October Gold

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Dec 5, 2004

October Gold....From Leisure Publishing

From Dorchester Books comes my usual pack of books that help while the hours away. You might think that all I do is read, but I also watch the many DVDs that come to my door from Paramount, MGM, and Universal. Coming your way this month are over 20 new reviews of movies, books, comics, and stuff ... Not counting the 8 other items I will be talking about.

But, let's start.

Western Legends

In Diamond Deuce by Dudley Dean, we find a great adventure that had me hooked from the beginning. Kelly Boyce and Luanne Ransom, lovers and future ranch owners, are faced with the wrath of her father, Major Boyce. Carl Tripp, Kelly's partner, finds himself a wife that is not exactly what she seems to be.

Major Boyce, trying to coerce Kelly into joining his plans for a railroad across Texas and Mexico, sends Luanne away. While she is gone, he teases, taunts, and tries to get Kelly to join the opportunistic plans that can only lead to the wrong end of a hanging rope. Frank Bonham, in The Last Mustang, gives us eight tales ripped straight from the pages of the great western pulps of the 1940s and 50s. As one of the best well-known writers of the time, he wrote colorful tales and gave us well-developed characters we could really identify with. Editor Bill Pronzini chose 'City of Devils', 'The Last Mustang', 'River Man', 'Payment Past Due', 'Good Loggers are Dead Loggers', 'Burn Him Out', 'The Bronc Stomper', and 'One Man's Gold' to round out a Bonham library (with the 2 other compilations). Lucky for us, he was prolific in the golden age of the pulps.

Saddle Young'Uns

Well, Bill Pronzini has been a busy man. Other than editing the Frank Bonham collection, he contributed Burgades's Crossing to this month's offering. This one gives us eight tales from his varied publishing record. We can find 'Burgade's Crossing', 'Lady One Eye', 'Coney Game', 'The Desert Limited', 'The Highgraders', 'No Room At the Inn', 'The Horseshoe Nail', and 'The Highbinders' in this rousing collection. The single common thread is that of the main character, John Frederick Quincanon, former US Secret Service agent turned Private detective, and his 'sidekick' Sabina Carpenter.

If you think the Lone Ranger was resourceful, you had better pick up this collection!

John Nesbitt, in West of Rock River, takes us on the path of vengeance where friends dare to tread. Vance Coolidge joins his friend, Tip, on the trail to avenge his brothers' death. Others with disputes ride trail with them, but Vance doesn't put full trust in them with good reason.