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Caleb York #6
Shoot-Out at Sugar Creek
Inspired by the timeless Westerns of John Wayne and the hardboiled heroes of classic crime fiction, bestselling legends Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins turn up the heat on their tin-star tough guy Caleb York--in a gun-blazing showdown with two women ranchers calling the shots ...
It starts with an abusive, drunken young scoundrel who resists arrest, holds a barmaid hostage, and gets what he deserves from the blazing .44 of Sheriff Caleb York. The New Mexico lawman doesn't regret taking such deadly action, but the late youth's powerful mother, cattle baroness Victoria Drummond, seems bound to feel differently. To York's surprise, Victoria takes the news with stoic resignation--all she asks of him is a favor: help her convince Willa Cullen--the love of Caleb's life--to sell her the spread that Willa's late father had carved out of the wilderness.
Willa, every bit as strong-willed as her rival, refuses to give up her land without a fight. Sheriff York anticipates an ugly showdown brewing with himself in the dangerous middle. And before he can stop it from escalating, the seductive cattle queen sends an army of hired guns to Sugar Creek, the sole source of water available for Willa's herd. York finds himself caught in the crossfire of a savage shoot-out between Willa's cowboys and Victoria's gunfighters. No matter who wins, it's going to be a bloodbath ...
In a climax in the tradition of Spillane's classic I, the Jury, York must face a beautiful deadly female who promises heaven but intends hell, while the devils in her employ plan to remove Caleb York from God's good earth.
It starts with an abusive, drunken young scoundrel who resists arrest, holds a barmaid hostage, and gets what he deserves from the blazing .44 of Sheriff Caleb York. The New Mexico lawman doesn't regret taking such deadly action, but the late youth's powerful mother, cattle baroness Victoria Drummond, seems bound to feel differently. To York's surprise, Victoria takes the news with stoic resignation--all she asks of him is a favor: help her convince Willa Cullen--the love of Caleb's life--to sell her the spread that Willa's late father had carved out of the wilderness.
Willa, every bit as strong-willed as her rival, refuses to give up her land without a fight. Sheriff York anticipates an ugly showdown brewing with himself in the dangerous middle. And before he can stop it from escalating, the seductive cattle queen sends an army of hired guns to Sugar Creek, the sole source of water available for Willa's herd. York finds himself caught in the crossfire of a savage shoot-out between Willa's cowboys and Victoria's gunfighters. No matter who wins, it's going to be a bloodbath ...
In a climax in the tradition of Spillane's classic I, the Jury, York must face a beautiful deadly female who promises heaven but intends hell, while the devils in her employ plan to remove Caleb York from God's good earth.
- GenresWesterns
320 pages, Hardcover
Published April 27, 2021
35 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Mickey Spillane
316 books449 followersMickey Spillane was one of the world's most popular mystery writers. His specialty was tight-fisted, sadistic revenge stories, often featuring his alcoholic gumshoe Mike Hammer and a cast of evildoers who launder money or spout the Communist Party line.
His writing style was characterized by short words, lightning transitions, gruff sex and violent endings. It was once tallied that he offed 58 people in six novels.
Starting with "I, the Jury," in 1947, Mr. Spillane sold hundreds of millions of books during his lifetime and garnered consistently scathing reviews. Even his father, a Brooklyn bartender, called them "crud."
Mr. Spillane was a struggling comic book publisher when he wrote "I, the Jury." He initially envisioned it as a comic book called "Mike Danger," and when that did not go over, he took a week to reconfigure it as a novel.
Even the editor in chief of E.P. Dutton and Co., Mr. Spillane's publisher, was skeptical of the book's literary merit but conceded it would probably be a smash with postwar readers looking for ready action. He was right. The book, in which Hammer pursues a murderous narcotics ring led by a curvaceous female psychiatrist, went on to sell more than 1 million copies.
Mr. Spillane spun out six novels in the next five years, among them "My Gun Is Quick," "The Big Kill," "One Lonely Night" and "Kiss Me, Deadly." Most concerned Hammer, his faithful sidekick, Velda, and the police homicide captain Pat Chambers, who acknowledges that Hammer's style of vigilante justice is often better suited than the law to dispatching criminals.
Mr. Spillane's success rankled other critics, who sometimes became very personal in their reviews. Malcolm Cowley called Mr. Spillane "a homicidal paranoiac," going on to note what he called his misogyny and vigilante tendencies.
His books were translated into many languages, and he proved so popular as a writer that he was able to transfer his thick-necked, barrel-chested personality across many media. With the charisma of a redwood, he played Hammer in "The Girl Hunters," a 1963 film adaptation of his novel.
Spillane also scripted several television shows and films and played a detective in the 1954 suspense film "Ring of Fear," set at a Clyde Beatty circus. He rewrote much of the film, too, refusing payment. In gratitude, the producer, John Wayne, surprised him one morning with a white Jaguar sportster wrapped in a red ribbon. The card read, "Thanks, Duke."
Done initially on a dare from his publisher, Mr. Spillane wrote a children's book, "The Day the Sea Rolled Back" (1979), about two boys who find a shipwreck loaded with treasure. This won a Junior Literary Guild award.
He also wrote another children's novel, "The Ship That Never Was," and then wrote his first Mike Hammer mystery in 20 years with "The Killing Man" (1989). "Black Alley" followed in 1996. In the last, a rapidly aging Hammer comes out of a gunshot-induced coma, then tracks down a friend's murderer and billions in mob loot. For the first time, he also confesses his love for Velda but, because of doctor's orders, cannot consummate the relationship.
Late in life, he received a career achievement award from the Private Eye Writers of America and was named a grand master by the Mystery Writers of America.
In his private life, he neither smoked nor drank and was a house-to-house missionary for the Jehovah's Witnesses. He expressed at times great disdain for what he saw as corrosive forces in American life, from antiwar protesters to the United Nations.
His marriages to Mary Ann Pearce and Sherri Malinou ended in divorce. His second wife, a model, posed nude for the dust jacket of his 1972 novel "The Erection Set."
Survivors include his third wife, Jane Rodgers Johnson, a former beauty queen 30 years his junior; and four children from the first marriage.
He also carried on a long epistolary flirtation with Ayn Rand, an admirer of his writing.
His writing style was characterized by short words, lightning transitions, gruff sex and violent endings. It was once tallied that he offed 58 people in six novels.
Starting with "I, the Jury," in 1947, Mr. Spillane sold hundreds of millions of books during his lifetime and garnered consistently scathing reviews. Even his father, a Brooklyn bartender, called them "crud."
Mr. Spillane was a struggling comic book publisher when he wrote "I, the Jury." He initially envisioned it as a comic book called "Mike Danger," and when that did not go over, he took a week to reconfigure it as a novel.
Even the editor in chief of E.P. Dutton and Co., Mr. Spillane's publisher, was skeptical of the book's literary merit but conceded it would probably be a smash with postwar readers looking for ready action. He was right. The book, in which Hammer pursues a murderous narcotics ring led by a curvaceous female psychiatrist, went on to sell more than 1 million copies.
Mr. Spillane spun out six novels in the next five years, among them "My Gun Is Quick," "The Big Kill," "One Lonely Night" and "Kiss Me, Deadly." Most concerned Hammer, his faithful sidekick, Velda, and the police homicide captain Pat Chambers, who acknowledges that Hammer's style of vigilante justice is often better suited than the law to dispatching criminals.
Mr. Spillane's success rankled other critics, who sometimes became very personal in their reviews. Malcolm Cowley called Mr. Spillane "a homicidal paranoiac," going on to note what he called his misogyny and vigilante tendencies.
His books were translated into many languages, and he proved so popular as a writer that he was able to transfer his thick-necked, barrel-chested personality across many media. With the charisma of a redwood, he played Hammer in "The Girl Hunters," a 1963 film adaptation of his novel.
Spillane also scripted several television shows and films and played a detective in the 1954 suspense film "Ring of Fear," set at a Clyde Beatty circus. He rewrote much of the film, too, refusing payment. In gratitude, the producer, John Wayne, surprised him one morning with a white Jaguar sportster wrapped in a red ribbon. The card read, "Thanks, Duke."
Done initially on a dare from his publisher, Mr. Spillane wrote a children's book, "The Day the Sea Rolled Back" (1979), about two boys who find a shipwreck loaded with treasure. This won a Junior Literary Guild award.
He also wrote another children's novel, "The Ship That Never Was," and then wrote his first Mike Hammer mystery in 20 years with "The Killing Man" (1989). "Black Alley" followed in 1996. In the last, a rapidly aging Hammer comes out of a gunshot-induced coma, then tracks down a friend's murderer and billions in mob loot. For the first time, he also confesses his love for Velda but, because of doctor's orders, cannot consummate the relationship.
Late in life, he received a career achievement award from the Private Eye Writers of America and was named a grand master by the Mystery Writers of America.
In his private life, he neither smoked nor drank and was a house-to-house missionary for the Jehovah's Witnesses. He expressed at times great disdain for what he saw as corrosive forces in American life, from antiwar protesters to the United Nations.
His marriages to Mary Ann Pearce and Sherri Malinou ended in divorce. His second wife, a model, posed nude for the dust jacket of his 1972 novel "The Erection Set."
Survivors include his third wife, Jane Rodgers Johnson, a former beauty queen 30 years his junior; and four children from the first marriage.
He also carried on a long epistolary flirtation with Ayn Rand, an admirer of his writing.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 5, 2023
Mickey Spillane was the writer of tough guy detective fiction in the 50s and 60s. Tough guys and beautiful females as lethal as their guns. This western is written in that style. Honestly, if you know “I, the Jury”, one of Spillane’s most famous works, you’ll get a sense not only of how this western ends, but how it all plays out in that Spillane style. A tough guy sheriff and his deputy, three beautiful women - two of them dangerous - and a ranch brimming with desperadoes looking to ignite a range war. A page turner, tightly written, I think the Spillane style worked perfectly for a western novel 🐎🐎🐎
February 17, 2021
In a dry parched land filled with gunfire and cattle, the tag team of the late Mickey Spillane and his friend Max Allan Collins have delivered a double trifecta, six exciting westerns that are so good you'll read them cover to cover even if you don't normally read westerns. "Shoot-Out at Sugar Creek" offers us readers a Hatfield-McCoy type feud when knockout Victoria Hammond and her sons move into the Trinidad area with her eyes on Willa Cullen's Bar-O Ranch and aims to take it by any means necessary. Don't think the women out there in the Wild West were all shrinking violets. Never have two such forceful determined women faced off before and the West may never be the same. Like all the books in the Caleb York series, the writing is tight, the action furious, the stakes high. What a great read!
April 11, 2023
Shoot-Out at Sugar Creek is the sixth book in the Caleb York series. This book follows the conclusion of the Big Die-Up. Willa Cullen’s dead cattle have poisoned the only water source on her property. At the same time, her nefarious but beautiful neighbor refuses to uphold the unwritten agreement to utilize Sugar Creek to water her herd. Tension builds quickly to a breaking point, and as William Defoe said, “There was a firefight!” Honestly, I lost count of all the bodies York stacked.
The entire series is well worth the time, but this book, in particular, had Mickey Spillane all over it. I felt strong echoes of I, The Jury.
“I’ll make her pay. I’ll make them all pay.”
-Max Allan Collins
The entire series is well worth the time, but this book, in particular, had Mickey Spillane all over it. I felt strong echoes of I, The Jury.
“I’ll make her pay. I’ll make them all pay.”
-Max Allan Collins
February 26, 2022
This sixth book in the Caleb York series directly follows the events of book #5, Hot Lead, Cold Justice, in which a killer blizzard swept across the Southwest putting lives and whole ranches in peril. Trying to recover from that experience has proven no easy task. Wealthy widow and cattle baroness, Victoria Drummond, has seized the opportunity to snatch up most of the smaller ranches in the area of Trinidad, New Mexico, and now has her sites set on the vast Bar-O spread, owned and managed by Willa Cullen, the getting-close-to-fiancé-status girlfriend of one Sheriff Caleb York.
There is no level to which Victoria will not stoop to get what she wants, to include hiring an army of hard case gunfighters from nearby Las Vegas, setting up ambushes, and even sacrificing her own sons to the effort. She has the upper hand against the Bar-O due to controlling Sugar Creek, the only water supply that’s not fouled by dead cattle from the massive blizzard. So, when Sheriff York is forced to shoot and kill Victoria’s son for raping and beating a saloon trollop, a full-on range war is ignited.
Some readers expect the character of Caleb York to be simply a western version of Mike Hammer but I find Caleb to be a much more sympathetic character. He is loyal to the law and to maintaining the peace, but he is a firm stand-your-ground kind of man and never backs down from a fight. He’s an excellent shot, of course, and always manages to find plenty of action to test his skills, but he would prefer that was not the case.
The plot of this novel tests not only Caleb York’s skills with a gun but also his hot-cold-warm-hot relationship with Willa Cullen, once again. The stakes have never been higher, and the body-count is very high. With the title of this novel being what it is, a lot of gunplay is expected but man-o-man was that spectacular! I was fully invested in these characters after the very first book in the series, The Legend of Caleb York, and the rest of the series has only increased that for me. So, when one of them gets such a raw deal as we see here, I’m all in for revenge in the purest sense of the word.
I really hope there are more Caleb York novels still to come. Please let it be so.
There is no level to which Victoria will not stoop to get what she wants, to include hiring an army of hard case gunfighters from nearby Las Vegas, setting up ambushes, and even sacrificing her own sons to the effort. She has the upper hand against the Bar-O due to controlling Sugar Creek, the only water supply that’s not fouled by dead cattle from the massive blizzard. So, when Sheriff York is forced to shoot and kill Victoria’s son for raping and beating a saloon trollop, a full-on range war is ignited.
Some readers expect the character of Caleb York to be simply a western version of Mike Hammer but I find Caleb to be a much more sympathetic character. He is loyal to the law and to maintaining the peace, but he is a firm stand-your-ground kind of man and never backs down from a fight. He’s an excellent shot, of course, and always manages to find plenty of action to test his skills, but he would prefer that was not the case.
The plot of this novel tests not only Caleb York’s skills with a gun but also his hot-cold-warm-hot relationship with Willa Cullen, once again. The stakes have never been higher, and the body-count is very high. With the title of this novel being what it is, a lot of gunplay is expected but man-o-man was that spectacular! I was fully invested in these characters after the very first book in the series, The Legend of Caleb York, and the rest of the series has only increased that for me. So, when one of them gets such a raw deal as we see here, I’m all in for revenge in the purest sense of the word.
I really hope there are more Caleb York novels still to come. Please let it be so.
April 28, 2021
The popular Spillane/Collins team ups have proven to be terrific stories and the Caleb York books that take place in the Old West are no exception. Every entry in the six book series has been special. Although you may expect York to be Mike Hammer in the Wild West, the lawful Caleb York is actually a much more multidimensional and sympathetic character. Here York's lover Willa Cather gets involved in a range war with a newcomer, the devious female Victoria Drummond. To greatly complicate matters, Willa finds herself on the wrong side of the law which York, now a Marshall, has vowed to protect. As the range war escalates York, finding himself in an extremely thorny situation, goes full-on Hammer with some drunkenness and brutality showing a side of York that we haven’t seen before. The last third of the book is nearly impossible to put down as the tension and violence ramps up, steering the narrative to a highly satisfying conclusion. It’s been a real pleasure visiting with York and the denizens of Trinity once again and I’m hoping for more Caleb York stories from Spillane/Collins.
April 9, 2021
After The Big Freeze, all the ranches and farms in Trinity are hurting. A rich female rancher comes in from Colorado, and starts buying up all the smaller ranches. She owns the water rights to the Silver River. All the other big sources of water are fouled by dead beeves.
The rich woman's son is a real hellion, and quickly gets himself killed by Caleb York. The rich woman forbids anybody else to use the river for water, so everybody starts hiring gunfighters. The law may be on the woman's side, but York is in a relationship with Willa.
Very good, you can tell Mr. Collins watched Johnny Guitar before writing this.
The rich woman's son is a real hellion, and quickly gets himself killed by Caleb York. The rich woman forbids anybody else to use the river for water, so everybody starts hiring gunfighters. The law may be on the woman's side, but York is in a relationship with Willa.
