Matagorda

Author: Louis L'Amour (born Louis LaMoore)
First Published: 1967
Pages: 140

Okay, so the first thing I should own up to is that I did not read a digital version of this book. Those readers that follow the same Facebook groups as me, may have seen that I was recently able to acquire a fairly large collection of books by L'Amour in the UK Corgi editions. This is the first of those I have decided to read. I don't think I would be exaggerating if I said that the vast majority, if not all, of L'Amour's books are readily available in eBook format. So I don't feel like I am cheating on the premise of this blog by reviewing after reading a paperback edition. And I will say now, that I fully intend to repeat this stance going forward. I am not a 'digital only' proponent - I love paperbacks, I collect them in modest amounts, and cannot ever see that stopping. But the reason I read more digital than I used to is because of a) a lack space in my home, b) to save money, and c) to avoid giving my partner an asthma attack (she can hardly spend much more than 10 minutes in most UK second hand books these days, so having a house full of old books needs to be avoided). I will always purchase a vintage paperback if the price is competitive in comparison to an eBook, and I will mention that in all my blogs. But the overriding principle is that an eBook should be available. In this case, my L'Amours worked out at less than £1 per book, whereas on Amazon UK, a single L'Amour could cost between £1.50 and £4.50 each.

With that out of the way, let's concentrate on Matagorda by arguably the most famous Western writer on the planet (anyone disagree with that?). L'Amour (1908 -1988) was born Louis LaMoore, in Jamestown, North Dakota. Hailing from French ancestry through his father and Irish through his mother, he travelled the world and finally settled in Oklahoma in the early 1930's where he changed his name to Louis L'Amour and settled down to become a writer.

Tears of Blood (Crow #3)

Hanging out with Tom Petty

Author: James W Marvin (aka Laurence James)
First Published: 1980
Pages: 128

The last time we caught up with Crow in 'Worse than Death' he had come to the rescue of a wagon full of cavalry officers wives and drivers escorting them across country. It didn't end particularly well for most of the characters, Indians and settlers alike were pretty much dealt rough justice by both parties. In Tears of Blood, Laurence ?James, writing as James W Marvin gives us another neat twist in the tale, meaning that this Crow story is significantly different enough to the previous two to make if fresh and engaging. It makes we wonder precisely why this series only lasted for eight paperbacks, because so far I am enjoying them greatly and I'm now wondering if I should ration myself and spread out reading the rest?

I raced through Tears of Blood. It was just as good, if not slightly better than the previous installment; which I felt was a good sequel to the opening novel. We are as ever introduced to Crow through the familiar framing device of an old man talking to an unknown person- who it now seems to be confirmed is supposed to be The Writer. The old man gets a little bit more flesh as well, and I'm pretty convinced the intention eventually was to drop hints that he is actually Crow  - let's see if the length of the series allows that to develop, and if my instinct is right?

Worse Than Death (Crow #2)

Author: James W Marvin
First Published: 1979
Pages: 149

I feel like I need to review a novel that isn't the first part of a series - just so that you don't get the idea I'm going to create a blog consisting solely of Number/Issue One's!

The second installment in the Crow series sees our anti-hero coming to the aid of a besieged group of cavalry wagon trains consisting of a rag-tag group of troopers and their officers wives. It's a very different take on the first book, in both setting and situation. James W Marvin pits Crow against a blood thirsty band of Indians as well as the backdrop of a freezing winter environment in this improvement on The Red Hills.

All the elements from the previous book are still here; Crow's lean long-haired black garbed appearance; the trademark sawed-off shotgun; a totally inept commanding officer; a slice of torture, and a spicy sex scene (more on that later!). However, this time everything feels a bit more polished in its execution on reflection when compared to #1 (except the low key ending perhaps?) and I loved the way that having this set during such a bitterly cold climate added to the plight of the characters.

We begin with the obligatory opening scene of two characters in Abelene, Kansas discussing Crow (an old-man Crow and the author perhaps?). They are discussing Crow's response to the quote, "a fate worse than death", with the old man saying that Crow said there is NO fate worse than death and never to forget it.

Skip back in time, and we are introduced to a wagon train full of cavalry wives and womenfolk travelling across Dakota Territory. It consists of the rather pompous wife of Captain Hetherington, who is leading the band as his first independent command of any sort (you know that's not going to endear him to Crow right?), and the virginal daughter of Lieutenant Shannon.

Hetherington doesn't disappoint for long of course, and takes it upon himself and his small charge to try and kill or capture the local Indian Shoshone Chief, Many Knives. Many Knives is on the war path; he's bolstered by the recent victory of Crazy Horse and wants to make a name for himself. Needless to say things don't turn out well for the Captain or most of his troops.

Enter our anti-hero. Reluctantly. He can see a great massacre is on hand if he doesn't intervene and so decides to assist whats left of the ladies and the wagon drivers to defend their small party, trapped by the Shoshone on one side and the raging icy waters of the Moorcock River on the other. They are trapped and surrounded, and the bitter weather is beginning to take its toll.

Marvin sets the scene nicely, everything is set up for a great piece of action, which we do get. There is another great intro to Crow - his dispatching of three young braves is ruthless. We get a truly ghastly torture by the Shoshone, and the tension mounts as people begin to freeze to death as the Indians mount attack after attack. Despite the action throughout it felt like there was less of the ultra-violent description than before. But this doesn't take anything away, I still got my money's worth.

And oh yes, Crow gets his way, with both women at the same time in this story - of course, they were all so  cold it just made sense - in order to generate some heat you know what I mean?

Worse than Death is better than The Red Hills, I enjoyed the story a bit more this time, with the added environmental aspects it felt like Crow was fighting not just men,  but also mother nature.

As with all the books in this series, currently published by Piccadilly, this one cost a mere £0.99 in eBook format. There were a few spelling slip ups, but nothing major to  report, the quality control seems to be of a high level and won't spoil your reading experience in my opinion.

Undercover Gun (Clay Nash #1)

Author: Brett Waring
First Published:  2016 (?)
Pages: 105

"Clay Nash and his neighbor Cash Matthews were never going to be friends.

Matthews was a big, powerful rancher who always wanted more. Clay was just a homesteader, content with his lot. But when Matthews went after Clay's land—and fenced off the water Clay's cattle needed in order to survive—Clay had no choice but to declare war. It was a foolish gesture that could only end one way, and it did—with Matthews sentencing Clay to a long, lingering death on the high desert. But somehow Clay survived, and when he came back for revenge, he was a new man, a harder man, a man who showed no mercy to his enemies.

Clay Nash was Wells Fargo's secret weapon … an undercover gun."

I enjoyed The Red Hills (Crow #1), so much that I decided to try another new (for me at least) Western series from Piccadilly Publishing. At £0.99, it's hardly going to break the bank if I don't like it, I thought. I'm happy to report it wasn't a waste of my hard earned cash. Undercover Gun, number 1 in the Clay Nash series was enjoyable and a nice departure from Crow. This series is written by Brett Waring, aka Keith Hetherington, who has also written Banner the Enforcer as Kirk Hamilton. Knowing this before I made my purchase provided that extra bit of confidence that I was in for a good yarn.

This first novel sets the scene for all the novels that follow. There are 25 in the series and at the time of writing Piccadilly have published up to number 15. So don't expect any undercover gunning from Clay Nash till the final act of this opener. As you can read from the blurb, Clay is a small time rancher who just happens to living next to a much more powerful and notorious rancher in the form of Cash Matthews. Clay comes to the attention of Matthews after he dispatches a couple of his henchmen, who were looking to impart a bit of punishment on Clay for using the river on Matthews land to water his herd.

Eventually Matthews captures Clay and decides to teach him and all the other ranchers around his growing empire a lesson, by releasing Clay out into the searingly hot desert with a few hours head start before Cash and his cronies come looking for him. They expect it to be a dead cert that Clay will not get far, or last very long in the wilderness. Their a bit of sport does not go exactly their way though, as Clay has spent some time among the native Indians and has some skills of his own.

What follows is a very competent and entertaining western following the desperate attempts of Matthews to hunt down Clay Nash, and Nash's ingenuity in foiling his neighbor. The story follows a lean plot that hardly ever lacks pace and kept me engaged throughout. The violence is not as graphic as that in the Crow novel I read before this, but it is still satisfyingly detailed; Nash is a mean shot and the action scenes are really well written.

There were no sex scenes in this opening story, I'm not aware if that changes over time, but there is what could be the start of a burgeoning romance. So, if you are not in the mood for a grisly or ultra-violent western, then this might scratch you itch. Recommended.

I'm led to believe that these stories have been published previously, however I could not find any covers for old paperbacks, so the cover above is the very good cover form Piccadilly, which apparently uses the original cover? I'd love to see a picture of the originals if anyone can point hem out somewhere on the Net?

The Red Hills (Crow #1)

Author: James W Marvin
First Published:  1979
Pages: 128

"Know what Crow used to say about livin' by your guns? Said it made him like a kind of alchemist. Said he was the first man in history to turn lead into gold. Yeah. Meanest son of a bitch ever. Crow."

No other name. Just Crow. Dressed in black from head to toe. The meanest man in the bullet-scarred annals of the West. Nobody ever turned their back on him. A cold voice in the shadows, a vengeful angel of death ... 

Time was when Crow was a Lieutenant in the Cavalry. A time when he rode against Crazy Horse and the Sioux. Commanded by Captain Silas Menges, a bloated, drunken obscenity of an individual. Even Menges' beautiful, sensual wife, Angelina, couldn't make up for the insults Crow took from him. No one crossed Crow and Lived. No one ... "

The Red Hills is the first novel in a series about a man named Crow. Just Crow. Written by James W Marvin a pseudonym for Laurence James, the prolific British-born author who also wrote other popular Western series Apache, Herne The Hunter, Caleb Thorne and Gunslinger. Piccadilly Publishing have brought a few of these series to us in eBook format recently (Great work Piccadilly!) and I'm a happy man. I loved this. There is possibly some parallel to be had with the Edge series by George G Gilman (Terry Harknett, who actually collaborated with James on a few occasions), in that I guess this series was trying to cash in on the popularity by having a similar sort of anti-hero. Crow only lasted for eight books though, as opposed to the massive 60+ of Edge. I am looking forward to finding out if this series loses its way or get repetitive quickly. Anyone with better knowledge please feel free to comment?

Crow is introduced to us straight away and it is immediately obvious he is a total bastard. Using his trademark sawed-off double-barreled shotgun to blow the head off of a little girls pet dog just because it won't give up Crows yellow neck scarf sets the bar. This is not a man to upset. Dressed all in black, tall, lean and mean, this is a no nonsense dude.

The story (framed within the structure of an old man being interviewed - might it be Crow himself?) centers around Crows involvement as a Lieutenant in the Cavalry deep in Indian country. He is set off against a truly manic, over the top, drunken commanding officer, Silas Menges, who is hated by his troop and who Crow instantly has no respect for. Complicated into this is the addition of the Captains' wife, who pretty quickly takes a shine to our anti-hero. There follows bad decision after bad decision by the officer, poorly planned raids to attempt to rid the area of Indians, and Crow eventually getting his end off with Mrs Menges, which seals the deal for a showdown with the Captain.

It feels a little strange that Crow is presented as a no nonsense son-of-a-gun initially, but for the rest of the book we see him struggling to restrain himself from reacting to the awful actions of his senior officer. However, this provides the reader with their own feeling of frustration, and all builds up to the final climax and Crow eventually handing out his own truly ghastly revenge on Menges.

I really, really enjoyed this book, Marvin cleverly presents his plot without any fluff, delivers great, bloody action scenes, a bit of gratuitous sex, and a satisfying ending for the 'baddies'. I like the format of Westerns with an anti-hero such as Crow or Edge - that feeling of the violent 70's spaghetti western brought to novel form is great. Highly recommended.