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Leo Guild #4
Dark Trail
When his estranged wife Sarah, leaves him for gunfighter Frank Evans, Leo does not believe that he will ever see her again, but when Frank is offered ten thousand dollars for a gunfight, Sarah begs Leo to bring him back alive, and Leo must make a difficult decision. Reprint.
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1991
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Ed Gorman
468 books122 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 9, 2019
Another brilliant Western novel by Ed Gorman.
Suspenseful and intensely moving.
Leo Guild has aged.
His hair has turned completely white and he's not as lithe as he once was but he's still a tough hombre and a reliable bounty hunter.
Leo is approached by his former wife who twenty years earlier left him to run off with a handsome young gunslinger. Now that same handsome gunslinger is facing certain death in a duel with another gunslinger -a much quicker gunman.
A public duel is proposed by a land-baron who is offering the winner ten thousand dollars.
People are coming from two and three states away to see two legendary gunmen shoot it out for the prize money.
This novel has a kind of HIGH NOON vibe to it. Hours dragging by until the final shootout. People making bets on which gunman will die, which one will win the cash.
Despite her treachery, Leo Guild still dearly loves his former wife and is determined to stop the shoot-out one way or the other.
This novel is cinematic in its scope. The dialogue is realistic and the descriptions of the land and the times vivid.
Highly Recommended.
Suspenseful and intensely moving.
Leo Guild has aged.
His hair has turned completely white and he's not as lithe as he once was but he's still a tough hombre and a reliable bounty hunter.
Leo is approached by his former wife who twenty years earlier left him to run off with a handsome young gunslinger. Now that same handsome gunslinger is facing certain death in a duel with another gunslinger -a much quicker gunman.
A public duel is proposed by a land-baron who is offering the winner ten thousand dollars.
People are coming from two and three states away to see two legendary gunmen shoot it out for the prize money.
This novel has a kind of HIGH NOON vibe to it. Hours dragging by until the final shootout. People making bets on which gunman will die, which one will win the cash.
Despite her treachery, Leo Guild still dearly loves his former wife and is determined to stop the shoot-out one way or the other.
This novel is cinematic in its scope. The dialogue is realistic and the descriptions of the land and the times vivid.
Highly Recommended.
August 22, 2022
Leo Guild, the damaged and heroic bounty hunter, finds himself pulled into two intersecting love triangles that both seem to be headed for hell. The five characters drawn into this mess are exceptionally well drawn with dialog that sparkles and shines, and a plot that is wholly original and cinematic in scope. If I was a film producer I would buy the rights and film this damn thing. As you may have noticed I loved this short novel. The late Ed Gorman was a terrific writer, his Guild books are exceptional, and this is now my favorite one. Five stars.
November 11, 2017
Dark Trail, by Ed Gorman: Gorman writes with equal ease in many genres but my favorite works by him are westerns. Dark Trail is #4 in his Leo Guild series. Guild is one of my favorite characters in western fiction. He’s older, more worn, but he rises to the occasion. This particular book has Guild helping his ex-wife save the man she left him for.
Gorman is a very fine craftsman. I like his westerns better than his mysteries but that may well be primarily because I just like the western genre better. Guild is a great character.
Gorman is a very fine craftsman. I like his westerns better than his mysteries but that may well be primarily because I just like the western genre better. Guild is a great character.
June 24, 2022
As usual with this series, this is less an action-packed Western than a noir-ish period psychodrama. Even when he's writing about a Wild West bounty hunter, Ed's primary concerns remain sadness, compassion and looming doom. In fact, it's almost comical how disconnected the title is from the book. (No one trails anyone, and the book takes place almost entirely in hotel rooms, restaurants, saloons, stores and the streets around them.) Leo Guild is also (as in a couple of the earlier books) a remarkably passive protagonist. He's less the "hero" than he is the primary bystander for an inexorably unfolding tragedy. Which probably sounds like a criticism. But it didn't bother me because, as always, Ed's writing is so strong and his humanity so present.
![Profile Image for Ed [Redacted].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1429513592i%2F3968676.jpg&w=128&q=75)
December 18, 2011
mmmmm, delicious pulpy goodness. This is a western novel by way of Mickey Spillane. Hard boiled and noirish but not quite noir. I liked this one a lot and I will look for more of these titles, though they are not easy to come by.
November 15, 2023
Leo Guild unexpectedly encounters his former wife Sarah, she left him to run off with a gunfighter named Frank Evans. Sarah tells Leo that Frank has now taken up with a young woman named Beth, and her former boyfriend is a younger gunfighter named Ben Rittenauer. As a consequence, Rittenauer has vowed to kill Evans.
Strong feelings are still present between Guild and Sarah, yet she remains devoted to Evans, even though she does not hesitate to use Guild. The people in town treat the two gunfighters as rock stars and it seems inevitable that they will face off in a duel. That becomes certain when a local cattle baron wants to create a spectacle right out of ancient Rome, a gladiatorial contest between the two gunfighters with $10,000 in cash to the one who survives. Despite Guild’s attempt to prevent the contest, both men agree, and the word is spread, leading to thousands of socially prominent people showing up for the spectacle.
While the climax of the story is the gunfight, this is actually a story about unrequited love of a person where the love is misguided. Both the men and women are essentially of questionable emotional character, yet it makes for an interesting story. The outcome of the battle is very well handled, and the result is consistent with the moral ambiguity of the characters. I found it difficult to put it down and read it in less than a day.
Strong feelings are still present between Guild and Sarah, yet she remains devoted to Evans, even though she does not hesitate to use Guild. The people in town treat the two gunfighters as rock stars and it seems inevitable that they will face off in a duel. That becomes certain when a local cattle baron wants to create a spectacle right out of ancient Rome, a gladiatorial contest between the two gunfighters with $10,000 in cash to the one who survives. Despite Guild’s attempt to prevent the contest, both men agree, and the word is spread, leading to thousands of socially prominent people showing up for the spectacle.
While the climax of the story is the gunfight, this is actually a story about unrequited love of a person where the love is misguided. Both the men and women are essentially of questionable emotional character, yet it makes for an interesting story. The outcome of the battle is very well handled, and the result is consistent with the moral ambiguity of the characters. I found it difficult to put it down and read it in less than a day.
October 6, 2023
Love Gorman books but this was an odd one, more of a day time soap opera than a western, enough bed swapping to make your head spin.
March 15, 2015
There were parts that I really enjoyed where Gorman had very poetic descriptions, but I didn't find the story very believable. I didn't care when key characters died either.
This book was a nice diversion, and Gorman's word choices were educational (I learned half a dozen or so). His writing style was reminiscent of Hemingway, but perhaps it's just the dialogue. If you're just looking for a quick western, this story fits the bill.
This book was a nice diversion, and Gorman's word choices were educational (I learned half a dozen or so). His writing style was reminiscent of Hemingway, but perhaps it's just the dialogue. If you're just looking for a quick western, this story fits the bill.
May 5, 2008
another western with leo guild
forgetable title since i've taken it twice to read AFTER i've finished it.
oooops.
forgetable title since i've taken it twice to read AFTER i've finished it.
oooops.
December 3, 2011
I like what Publisher's Weekly said - "Westerns for grownups". Definitely is. Although, it's a little depressing that in both Leo Guild books I've read, he loses folks he loves by the end...
July 1, 2013
A fairly good western fatally flawed by a pointless ending. Too bad. The story of a pending gunfight between two classic shooters and the effects it has on them and their women.
August 4, 2016
Classic Gorman: soulful, wise, concise, poetic. The guy's a national treasure.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews