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A Time for Hanging
Someone has killed the preacher's daughter in Dry Springs, but just as a young Mexican boy is being fitted for a noose, the town drunk talks and the list of suspects grows
175 pages, Hardcover
First published December 15, 1989
About the author
Bill Crider
242 books235 followersTaught English at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Tex., and went on to become the chair of the Division of English and Fine Arts at Alvin Community College in Alvin, Tex.; prolific writer of mystery, science fiction, western, horror, and children's books, not to mention short stories, articles, reviews, and blog posts; perhaps best known for his Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery series.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 25, 2017
For Paco Morales it certainly was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time as A Time For Hanging begins. All he had done was run an errand to Tomkins’ Store to get some sugar for his mom. He was supposed to go right back home, but he stopped to talk to Juanito Garcia. After that, night was falling so he took a short cut off the trail. That was when he found the dead woman.
He sort of knows her as she had been by their small shack a lot in recent weeks. What they would talk about he doesn’t know as his mother would always send him away to do something. His mom is a healer of sorts so the visits might have been related to that. One look at her on the ground and he knows she will never come to their shack again.
For Morales, finding the body is just the start of his nightmare as he is savagely beaten by a number of locals sure he killed the woman. If it weren’t for Deputy Jack Simkins, Morales would be already dead and swinging from the nearest tree.
For the Reverend Wayne Randall and his wife, Martha, the nightmare is also just beginning. They do not yet know Elizabeth is never coming home again. They just know she is late for dinner and has not been behaving as she should in recent weeks.
Deputy Jack Simkins managed to save Paco Morales from certain death at the hands of the mob that night. It is going to take a lot of work by Simkins as well as Ward Vincent, Sheriff of Dry Springs, Texas, to keep Morales alive while they investigate. For those who damn near beat the young man to death, it would be best for Morales to hang as soon as possible. If the young man was dead, he would never talk about what they did to him. It would also be best for the real killer as well.
Author Bill Crider has another very good western with A Time For Hanging. Set in West Texas with an interesting cast of characters, a mystery, some romance, and a few more elements, all combine in a tale where what you do and stand for truly matters. For nearly every character in this tale, guilt over the past plays a heavy role as does the consequence of current actions.
Originally published in January 1990 and released in digital format by Crossroad Press in 2010, A Time For Hanging is a classic western tale. Those readers that expect a tale along the lines of a book from the Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mystery Series might be surprised as this is a tale with plenty of violence and is far different from those books. It is also well worth your time.
A Time For Hanging
Bill Crider
http://www.billcrider.com
Crossroad Press
http://crossroadpress.com
July 2010
ASIN# B003WEAJ0M
eBook
175 Pages
$2.99
According to Amazon, I picked this up at the end of June 2015. I have no idea now if it was a free book, a reduced book, or any history regarding the download.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017
He sort of knows her as she had been by their small shack a lot in recent weeks. What they would talk about he doesn’t know as his mother would always send him away to do something. His mom is a healer of sorts so the visits might have been related to that. One look at her on the ground and he knows she will never come to their shack again.
For Morales, finding the body is just the start of his nightmare as he is savagely beaten by a number of locals sure he killed the woman. If it weren’t for Deputy Jack Simkins, Morales would be already dead and swinging from the nearest tree.
For the Reverend Wayne Randall and his wife, Martha, the nightmare is also just beginning. They do not yet know Elizabeth is never coming home again. They just know she is late for dinner and has not been behaving as she should in recent weeks.
Deputy Jack Simkins managed to save Paco Morales from certain death at the hands of the mob that night. It is going to take a lot of work by Simkins as well as Ward Vincent, Sheriff of Dry Springs, Texas, to keep Morales alive while they investigate. For those who damn near beat the young man to death, it would be best for Morales to hang as soon as possible. If the young man was dead, he would never talk about what they did to him. It would also be best for the real killer as well.
Author Bill Crider has another very good western with A Time For Hanging. Set in West Texas with an interesting cast of characters, a mystery, some romance, and a few more elements, all combine in a tale where what you do and stand for truly matters. For nearly every character in this tale, guilt over the past plays a heavy role as does the consequence of current actions.
