Gallows

by Robert J. Randisi

When he comes to the rescue of a woman being beaten by a gang of outlaws, Lancaster finds his good deed getting him in hot water when he is accused of murdering the woman's husband who was a town deputy. Original. 100,000 first printing.

Genres: Westerns

257 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2009

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

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lancaster stops at a remote ranch home outside Gallows, New Mexico to ask if he can get some water from their well for his thirsty horse. While approaching the home, he witnesses three cowboys beating a woman and dragging her to the well, apparently to throw her in. Lancaster asks them nicely to behave, they draw their guns, and when the smoke clears the three men are dead.

"Gallows" (2007) has some grownup themes - lots of hookers and abuse of women - but no descriptive adult visuals, so it isn't as unsettling as it is just a bit weird. There is also one piece of this mystery that makes no sense: Lancaster checks some dead men's boots to see if they could have made footprints outside the jail while he was in jail for killing them. Um...

Verdict: An okay, light, easy western mystery with some fun twists and turns, some standard gunplay, and a quest for justice against those who think they are above it all.

Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gallows/A Ome Man Town/A Crooked Judge/The Sheriff a Murderer

RJR . Had penned a very unusual western that centers on the abuse women suffered under their husbands in the old west. The book is fiction, but after reading the novel I can see where every bit of this story could be front page news. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stuff movies are made of

Another good Randisi western. He gives Louis lamour a run for his money. Wish he put just a touch of romance in them.