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Paper Sheriff
From a winner of the Western Heritage Trustees The thrilling story of a sheriff caught between his outlaw in-laws and the woman he loves.Being the sheriff of Sutton County is no easy job, but Reese Branham keeps the peace--even though his own wife comes from the dreaded Hoad clan. The Hoads have always been troublemakers. And when one of them murders a man in cold blood, Branham does his duty, only to watch in dismay as the jury lets the killer go free.Being a woman on the harsh frontier is bad enough. But Jen Truro is also the local prosecutor, and when a killer walks free because the jury doesn't trust her, it's a hard pill to swallow. Complicating the situation is her past with Branham, whom she spurned one too many times, driving him to marry a woman he doesn't love.The Hoad clan is not a forgiving family, and when they plan a massive cattle heist, they have to know Branham won't get in the way. If his wife can't convince the lawman to mind his own business, the Hoads will be damned if they let him--or his old flame--stop them.A legend of western fiction, Luke Short broke the trail for writers such as Louis L'Amour and Elmore Leonard. Paper Sheriff is an unforgettable tale of the men and women brave enough to tame the Old West.
- GenresWesterns
279 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1965
About the author
Luke Short
128 books36 followersLuke Short (real name Frederick Dilley Glidden) was a popular Western writer.
Born in Kewanee, Illinois Glidden attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for two and a half years and then transferred to the University of Missouri at Columbia to study journalism.
Following graduation in 1930 he worked for a number of newspapers before becoming a trapper in Canada then later moved to New Mexico to be an archeologist's assistant.
After reading Western pulp magazines and trying to escape unemployment he started writing Western fiction. He sold his first short story and novel in 1935 under the pen name of Luke Short (which was also the name of a famous gunslinger in the Old West, though it's unclear if he was aware of that when he assumed the pen name.)
After publishing over a dozen novels in the 1930s, he started writing for films in the 40s. In 1948 alone four Luke Short novels appeared as movies. Some of his memorable film credits includes Ramrod (1947) and Blood on the Moon (1948). He continued to write novels, despite increasing trouble with his eyes, until his death in 1975. His ashes are buried in Aspen, Colorado, his home at the time of his death.
Born in Kewanee, Illinois Glidden attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for two and a half years and then transferred to the University of Missouri at Columbia to study journalism.
Following graduation in 1930 he worked for a number of newspapers before becoming a trapper in Canada then later moved to New Mexico to be an archeologist's assistant.
After reading Western pulp magazines and trying to escape unemployment he started writing Western fiction. He sold his first short story and novel in 1935 under the pen name of Luke Short (which was also the name of a famous gunslinger in the Old West, though it's unclear if he was aware of that when he assumed the pen name.)
After publishing over a dozen novels in the 1930s, he started writing for films in the 40s. In 1948 alone four Luke Short novels appeared as movies. Some of his memorable film credits includes Ramrod (1947) and Blood on the Moon (1948). He continued to write novels, despite increasing trouble with his eyes, until his death in 1975. His ashes are buried in Aspen, Colorado, his home at the time of his death.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 20, 2022
Another remarkable western from Luke Short (AKA Frederick Glidden). I've been reading his frontier outings for about forty years, off and on, but went on hiatus for a while when I married. I now return to find that his work is still some of the greatest, most unique literature in a genre which often bogs down in a swamp of cliches. Our hero, Reese Branham, is entangled by an ill-advised marriage to a viper's nest of malicious hill-people. And if that sounds like a galloping stereotype, let me explain that Short manages, through the book, to add layer by layer of characterization until--at least to me--the Hoad family seems like a collection of real people. Unlikable people, yes, but each with his or her own personality and quirks.
The story started off slowly, but gathered steam just as a well-realized novel should. In its heroine, Jen Truro, it took on the damsel-in-distress trope and shattered it to shards. Branham, the part-time sheriff, is an ultra-believable standout, one who demonstrates that a gunshot wound in the leg is far more serious than many writers seem to think. Along the way, the story brings out a few fascinating bits of knowledge about life in the 19th century. I appreciate those small embellishments more as I grow older. I considered five stars, but backed off when I remembered that 'Station West,' which I read last year, was slightly superior in quality.
The story started off slowly, but gathered steam just as a well-realized novel should. In its heroine, Jen Truro, it took on the damsel-in-distress trope and shattered it to shards. Branham, the part-time sheriff, is an ultra-believable standout, one who demonstrates that a gunshot wound in the leg is far more serious than many writers seem to think. Along the way, the story brings out a few fascinating bits of knowledge about life in the 19th century. I appreciate those small embellishments more as I grow older. I considered five stars, but backed off when I remembered that 'Station West,' which I read last year, was slightly superior in quality.
January 29, 2020
To paraphrase an old saying, you can take the boys out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the boys. Which is exactly the situation for Sheriff Reese Branham, a small rancher whose fellow cowmen drafted him into wearing a badge to protect their interests (hence the title; a sheriff of this kind was called "paper" because he was usually something of a figurehead). Sutton County is infested with thirty-odd (fighting-age male) Hoads, a family from the Tennessee back country whose ethical code turns on loyalty to family, whether by blood or marriage. And Reese, who's married to Callie Hoad (daughter of Ty, and niece of Orville, whom he's just missed getting hanged for murder), doesn't subscribe. His childless wife hates him, and he doesn't love her, but she won't give him a divorce. And the Hoads, particularly Callie's sly father, have come up with a great way to embarrass and perhaps eliminate him by using Callie as a figurehead for a rustling ring, knowing that he's legally prohibited from testifying against her. What's a sheriff to do? When a trail boss whose herd is suddenly missing 200 head after a stampede also vanishes into thin air, the problem becomes more urgent; one murder already is one too many, but if the man has been killed, that's two, and Reese has no way to prove the Hoads are responsible. Another complex Short western that turns on minor incidents and the actions of lesser characters as much as on the larger factors.
June 7, 2024
Reese Branham has 23 Hoads living in Sutton County, and he is married to one of them. The entire clan are lay-abouts, malingerers and thugs.
Orville Hoad is found not guilty of murdering a man in cold blood because the jury did not want to take orders from the Assistant District Attorney, who was a woman, Jen Truro.
Once released, Orville and his brother come up with a cattle rustling scheme. They create a company and put Reese’s wife, Callie, on all of the paperwork, reasoning that Reese could never testify against his wife.
Once the assistant district attorney realizes why they would do such a thing, she begins to accompanying him during his investigations.
They both become targets and Callie is none too happy either.
This was a light read. Some sentences were awkward and several times Short uses modern terminology, which jerks you out of the story. A woman district attorney in the Old West?
June on the Range 2024 #3
Orville Hoad is found not guilty of murdering a man in cold blood because the jury did not want to take orders from the Assistant District Attorney, who was a woman, Jen Truro.
Once released, Orville and his brother come up with a cattle rustling scheme. They create a company and put Reese’s wife, Callie, on all of the paperwork, reasoning that Reese could never testify against his wife.
Once the assistant district attorney realizes why they would do such a thing, she begins to accompanying him during his investigations.
They both become targets and Callie is none too happy either.
This was a light read. Some sentences were awkward and several times Short uses modern terminology, which jerks you out of the story. A woman district attorney in the Old West?
June on the Range 2024 #3
June 25, 2023
Short never wrote a bad novel from what I have read anyways. This one is great and has a kind of odd ending but it was different which made it interesting to me. Reese was the sheriff but he was a cattle man and left the day to day to duties to a capable deputy. However rustling has started by a crazy family by the name of Hoad, unfortunately Reese had married into the family and now his wife hates him. Reese now has to get the evidence on the family while making sure his now kin doesn't kill him.
Highly recommended, I guess the ending is overall is what you would expect but getting to that end was different and was not typical.
Highly recommended, I guess the ending is overall is what you would expect but getting to that end was different and was not typical.
June 26, 2017
A very good western as sheriff's own wife is part of a criminal family and decides to help rustle cattle. The sheriff decides to bust up the gang, even if it means arresting his wife. Recommended to western fans.
April 21, 2019
Yikes! A corrupt family has taken over the local government! The sheriff/hero really should have married the woman lawyer instead of the evil patriarch's daughter. Surprisingly routine stuff. The author wrote a lot of westerns, some that Hollywood made into movies.
July 19, 2025
Read this really slowly. Became pretty uninterested by the end. The beginning conversations between Reese and Callie were great. But that was soon replaced by meandering writing, using small bursts of action as a crutch. Terrible last line but what did I expect from a western dime novel.
October 9, 2018
An unusual Luke Short western about a Sheriff who married into a criminal family. He does not realize whom the family is until he discovers his wife is helping with the local rustling. The Sheriff becomes determined to stop the rustling even if he had to put his own wife in jsil. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews