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Waco #3
Arizona Ranger
Waco and Doc Leroy had never seen such low-down goings-on. They knew the job was tough when they took it. The expected more than their share of gunplay and double helpings of killing. But now they're racing from one end of the territory to the other. Cardsharps, killers, thieves, and swindlers are keeping the pair busier than a one-armed bartender on a Saturday night.
- GenresWesterns
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
J.T. Edson
184 books81 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 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 21, 2018
Great!
These are a bunch of fine short stories which are well written and edited. They are also exciting and interesting!
These are a bunch of fine short stories which are well written and edited. They are also exciting and interesting!
June 6, 2022
Great read
Great read shows off all of Waco's skills that made him a good lawman with an inquisitive mind . Always looking outside the box to find the truth.
Great read shows off all of Waco's skills that made him a good lawman with an inquisitive mind . Always looking outside the box to find the truth.
September 4, 2014
Another collection of short stories about the adventures of Waco and Doc Leroy during their time with the Arizona Rangers. In the first story Waco again suffers from a case of mistaken identity when the inhabitants of a small town take him for the son of a murdered man coming to avenge his death. The second story makes use of Waco's tracking skills learned from the Ysabel Kid to expose the corruption of a greedy reservation agent. The third story is reminiscent of the movie Rio Bravo in which Waco holds the son of the towns most powerful citizen for murder against the wishes of a town to scared to stand up for themselves. Doc Leroy shines in the fourth story, making use of his exceptional card sharp skills to outwit a swindler. JT explores post-Civil War prejudices, not entirely successfully, in the fifth story about an African-American scout who helps Waco, Doc Leroy and a patrol of U.S. Cavalry in the hunt for a gang of Mexican bandits. In the sixth story, Waco makes use of the fighting skills learned from Mark Counter to take down, unarmed, a shady freighting outfit. The seventh story probably features the most of the Ranger company as they close ranks to protect one of their own who has been accused of murdering a U.S. Cavalry Captain; despite his confession, Waco is able to use forensic techniques learned from Ed Ballinger of the Chicago PD to prove his innocence (how Waco learned about taking scene of crime photos is told in Waco's Debt). The last, and eighth, story is only a few pages long but sees Waco using his well-known friendship with Dusty Fog to restore a deputy's confidence in himself.
February 17, 2013
This collection of short stories featuring Waco and Doc Leroy were OK. Despite their levity, both Waco and Doc Leroy showed their personality and their skills. The stories were surprisingly varied, given the limited scope of the series, and featured some old favourites of the wild west like the Apache Kid and Tom Horn. Of particular note was the story 'A man called Drango Dune' that offered a new hero for one short moment.
February 8, 2012
In this book JT explores the continued development of Waco's character and his education as a trained law man. He is partnered with Doc Leroy who having worked with the Wedge crew is now a regular guest with the Floating Outfit. Some of the short stories here have been expanded in to books of there own.
March 12, 2018
Very enjoyable, a real page turner. I found this book on the road near my house thirty years when I was very young. Took me until now to read it!! I love the cover of this book, and it brings back memories of years gone by.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews