The Western Fiction Shelf

A Badge for Brazos
E. Jefferson Clay
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850239, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 233pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-badge-for-brazos-e-jefferson-clay/113678= 5790

Synopsis: Trouble was brewing in the town of Harmony, between the gun-tough=
s who manned the Two-Bar ranch, the hardcases who hung around the Rawhide S= aloon, and the beleaguered miners out at Whipple Creek. Into this explosive=
situation rode Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict. With a thin bankroll, they w= ere looking to earn some fast money to continue their hunt for a Civil War = guerrilla who'd killed their comrades and stolen a fortune in Confederate g= old -- a fortune they themselves planned to get their hands on. So Brazos p= inned on the sheriff's badge in return for a hundred dollars a month...and = soon found himself taking his responsibilities more seriously than he'd tho= ught possible!

Critique: Another gem of an action/adventure western by a master of the gen= re, this large print, paperback edition from Linford Western Library, "A Ba= dge for Brazos" by E. Jefferson Clay is forthrightly recommended for both t=
he personal reading lists of dedicated western fans and community library W= estern Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: There is a website dedicated to the novels of western autho=
r E. Jefferson Clay at https://readfrom.net/e-jefferson-clay

Trail to Nowhere
Sheldon B. Cole
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850253, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 199pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trail-to-nowhere-sheldon-b-cole/1136785769

Synopsis: Blake Durant was on his way to Crimson Falls when he stopped by J= essica Gray's ranch for water. Before he could move on again, the young wid= ow's son came galloping into the yard, bruised and bloodied. Three men had = stolen their two calves, and beaten young Jesse when he tried to stop them.=
Much as he knew he should just ride on, Blake knew he couldn't. So he stoo=
d shoulder to shoulder with the Grays against a vicious land baron with an = army of lawless gunman on his payroll. And when the smoke finally cleared, = the winner would take all!

Critique: A riveting read with more unexpected plot twists and turns than a=
Disneyland roller-coaster, the large print paperback edition from Linford = Western Library of "Trial to Nowhere" by Sheldon B. Cole is especially reco= mmended to the attention of dedicated western novel fans and will make an i= mmediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Western Ficti=
on collections.

Editorial Note: There is an impressive listing of available western novels =
by Sheldon B. Cole at https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/19648928.Sheldo= n_B_Cole

Kilraine!
Jack Crow
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850086, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 212pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/uk/search/Kilraine!

Synopsis: Kilraine is the fast gun who left to protect his family. Grace Je= fferson is Kilraine's wife who was shot when their ranch was raided by nigh=
t riders. Lucy Jefferson is the daughter he's never seen. Sam Jefferson is = Grace's father whose murderers claimed self-defense. Carver Giles killed to=
have it all. Eli Carter is a brave young man who stood up for the town. Ut=
ah Williams is Giles' hired killer.

This cast of deftly crafted and memorable characters comes to life in "Kilr= aine!", a classic western novel about good against evil -- in which the fin=
al showdown would pit three guns against a living ghost and possibly tear a=
family apart forever.

Critique: A classic revenge novel set in the Old West, this large print pap= erback edition from the Linford Western Library, "Kilraine!" by Jack Crow i=
s a compelling page turner of a read from cover to cover. An ideal selectio=
n for both personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction col= lections.

Editorial Note: Brent Towns is an Australian author who writes under severa=
l other names such as Jack Crow, B S Dunn, Sam Clancy and Jake Henry, as we=
ll as his own. He has written 17 Westerns to date. (https://www.goodreads.c= om/author/list/16668470.Brent_Towns)

Payback Canyon
Rob Hill
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850130, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 204pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/payback-canyon-rob-hill/1136775899

Synopsis: Due to a combination of laziness and bad judgement, sheep farmer = Wiley Hansen is broke. He tells his daughter Grace that he has arranged pai=
d work for her on a neighboring farm. She willingly agrees in order to help=
the family finances. But in reality, he intends to put her up for auction =
in the local saloon. But Grace manages to escape when the auction is disrup= ted by the arrival of a notorious outlaw. Believing she has been kidnapped,=
her brother Joe sets out to find her and bring her home. And when Joe does=
eventually discover where his sister is, what he finds is far from what he=
expected!

Critique: Original, deftly crafted, and an inherently interesting western t= hat showcases the literary and imaginative storytelling talents of novelist=
Rob Hill, this large print paperback edition of "Payback Canyon" is a soli=
d pick for the personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction=
collections.

Editorial Note: Rob Hill is the author of eleven Black Horse Westerns. He i=
s also the author of two Victorian Crime stories published by The Crowood P= ress and has also written travel, history and educational articles for news= papers and magazines.