Originally published in January 1990 and released in digital format by Crossroad Press in 2010, A Time For Hanging is a classic western tale. Those readers that expect a tale along the lines of a book from the Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mystery Series might be surprised as this is a tale with plenty of violence and is far different from those books. It is also well worth your time.
A Time For Hanging
Bill Crider
http://www.billcrider.com
Crossroad Press
http://crossroadpress.com
July 2010
ASIN# B003WEAJ0M
eBook
175 Pages
$2.99
According to Amazon, I picked this up at the end of June 2015. I have no idea now if it was a free book, a reduced book, or any history regarding the download.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017
August 27, 2010
Paco was accused of killing the preacher's daughter simply because he was found in the area. And he was Mexican.
The sheriff was sure he was innocent, just as the boy's father was innocent three years ago of cheating at cards, murdered by a sharp who claimed self-defense, and he'd let him get away with it then.
Was it going to happen again?
The sheriff was sure he was innocent, just as the boy's father was innocent three years ago of cheating at cards, murdered by a sharp who claimed self-defense, and he'd let him get away with it then.
Was it going to happen again?
October 23, 2016
Every so often, I enjoy a good Western, perhaps because when I read one, I'm reminded of some of the terrific old TV shows like "Bonanza." I found this one on my "to read" list and decided to give it a try. I suspect that I added it because the author writes a monthly column for ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE.
Lizzie Randall, the daughter of the town preacher, is found dead. The residents of the town want to pin the crime on Paco Morales, a young Mexican who was nearby when the crime was committed. They don't really have any evidence to convict him, but since he's Mexican, many of them just figure he's guilty.
This is an enjoyable, if not terribly memorable, read. There's something about Crider's writing that drew me in from the very start and kept me reading until the nail biting finale.
If you would like a nice light read, this is a book well worth choosing.
Lizzie Randall, the daughter of the town preacher, is found dead. The residents of the town want to pin the crime on Paco Morales, a young Mexican who was nearby when the crime was committed. They don't really have any evidence to convict him, but since he's Mexican, many of them just figure he's guilty.
This is an enjoyable, if not terribly memorable, read. There's something about Crider's writing that drew me in from the very start and kept me reading until the nail biting finale.
If you would like a nice light read, this is a book well worth choosing.
March 11, 2019
I especially like books where a character discovers hidden strength or courage within himself as the story unfolds. That is the case of the sheriff and his deputy in this mystery set in Western Texas. A young girl is brutally murdered, and a young Mexican teenager is found in a grove of trees nearby. He was heading home from buying sugar and salt at the store, but a bunch of men from town conclude that he is guilty and decide that he should be hanged without a trial. The only people who are willing to protect him are two women, a sheriff, a one eyed deputy, and the town drunk.
May 23, 2020
A great Western mystery.
The local preacher's daughter is found stabbed to death outside of town.
A local Mexican boy is found near by and nearly beaten to death by a mob who are certain he killed her.
The sheriff, who seems at times to not be up for the job he has, finds himself in a very volatile situation.
This got better as it went along.
I really enjoyed it.
The local preacher's daughter is found stabbed to death outside of town.
A local Mexican boy is found near by and nearly beaten to death by a mob who are certain he killed her.
The sheriff, who seems at times to not be up for the job he has, finds himself in a very volatile situation.
This got better as it went along.
I really enjoyed it.
December 25, 2017
My first book by Bill Crider which makes me really eager to read more of him.
More here: https://inkquilletc.blogspot.in/2017/...
More here: https://inkquilletc.blogspot.in/2017/...
May 17, 2016
A great read. Well written in a lucid prose style that lets you just get on with the story, which shapes up nicely. There's a real sense of moral ambiguity about the men in this western. It's a whodunit too, and it kept me guessing until the very end. Some great scenes, especially the confrontation between the gang led by Ross, and Vincent and others, at the shed where Paco is hiding out near the end. Really enjoyed this book and would love to read more of this guy's books.
August 28, 2015
typical old time western. Early Bill Crider.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews