Ralph Compton Frontier Medicine

The Gunfighter #8

by Robert J. Randisi, Ralph Compton

A man with a hidden past doles out a dangerous dose of frontier medicine in this new western in Ralph Compton's Gunfighter series.Young doctor Gabriel Kincaid has come west to help an aging colleague who is straining to deal with the demands of a growing town, but Kincaid is looking to do more than just experience the challenges of frontier medicine. He’s determined to start a new life.But the trials he faces aren’t confined to the doctor’s surgery. After an incident in a saloon, Gabe finds himself with a new Dr. Death. It’s dangerous to have a reputation as a good man with a gun. In this world, there will always be someone who wants to test you.The West has a way of revealing a man’s true character, but it can also expose secrets that are best left hidden.

Genres: Westerns

285 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 12, 2021

About the author

Robert Joseph Randisi was a prolific American author, editor, and screenwriter, best known for his work in detective and Western fiction. He wrote over 650 books, including The Gunsmith series under the pen name J.R. Roberts, and edited more than 30 anthologies. A co-founder of Mystery Scene magazine, the American Crime Writers League, and Western Fictioneers, he also established The Private Eye Writers of America and created the Shamus Award. Randisi collaborated on novels with Eileen Davidson and Vince Van Patten, and created memorable characters such as Miles Jacoby, Joe Keough, and The Rat Pack. He received multiple lifetime achievement awards and the John Seigenthaler Humanitarian Award.

Reviews

[Edwin]

Deceased author Ralph Compton’s legacy lives on as a house name, and his publisher has recruited stellar writers to byline his recent releases. Robert Randisi, the writer here, is a terrific storyteller with a gift for creating compelling characters that are fleshed out in the third person by spirited conversations and dialogue. Descriptive prose is light and there is plenty of action. Page one starts with a little girl on a train choking on a bullet and the action and dialogue never let up, making it a difficult book to put down. The characters really shine here with the earnest young doctor, the cantankerous old doctor, and some female characters bringing rich personas to life. There are no sex, gore, or cussing making this suitable for all readers. I liked it a lot. Recommended.

[Chuck Whiteneck]

Plot too loose with too many threads.
Action sequences are OK but scattered.

[Mike]

Ya gotta love a good shoot ‘em up.

[Ian Kadleck]

Great short read. Very easy to enjoy.
The action sequences were solid.
Overall a good time.

Some of the time multiple characters had the same voice but other than that some good stuff.