Very good, you can tell Mr. Collins watched Johnny Guitar before writing this.
April 13, 2021
Caleb York is considering staying in Trinidad, NM as the sheriff/marshal of
the area. He finds himself in the middle of a dispute by new rancher Victoria
Hammond, and his girl Willa Cullen. Can he keep their people from killing
each other?
Another good outing by Max Allan Collins. I am really liking the series and
think even more books are coming for it. The action is good and it keeps on
coming! Initially the premise was an untold movie script, but these books
would make a great bunch of movies! Keep them coming Mr. Collins.
I was sent a copy of this book for my honest review.
the area. He finds himself in the middle of a dispute by new rancher Victoria
Hammond, and his girl Willa Cullen. Can he keep their people from killing
each other?
Another good outing by Max Allan Collins. I am really liking the series and
think even more books are coming for it. The action is good and it keeps on
coming! Initially the premise was an untold movie script, but these books
would make a great bunch of movies! Keep them coming Mr. Collins.
I was sent a copy of this book for my honest review.
February 14, 2021
In Shootout at Sugar Creek, 6th of the Caleb York series (Kensington Books 2021), County Sheriff--and de facto Marshal--of Trinidad New Mexico finds himself in yet another death-defying battle not of his own making. His background includes lots of killing--almost all of men who deserved it--but many which would have left him dead if he'd been just a bit less observant of his surroundings or slower with his gun. Now, he thinks he has found a town to settle into as Sheriff, make sure life is safe for the residents and the female rancher he hopes to one day marry. That is, until another female rancher comes to town, buys up properties bankrupted by the Big Die (a time in Old West history where the winter cold and snow was so fierce, it killed off many of the cattle). When she sets her sights on the ranch owned by Caleb's girlfriend, Willa, neither will give in and a range war threatens. As town sheriff, Caleb is sworn to uphold the law and in this case, knows he must even though the woman he loves is on the opposite side. How does he serve justice and still keep Willa's love?
Before anything gets better, it gets a whole lot worse.
Max Collins wrote this story from notes left before Mickey Spillane died in 2006. As I read, I caught tantalizing whiffs of the unique style and intriguing twists of all Spillane stories. It is one of many Collins has written based on the prodigious outlines Spillane created and has everything you want in a good ol' western story.
Before anything gets better, it gets a whole lot worse.
Max Collins wrote this story from notes left before Mickey Spillane died in 2006. As I read, I caught tantalizing whiffs of the unique style and intriguing twists of all Spillane stories. It is one of many Collins has written based on the prodigious outlines Spillane created and has everything you want in a good ol' western story.
January 1, 2022
A very exciting read
April 26, 2021
Shoot-Out at Sugar Creek is the sixth (and by far the best) entry in Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins' Caleb York western series. Collins (the writer of the series - Spillane created the character for an unproduced screenplay) has developed a full range of continuing characters in the New Mexico town of Trinidad and the series reads more like a cable series with sex and violence than a classic network western.
Max Allan Collins' many other series tend to feature loners (Mallory, Quarry, Nolan) who have an established personality and don't change much over the course of their novels. What makes Caleb York different (and appealing) is that he develops over the course of the books and is not always heroic: Caleb is indecisive about his future, has a strong desire to accumulate money and property, doesn't hesitate to cheat on his girlfriend, and sometimes makes rash and stupid decisions. Although Mickey Spillane is not writing the series, his presence is felt in the sudden violence and the manipulative female villains.
Collins is not afraid to shake up the status quo of the town and its characters; we never know if favorite cast members will make it to the end of the book alive. It is this fully developed world that makes the Caleb York series enjoyable and and an excellent change of pace for an author who mainly works in the hardboiled crime genre.
Looking forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended.
Max Allan Collins' many other series tend to feature loners (Mallory, Quarry, Nolan) who have an established personality and don't change much over the course of their novels. What makes Caleb York different (and appealing) is that he develops over the course of the books and is not always heroic: Caleb is indecisive about his future, has a strong desire to accumulate money and property, doesn't hesitate to cheat on his girlfriend, and sometimes makes rash and stupid decisions. Although Mickey Spillane is not writing the series, his presence is felt in the sudden violence and the manipulative female villains.