Grizzly Moon
Patrick Dearen
Five Star Publishing
c/o Gale Cengage Learning, Inc.
https://www.gale.com/five-star
www.cengageptr.com
9798885781046, $25.95, HC, 218pp

https://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-Moon-Patrick-Dearen/dp/B0BJW9BMCG

Synopsis: For nineteen years, Wash Baker has been haunted by firing into th=
e night at what he thought was a grizzly, only to kill his young son and na= rrowly miss a second boy, Trey. Now, in 1899, confirmed tracks of grizzly (=
a species of bear unknown in Texas) have been found at a Davis Mountains ca=
mp meeting attended by Wash and his daughter, Grace.

The congregants include Trey, now an adult and courting Grace, and Trey's f= ather, Ed Mulholland. Long ago, Mulholland's big talk about the dangers of =
a grizzly led Wash to panic and fire the fatal load of buckshot. With all o=
f them now striking out to hunt down this confirmed grizzly, Wash has a cha= nce to right the wrongful shot and perhaps deliver judgment on Mulholland.

Meanwhile, up from Mexico has come twelve-year-old Rosindo Mesa, seeking to=
kill the same grizzly before the next full moon in order to free his dead = father's wandering soul.

Critique: Of special note is that although "Grizzly Moon" by Patrick Dearen=
is a work of fiction, it isbased on the actual 1899 hunt for the only docu= mented grizzly ever found in Texas. A quick paced and fun read that will ap= peal to readers with an interest in historical fiction set in the Old West = and is a riveting read that is a highly recommended pick for personal readi=
ng lists and community library Western Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Patrick Dearen (patrickdearen.com) was inducted into the Te= xas Literary Hall of Fame in 2022, and is the author of twenty-seven books.=
His ten nonfiction works include A Cowboy of the Pecos, The Last of the Ol= d-Time Cowboys, and Saddling Up Anyway: The Dangerous Lives of Old-Time Cow= boys. His research has led to seventeen novels, including The Big Drift, wi= nner of the Spur Award of Western Writers of America. His other novels incl= ude When Cowboys Die (a Spur Award finalist), Perseverance, When the Sky Ra= ined Dust, The Illegal Man, To Hell or the Pecos, Dead Man's Boot, Apache L= ament, Haunted Border, and The End of Nowhere.

Thunder Falls
Neil Perry Gordon
Independently Published
www.NeilPerryGordon.com
9798987563205, $16.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Falls-Education-Leopold-Wolf/dp/B0BTGGWLSR

Thunder Falls: The Education of Leopold Red Wolf belongs in any collection = strong in Western fiction and Native American literature. It explores the e= volution of protagonist Leopold Wolf in the mid-1800s. His journey led him =
to become an outspoken Native American rights advocate at an era when the c= oncept of Native rights was barely an idea, much less a reality.

The roots of Wolf's quest actually begin when he is eight and observes his = mother's terrible death when a cannonball is fired through their house by t=
he Confederacy during the opening days of the Battle of Carlisle. Tasked wi=
th taking care of his father at too young an age, Wolf grows up with the we= ight of the adult world on his young shoulders. This sets the stage for his=
later involvement in the Carlisle Indian School, which employs Wolf and So=
n Woodworking in a much-needed building job. Little did he realize that the=
business arrangement would lead to social change and revised purpose in hi=
s life.

Neil Perry Gordon juxtaposes fictional drama with historical fact in a sati= sfying way, bringing to life the milieu of the late 1800s and the political=
influences on Native American lives and futures. As Wolf comes to many new=
realizations that revolutionize his life trajectory, so readers absorb the=
politics and influences of times which lead Wolf to make uncommon decision=
s that lead him to become an advocate for Native Americans.

The story unfolds a rich contrast between ethical and moral values and the = social compass of changing White society and Native Americans alike as issu=
es of assimilation, repression, and civil rights rise to the forefront. Thi=
s showcase of history encourages important dialogues between contemporary r= eaders and book clubs interested in the too-wild West and methods by which =
it was perceived, tamed, and controlled.

Libraries and readers seeking a fictional story that attracts with realisti=
c scenarios and influences will find Thunder Falls a powerful social observ= ation of many of the forces in this bygone world which continue to influenc=
e behaviors and choices today. The story concludes in a cliffhanger which p= ortends further coverage of Wolf's journey and education, maintaining that,=
despite all the events that have influenced him, his real education is jus=
t beginning.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: ---:- FTN<->UseNet Gate -:--- (3:633/280.2@fidonet)