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Dark Kill: A Western Duo
In 'Dark Kill', Lew Lander came into Colorado with 500 head of cattle but had the problem of marketing his beef. 'Railroad Doctor' finds Hy West adopted by the Benton clan.
232 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 23, 2025
Brothers Jerry and Wolf Lander come to blows over a girl and then decide to split their inherited ranch right down the middle and each go their own way. Jerry is the older responsible type while Wolf is the brasher and more charismatic of the two, and the folks in town are now trying to keep a lid on future trouble.
"Dark Kill" (1956) is a really good western short story with character, a mystery to solve when one brother is accused of rustling from the other, a few great fistfights (if you read a lot of westerns, you know there are a lot of regular, run-of-the-mill, poorly written plot-moving fist fights, and then there are some really good immersive and tense displays of fisticuffs like "Dark Kill" has), an equally serious and silly love story, and some heroic vengeance and gunplay.
This paperback also includes a longer Ballard-written 1953 story called "Railroad Doctor" about an orphan returning to the western town that spurned him as a child. In a test of personal worth and achievement, Hippocrates West had left Soda Springs, went to school, became a doctor, and is now back to show all these mean people how he turned out.
"Railroad Doctor"'s back-story is quite bloated and leads to a lot of exposition and finger-pointing among the various folks who had varying levels of involvement in Hy's upbringing, scorn, and the crimes he was innocently part of, along with the local drunk doc and the family of outlaws who kind of adopted him. This back-story focus makes it a little clunky over the first half. A love story breaks that up and then wild action is frequent with shootouts, barroom brawls, a train disaster and an old-fashioned jailbreak keeping things exciting.
Verdict: "Dark Kill" the short story is really good. A classic and well-written plot with smart characters and a few nice twists and turns. "Railroad Doctor" has an interesting plot and a fun protagonist; a little cumbersome to decipher the various back-stories that each character is referencing throughout but with a thrilling conclusion and good wrap-up.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13
"Dark Kill" (1956) is a really good western short story with character, a mystery to solve when one brother is accused of rustling from the other, a few great fistfights (if you read a lot of westerns, you know there are a lot of regular, run-of-the-mill, poorly written plot-moving fist fights, and then there are some really good immersive and tense displays of fisticuffs like "Dark Kill" has), an equally serious and silly love story, and some heroic vengeance and gunplay.
This paperback also includes a longer Ballard-written 1953 story called "Railroad Doctor" about an orphan returning to the western town that spurned him as a child. In a test of personal worth and achievement, Hippocrates West had left Soda Springs, went to school, became a doctor, and is now back to show all these mean people how he turned out.
"Railroad Doctor"'s back-story is quite bloated and leads to a lot of exposition and finger-pointing among the various folks who had varying levels of involvement in Hy's upbringing, scorn, and the crimes he was innocently part of, along with the local drunk doc and the family of outlaws who kind of adopted him. This back-story focus makes it a little clunky over the first half. A love story breaks that up and then wild action is frequent with shootouts, barroom brawls, a train disaster and an old-fashioned jailbreak keeping things exciting.
Verdict: "Dark Kill" the short story is really good. A classic and well-written plot with smart characters and a few nice twists and turns. "Railroad Doctor" has an interesting plot and a fun protagonist; a little cumbersome to decipher the various back-stories that each character is referencing throughout but with a thrilling conclusion and good wrap-up.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13
May 26, 2023
Two brothers. One girl. Who will win her heart? First, the fellows have to sort out who gets what when they decide to split the ranch Dad left them.
February 21, 2020
A TB. Double Western Action Adventures (DK) (RD)
TB. has penned a double western action adventures, titled 1. Dark Kill and 2. Railroad Doctor. The first, Dark Kill, is about two brothers who split their fathers ranch in half after his death. One brother is a little wild and the other calm, but dangerous. After the split local crooks and outlaws attempt to out fox the young men. The second, Railroad Doctor, is about an orphan who grows up on his own and s framed for being a member of alleged gang of train robbers. He is exonerated and travels back east to become a doctor. He returns six years later as a railroad doctor. These are excellent reads for the genre.....DEHS
TB. has penned a double western action adventures, titled 1. Dark Kill and 2. Railroad Doctor. The first, Dark Kill, is about two brothers who split their fathers ranch in half after his death. One brother is a little wild and the other calm, but dangerous. After the split local crooks and outlaws attempt to out fox the young men. The second, Railroad Doctor, is about an orphan who grows up on his own and s framed for being a member of alleged gang of train robbers. He is exonerated and travels back east to become a doctor. He returns six years later as a railroad doctor. These are excellent reads for the genre.....DEHS
February 11, 2013
Ballard's writing style is engaging and authentic.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews