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The Floating Outfit #13
Texas Trio
Mark Counter had an eye for beautiful women--but now two of the most troublesome ladies in the territory have him seeing double. Martha "Calamity" Jane Canary--this read-headed spitfire needed a hand with a busted wagon wheel, and she gave Mark a run for his money. And the lady outlaw Belle Starr--she's got a cavalcade of ruthless bounty hunters on her trail, and a temper that's hotter than a branding iron...sparks fly when the two buxom gals meet, and Mark just wants to keep peace between them. But he gets caught in a blazing battle of wills--and a shower of bullets!
- GenresWesterns
181 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 1980
About the author
J.T. Edson
183 books79 followersJohn Thomas Edson is an English writer of Westerns.
He was born in 1928.He was obsessed with Westerns from an early age and often "rewrote" cowboy movies that he had seen at the cinema. One thing that always intrigued him was the minutiae—how did the baddie's gun jam? What were the mechanics of cheating at cards? How did Westerners really dress and speak?
His writing was helped to develop by a schoolteacher who encouraged him. Now lives in Leicester, Leicestershire.[citation needed]
During his 20s and 30s, Edson served in His Majesty's Armed Forces for 12 years as a Dog Trainer. Cooped up in barracks for long periods, he devoured books by the great escapist writers (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert McCraig, Nelson C. Nye and Edgar Wallace). He also sat through hours of movies starring John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Errol Flynn and his all-time favourite, Audie Murphy.
His first appearance in print was "Hints On Self-Preservation when attacked by a War Dog" in the Osnabrück camp magazine Shufti in 1947. Acquiring a typewriter in the early 1950s and putting it to good use while posted to Hong Kong, by the time of his discharge he had written 10 Westerns, an early version of Bunduki and the first of the short detective-type stories starring Waco.
Upon leaving HM forces, JT won second prize (with Trail Boss) in the Western division of a Literary Competition run by Brown & Watson Ltd, which led to the publication of 46 novels with them, becoming a major earner for the company.
He had the need for supplementary income from time-to-time and also served as a postman, and the proprietor of a fish 'n' chip shop. Furthermore, he branched out as a writer and wrote five series of short stories (Dan Hollick, Dog Handler) for the Victor boys papers, and wrote the "box captions" for comic strips, which instilled discipline and the ability to convey maximum information with minimum words.
His writing career forged ahead when he joined Corgi Books in the late '60s, which gave JT exposure through a major publishing house, as well as the opportunity to branch out from the core Westerns into the Rockabye County, the science-fiction hero Bunduki and other series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._T._Edson
He was born in 1928.He was obsessed with Westerns from an early age and often "rewrote" cowboy movies that he had seen at the cinema. One thing that always intrigued him was the minutiae—how did the baddie's gun jam? What were the mechanics of cheating at cards? How did Westerners really dress and speak?
His writing was helped to develop by a schoolteacher who encouraged him. Now lives in Leicester, Leicestershire.[citation needed]
During his 20s and 30s, Edson served in His Majesty's Armed Forces for 12 years as a Dog Trainer. Cooped up in barracks for long periods, he devoured books by the great escapist writers (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert McCraig, Nelson C. Nye and Edgar Wallace). He also sat through hours of movies starring John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Errol Flynn and his all-time favourite, Audie Murphy.
His first appearance in print was "Hints On Self-Preservation when attacked by a War Dog" in the Osnabrück camp magazine Shufti in 1947. Acquiring a typewriter in the early 1950s and putting it to good use while posted to Hong Kong, by the time of his discharge he had written 10 Westerns, an early version of Bunduki and the first of the short detective-type stories starring Waco.
Upon leaving HM forces, JT won second prize (with Trail Boss) in the Western division of a Literary Competition run by Brown & Watson Ltd, which led to the publication of 46 novels with them, becoming a major earner for the company.
He had the need for supplementary income from time-to-time and also served as a postman, and the proprietor of a fish 'n' chip shop. Furthermore, he branched out as a writer and wrote five series of short stories (Dan Hollick, Dog Handler) for the Victor boys papers, and wrote the "box captions" for comic strips, which instilled discipline and the ability to convey maximum information with minimum words.
His writing career forged ahead when he joined Corgi Books in the late '60s, which gave JT exposure through a major publishing house, as well as the opportunity to branch out from the core Westerns into the Rockabye County, the science-fiction hero Bunduki and other series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._T._Edson
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 19, 2020
Such a fun book. I loved that despite each character being a typical Western stereotype, every member of the Trio had an interesting personality that kept me engaged with the alternating POV chapters. The ending confrontation escalated and wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly for my taste which is why I knocked one star off, but all in all, it's a light-hearted weekend read for anyone who enjoys a good trip into the old West.
April 30, 2020
Some of the names mentioned in these novels are real people.
That is where the similarity ends.
In many ways these are modern versions of the old dime novels. The only similarity to the truth are the fact that... The author mentions real people.
However if you just want to read an old fashion cowboy shoot em up, that's what these books are.
That is where the similarity ends.
In many ways these are modern versions of the old dime novels. The only similarity to the truth are the fact that... The author mentions real people.
However if you just want to read an old fashion cowboy shoot em up, that's what these books are.
February 7, 2021
I did try to read a JT Edson book when I was a teenager but was put off by all the footnotes. However I fancied a change this time and have never read a western. This is a fun nostalgic western in the mood of the 50s films and tv rather than the later Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. However it was entertaining and fast paced.
July 2, 2025
I'm glad that I tried this, simply because I was curious about it.
Essentially, it's a dime-store Western.
If you're looking for any remnant of the famous Wild West figures named in this book, I'll tell you that it goes no further than their names. In my opinion, the series is just trying to profit off of those names, but the characters are pretty generic.
All in all, it's not poorly written and it might interest Western enthusiasts that are looking for simple, basic Westerns to fill a little time. If you're looking for something really based on those characters and/or with a bit more "reality" to it, this probably isn't the right series for you. I won't be continuing this one.
Essentially, it's a dime-store Western.
If you're looking for any remnant of the famous Wild West figures named in this book, I'll tell you that it goes no further than their names. In my opinion, the series is just trying to profit off of those names, but the characters are pretty generic.
All in all, it's not poorly written and it might interest Western enthusiasts that are looking for simple, basic Westerns to fill a little time. If you're looking for something really based on those characters and/or with a bit more "reality" to it, this probably isn't the right series for you. I won't be continuing this one.
July 21, 2018
While it is a fun read, it is nothing great. I did enjoy it though.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews