The Western Fiction Shelf

Adios, Bandido
E. Jefferson Clay
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850246, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 234pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/adios-bandido-e-jefferson-clay/1136785767

Synopsis: In "Aidos, Bandido" by Jefferson Clay, both Brazos and Benedict a=
re still searching for Bo Rangle, the outlaw who'd killed most of their com= rades in the war and stolen a fortune in gold. But the West is a big place,=
and Rangle could be anywhere. Then they chance upon the best lead they've = had in months. The only trouble is that Race Sackett, the man who can take = them right to their quarry, is behind bars and facing the noose. There's on=
ly one thing to do - bust out the outlaw and force him to lead them to Rang= le's lair!

Critique: The third volume in author E. Jefferson Clay's western series sta= rring two unlikely and seemingly mismatched partners in a quest for vengean=
ce and looted gold from the Civil War, this large print paperback edition o=
f "Aidos Bandido" from the Linford Western Library series is a 'must' for t=
he dedicated fans of Brazos and Benedict. A fun read from cover to cover, "= Aidos Bandido" is especially recommended for community library Western Fict= ion collections.

Editorial Note: E. Jefferson Clay (https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/e-jef= ferson-clay) is one of the many pseudonyms for legendary Australian author,=
comic book writer and illustrator, Paul Wheelahan.

The Man With No Past
Pete B. Jenkins
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850345, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 246pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-man-with-no-past-pete-b-jenkins/113678= 5768

Synopsis: In the wilds of Arizona, a man wakes up with a nasty head wound a=
nd amnesia. Unaware of who or where he is, all he has to go on is the name = inscribed in a bible, found in the saddlebags of a lame horse grazing nearb=
y: Zachariah Thompson. Believing this to be him, Zach carries on his way, e= ventually collapsing and being found unconscious by Jeff Fawcett and his da= ughter Emily, who nurse him back to health. When their ranch is attacked by=
Apaches, Jeff is killed, leaving Zach and Emily to flee for their lives. B=
ut Zach begins to question his identity when he is mistaken for a notorious=
outlaw.

Critique: Original, entertaining, memorable, "The Man With No Past" by west= ern novelist Pete B. Jenkins is a riveting read from cover to cover and thi=
s large print paperback edition (part of the 'Linford Western Library' seri= es) will prove to be a welcome addition to both the personal reading lists =
of dedicated western buffs and community library Western Fiction collection=
s.

Editorial Note: There is a lengthy listing of the western and other novels =
of Pete B. Jenkins at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10911451.Pete_B= _Jenkins

Gun Law At Lost Bucket
Colin Bainbridge
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850109, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 228pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gun-law-at-lost-bucket-colin-bainbridge/11= 36775910

Synopsis: A quiet life is the only thing Dane Cleadon wants, but it seems h=
e can't escape his past reputation as a gunfighter and town-tamer. When he =
is called out by young Tim Ryland, he does his best to avoid trouble, but t=
o no avail. After Ryland dies accidentally by his own gun, his father, loca=
l rancher Cass Ryland, wants revenge. Hoping to avert further bloodshed, Cl= eadon leaves town, accompanied by his friend Cayuse. They are pursued by Ry= land and his gang into the hills, where they stumble upon a ghost town by t=
he name of Lost Bucket. And things just keep getting more and more dangerou=
s!

Critique: A riveting and fun read with more unexpected plot twists and turn=
s than an Oklahoma tornado, this large print paperback edition of author Co= lin Bainbridge's "Gun Law At Lost Bucket" from the 'Linford Western Library=
' series is a 'must' for any and all dedicated western fans, and a very hig= hly recommended pick for community library Western Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: For fans of western novelist Colin Bainbridge, it should be=
noted that there is an extensive listing of his books at https://www.ficti= ondb.com/author/colin-bainbridge~72205.htm

Greenville Raiders
Alex Frew
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850222, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 252pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/greenville-raiders-alex-frew/1136785789

Synopsis: While Sheriff Flint is out of town, bandits strike Greenville Ban=
k. Only they have come at the wrong time and do not get the haul they expec= ted, instead leaving behind a trail of destruction. On Flint's return, he i=
s faced with a deadly situation. When a beautiful woman and her elderly fat= her get involved, Flint thinks at first that they are a liability, especial=
ly when he discovers that he has to lead a posse into the dangerous borderl= ands between Greenville and Mexico. And then, to make matters even more com= plicated (and dangerous!) his deputy becomes embroiled in a fight to save a=
gold consignment on its way to town.

Critique: The stuff of which movies were made with the likes of John Wayne,=
Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott, and Jimmy Stewart, "Greenville Raiders" by Al=
ex Frew, this large print paperback edition is a compulsive page turner of =
a read from cover to cover and guaranteed welcome addition to the personal = reading lists of western fans and community library Western Fiction collect= ions.

Editorial Note: An extensive listing of the western novels by Alex Frew is = readily available at https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/8103933.Alex_Fre=
w

Tom Sharp: The Man and the Legend
Charlie Steel
https://charliesteel.net
Condor Publishing Inc.
www.condorpublishinginc.com
9781931079617, $12.99, www.amazon.com

Tom Sharp: The Man and the Legend sounds like it will be nonfiction, but is=
a novel that portrays and embellishes the life of a notable 1800s Western = figure whose actions are almost bigger than words.

In true keeping with the factual focus of a historical novel, Charlie Steel=
bases these stories on real events, but also in keeping with a storyteller=
's flair for tall tales and drama, he adds the fictional touches that keep = them thoroughly engrossing and compelling. These treatments result in a Wes= tern legend whose exploits challenge any fictional Western dramas and many =
a biographical sketch as fictional character developments meets the Wild We=
st frontier of historical research, running head-on into the stereotypes of=
Indian and White relationships and charging through them like a tornado.

As the tale opens, Private Tom Sharp lies somewhere in a camp of wounded so= ldiers. General Sterling Price of the Army of the Confederate States of Ame= rica is searching for him to reward him for his valor. His battle days are = over, but his adventure is just beginning in many ways, because Tom is fulf= illing a long-held dream by choosing not to go home, injured, but to head W= est.

Sharp defies his upbringing and training in more than one way as he embarks=
on his new life after war, encountering Indians and refuting the common no= tions of their inhumanity and psyches to forge uncommon relationships which=
earn even their grudging acknowledgement: "'Take the weapons,' said Sharp,=
'and protect yourselves and the children.'

'Hard to say thank you to white men,' said the Indian woman."

Charlie Steel builds the reputations of all races and both gender through t=
he perceptions and reactions of Tom and those around him as he forges new p= athways to connection and understanding while exploring matters of wilderne=
ss and the heart. His gift for storytelling lies in how he paints with a co= lorful hand heavy to understanding the human reactions and feelings of all = characters, no matter their race, color, or gender. This makes for a series=
of encounters that not only opens eyes on Tom's influences and why he appe= ars so enlightened in the face of so much prejudice around him, but allows = readers to absorb that the Wild West contained not unified figures of any r= ace, but a disparate group of individuals who each harbored their own choic=
es and reasons for undertaking journeys and relating to the unfamiliar, cha= nging world around them.

More so than most Western novels, Tom Sharp's ability to build understandin=
g from these contrasts and historical precedent lends to a story that is as=
educational and thought-provoking as it is adventure-filled and character-= driven. From the conjoining of families and cooperative efforts to build li= ves and connections to the forces that try to drive them apart, Tom's world=
is buffeted by social and political forces as well as romance and family i= nfluences. All these facets keep his life and experiences well rooted in th= oroughly absorbing, action-packed scenes that keep shifting even as Tom fin=
ds his equilibrium and place in the West.

From the powerful specter of Raine, an Indian woman who becomes a teacher c= alled upon to stand up to a father and wife abuser who enters her classroom=
to kidnap a child to how bad and good men evolve under the same conditions=
, Steel creates a host of characters surrounding Tom Sharp who bring their = own battles and concerns into his life.

Libraries and readers looking for Western fiction that sparkles with though= t-provoking contrasts in belief systems and behaviors, and which defies the=
usual stereotypes of all kinds of Western figures, will find Tom Sharp: Th=
e Man and the Legend not only a powerful addition, but worthy of high recom= mendation to book club readers examining historical fiction's potential for=
revitalizing and revising Western history traditions.

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

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