Sunday 29 March 2009

WALT MASTERSON: LEFT-HAND GUN (2009)

Now I've only just started reading this book but so much has happened within the first 28 pages.
A stranger has ridden into town and slaked his thirst with a couple of ice cold beers and got instructions how to get to the Flatbush ranch. Already on their way is Morgan Fetterman and his foreman the former armed with a faked up deed that says that he owns the ranch. As far as they know there's just a female cook and an old hand there that they can run off. What they don't know is that the 'cook' is the neice of the recently deceased owner. Into the fray steps Luke Horn, a gunfighter hired by Fetterman to take care of one or two problems. Only Luke Horn doesn't like what he sees and throws the rancher's money back in his face.
I have always liked this writer's style. It's like listening to him telling the tale that is so vivid that it can be seen like a movie.
Looking at his website I see that he had some great contacts with writers like C.S.Forester and had dinner bought for him by Louis L'Amour.
Sadly, though, Walt Masterson died last year and there are only the six western books to his name:
APACHE COUNTRY
CARNIGAN'S CLAIM
TOMBSTONE LULLABY
SIDEWINDER FLATS
GUNFIGHT AT DRAGOON SPRINGS
LEFT-HAND GUN
All these books are A Black Horse Western that is published by Robert Hale Ltd

3 comments:

  1. You're ahead of me in your reading of this book, Dominic! There's more background on Chris (Walt Masterson) at www.blackhorsewesterns.com -- a tribute in the current edition, an article by Chris in last March's edition and his contribution to the "Plot or Not" debate in June.

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  2. Sounds like a great read. I'm not sure when I will get to it but next time I'm ordering a Black Horse Western, I will remember LEFT-HAND GUN.

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  3. Thank you for your comments.
    I finished the book today and it was really good.
    Thank you Chap O'Keefe for all the places to visit that you left on Tainted Archive. I have Misfit Lil Cleans Up and I liked that one.

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