Ralph Cotton

Well it's taken me 50 years but I finally got around to read a Western and perhaps I picked the wrong one or maybe the genre is just not for me.

I found the characters one dimensional and the plot slow with a predictable repetition of events.

'Fast Larry' Shaw's wife is gunned down while he is away from home and when he learns who is to blame he sets out to avenge her death.

To quote the King this needed a little less conversation and a little more action. Large portions of the book were spent show more in discussions between Larry and his companions interspersed with gunfights that never really left the posse in any real danger. There was no determinable plot and the whole thing left me decidedly underwhelmed show less

A rather violent western including many men vividly describe being torn apart by shotguns and cannons mounted on wagons and fortress walls, Sherman Dahl is a former Civil War veteran and school teacher who heads to Arizona to be a bounty hunter. He runs into Chester "Big Chicago" Gaines' and his band of cutthroats. A young deputy sheriff named Eddie Lane has his own reasons to chase the Gaines gang and his assistance with a rifle comes in handy several times during the chase.

Fast moving show more story with many characters on both sides of law. show less

This is one of a series Cotton has written with Arizona Territory Ranger Sam Burrack as the hero. In this entry in the series, Burrack is trailing Ozzie Cord for the murder of a sheriff during a jail break. Ozzie is part of a group of mentally ill men who make a living killing Apaches and collecting their scalps for the bounty. Anyone with black hair is in danger since these fellows don't care whose hair they collect.

Ozzie's best friend is the son of the leader of the scalpers who is afraid show more Burrack will kill his son because he will try to help Ozzie. There are many scenes of violent killing and maiming often of innocent Mexican citizens who happen to be in the town the scalpers attack. While a fast moving story that keeps you reading, it is also full of gratuitous violence. show less

Danielle Strange has been leading the quiet life until a new group of outlaws comes into town and ends up killing one of her old friends....now Danny Duggins must ride again for justice. A fun fast paced western and enjoyable read.