Collins is not afraid to shake up the status quo of the town and its characters; we never know if favorite cast members will make it to the end of the book alive. It is this fully developed world that makes the Caleb York series enjoyable and and an excellent change of pace for an author who mainly works in the hardboiled crime genre.
Looking forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended.
June 28, 2022
It had been a while since I'd read anything by either of these two authors, so I picked this up from the new book shelf at the library. I'm glad I did as it reacquainted me with the master of hard-boiled fiction, Spillane, and his protege and literary executor, Collins.
Spillane is most noted for his private detective Mike Hammer, but as Collins notes in his afterword to this book, Spillane had previously penned a Western script for John Wayne. While that film was never made he did ask if Collins would be interested in adapting it to a book. The central character of this book became a series about a gunman in the late 19th century West. Like his mid-twentieth century counterpart Hammer, Caleb York enforces the law largely with his guns and his fists and the ladies love him.
While somewhat formulaic, the novel benefits from the background work that Collins brings to all of his writing. You get a real sense of place in this book both through real-life characters from the West that are mentioned as well as in the details of horsemanship, weapons and other details.
It's escapist reading, but perfect for the beach, subway or other location where you want to immerse yourself in a somewhat violent and bloody past.
Spillane is most noted for his private detective Mike Hammer, but as Collins notes in his afterword to this book, Spillane had previously penned a Western script for John Wayne. While that film was never made he did ask if Collins would be interested in adapting it to a book. The central character of this book became a series about a gunman in the late 19th century West. Like his mid-twentieth century counterpart Hammer, Caleb York enforces the law largely with his guns and his fists and the ladies love him.
While somewhat formulaic, the novel benefits from the background work that Collins brings to all of his writing. You get a real sense of place in this book both through real-life characters from the West that are mentioned as well as in the details of horsemanship, weapons and other details.
It's escapist reading, but perfect for the beach, subway or other location where you want to immerse yourself in a somewhat violent and bloody past.
Read
July 18, 2021Caleb York is back, and his story continues. Originally crafted as a film western character by Mickey Spillane, the idea was fleshed out in a series of novels which includes this latest, 6th installment.
Continuing from the previous book Caleb remains sheriff of a New Mexico town the plot in this one involves one of the women he is interested in, Willa, who is running her late father's ranch. Unfortunately there is another woman, a widow, with sons who is poised to engage in a hostile take over of Willa's ranch. Caleb in executing his duties, over the course of the story, ends up getting on the wrong side of both of these women.
The story is tight, and is an exciting page turning, and its conclusion is definitely a nod to Caleb York's creator. I love this series and though this could be read indpenedantly of the others, because Collins is masterful about providing the reader with enough information to be in up to date, I feel that these are best read in order. I love how the series characters and their relationships slightly alter as time moves forward. My hope is that this series continues for a long while, as Shoot-Out at Sugar Creek is the best so far.
Continuing from the previous book Caleb remains sheriff of a New Mexico town the plot in this one involves one of the women he is interested in, Willa, who is running her late father's ranch. Unfortunately there is another woman, a widow, with sons who is poised to engage in a hostile take over of Willa's ranch. Caleb in executing his duties, over the course of the story, ends up getting on the wrong side of both of these women.
The story is tight, and is an exciting page turning, and its conclusion is definitely a nod to Caleb York's creator. I love this series and though this could be read indpenedantly of the others, because Collins is masterful about providing the reader with enough information to be in up to date, I feel that these are best read in order. I love how the series characters and their relationships slightly alter as time moves forward. My hope is that this series continues for a long while, as Shoot-Out at Sugar Creek is the best so far.
October 10, 2022
I like a lot of Mickey Spillane's writing, and Max Allen Collins has done a fine job finishing up many of his books. The idea of Mickey Spillane writing westerns has a tremendous amount of appeal and definitely makes me interested.
In practice, however, its not a particularly great western. Its all right, but it features a main character who never misses, generally doing head shots even at extreme ranges. The characters feel more like something from a movie rather than ripped from real life as Spillane/Collins' noir books.
Now, Collins explains this at the end of the book, saying that noir stories are written in one style, and cowboy books are in another style, so he was just following that mythological hollywood genre. And fine, if you like that kind of thing, its pretty well done and memorable. Its just not my cup of tea.
In practice, however, its not a particularly great western. Its all right, but it features a main character who never misses, generally doing head shots even at extreme ranges. The characters feel more like something from a movie rather than ripped from real life as Spillane/Collins' noir books.
Now, Collins explains this at the end of the book, saying that noir stories are written in one style, and cowboy books are in another style, so he was just following that mythological hollywood genre. And fine, if you like that kind of thing, its pretty well done and memorable. Its just not my cup of tea.
September 24, 2023
When looking for a new western to read, Mickey Spillane is not an author I'd follow. He's known for his detective Mike Hammer series, full of beautiful women and shoot first,ask questions later action. While his westerns do contain beautiful women and lots of shooting, they do have pretty good story lines too. The action starts when Sheriff York kills a young man who does not know when to stop. The Sheriff then finds himself between two women in a land/ water dispute that no one is going to win. While Sheriff Caleb York is the central character in this book, these two women will not back down from a fight to the death.
While I may not have been looking for a Spillane western, I'm certainly glad I found this one.
While I may not have been looking for a Spillane western, I'm certainly glad I found this one.
June 9, 2021
Like the other Caleb York titles in this series, this one doesn't disappoint.
This time, Caleb York goes up against a seductive cattle baroness who is just as tough as any man Caleb has ever faced--right down to the last shoot-out.
Lots of action, a great hero, devious old west villains. If you're in the mood for a good old fashioned western, this is the right book for you!
This time, Caleb York goes up against a seductive cattle baroness who is just as tough as any man Caleb has ever faced--right down to the last shoot-out.
Lots of action, a great hero, devious old west villains. If you're in the mood for a good old fashioned western, this is the right book for you!
June 11, 2021
Another fantastic entry in the Caleb York series! Collins does a great job of balancing the personal drama with tense action, and the finale is true edge-of-your-seat reading. If this is your first Caleb York novel, you will not be lost, but seeing the characters progress throughout the series will provide a richer experience. I highly recommend this novel and the series.
November 13, 2022
This is a great Western. It is clearly fiction but it has enough historical background to make it feel authentic. And it is perfectly follow-able by those who only came to the series now.
This reader certainly will be circling back to the beginning of the series and reading them. It is a shame this is the last one (unless the publisher changes their mind).
This reader certainly will be circling back to the beginning of the series and reading them. It is a shame this is the last one (unless the publisher changes their mind).
July 9, 2021
Pretty good story about two female cattle ranchers battling each other for survival. Then throw in the sheriff who is attractive to both of the ladies and you have the makings for a good battle. Who would have thought that Mickey Spillane was a wanna be writer of the old west genre!
July 14, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. I think Max Allan Collins is hitting his stride in writing westerns, a genre his is not known for. That will surely change with this series, as each one is getting better and better. I hope he will have the opportunity to write many more.
December 15, 2022
Great book
I love the Caleb York series and this book is no exception!! This book has great characters, lots of action and there's a relationship that may have finally taken the big step. I highly recommend this book and the series as a whole.
I love the Caleb York series and this book is no exception!! This book has great characters, lots of action and there's a relationship that may have finally taken the big step. I highly recommend this book and the series as a whole.
June 25, 2024
Unfortunately, this is the last book in the Caleb York series. I am sorry to see the series end. In my opinion, I enjoyed this series more than the Mike Hammer series. This story is well paced and difficult to stop reading. Even if you are not a Mike Hammer fan, please consider reading this series.
March 5, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. Action, great characters, and great pacing. Will need to track other books in the Caleb York series. #ShootOutatSugarCreek #NetGalley
August 26, 2021
It's always good to read a western once in a while!!
September 27, 2021
Just another story about a range war only with two women being the owners over men. Still was an interesting enough western.
October 22, 2022
Excellent story line
I have enjoyed this entire series. Very well written. Great characters with very good dtory lines. I recommend these books.
I have enjoyed this entire series. Very well written. Great characters with very good dtory lines. I recommend these books.
May 19, 2023
A typical western. Entertaining.
March 8, 2025
new to me author. What a great writer.
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