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not normally a western fan but a few writers seem to jump out and grab me. Ralph Compton writes a quick paced and very historically accurate book. Nice read with great characters. Very recommended

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was a fun western to read. Nice little twist in there as well.

[Jeff]

rg