Westerns, Ralph Cotton I

This is the first Western book I ever read.  I loved it.  Ralph Cotton books are like Clint Eastwood movies.  They are fast paced, full of action, have the dusty authentic feel of the Old West and do a great job of creating those gunslinger showdown scenes.

Fast Guns Out of Texas has my favorite characters Ralph Cotton writes.  Cray Dawson is a practical, Wyatt Earp-type man.  He's no nonsense but humble and has a good heart.  He's not a lawman, nor is he the fastest gun, but I think it adds to his character as he's not defined by these things.

His best friend, Larry Shaw, was known as the fastest gun until he was mysteriously shot.  When Dawson goes looking, he finds out Shaw faked his own death to avoid spending his days looking over his shoulder.  Dawson plans on settling down, not unlike Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, but in both cases, trouble has a way of finding men like Cray Dawson.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone who likes gunslinger stories and enjoys a quick and light read.  I'd give it 3 out 5 as a stand alone.  But as far as good old fashioned cowboy stories, 4 out 5.

This book follows Larry Shaw, after his wife has been killed and he's trying to figure out what to do with his life.  He ends up helping a pregnant tavern whore figure out who the father is.  This leads him into Willow Creek where there's a turf war going on between the local farmers and a ranching company trying to buy out the land.  Both sides try recruiting Shaw, but he really just wants to move on.

He also meets up with William H Bonney, who would later become known as Billy the Kid.

Unlike Dawson, Shaw has a way of falling into bed with most of the women he comes across.  He's not necessarily a bad man, he's just weak when it comes to whiskey and women.  But he's a stone-cold killer when it comes to shooting.

Bad Day at Willow Creek is an interesting mix of different groups of people all after their own agendas and Shaw trying to figure where he fits in while Bonney is all about getting into action and making a name for himself.  3 out of 5.

A manipulative and power-hungry preacher moves into town and starts making himself a private harem.  He uses hired thugs to bully his way around and has his eye on the wife of the disappeared Sloane.  She's fended him off as long as she could but her time's about up.  That's when C.C. Ellis rides into town.  Having known her husband, he agrees to pose as Sloane (since nobody in town has seen him before).

The preacher decides to press his luck against Ellis and things get more interesting when the real Sloane shows up.

Guns of Wolf Valley is pretty good for not showcasing my favorite characters.  Far as I've read, this is the only book with Ellis in it.  Full of twists and turns, another solid 3 out of 5.

Cray Dawson, after running the gambit with Fast Larry Shaw, finds himself attempting to settle down in a new town.  Unfortunately, his new reputation as a gunslinger has followed him, along with a crew of gunmen looking to prove themselves.

In Somo Santos, with a corrupt sheriff and an unruly gang, Dawson has to fend for himself and protect his new woman.  Between Hell and Texas is another good Dawson story.  Still my favorite Ralph Cotton character thus far, he never fails to disappoint with his gritty one-liners.

For this line, I'd give it 4 out of 5.

This is an earlier accounting of Fast Larry Shaw - when gunmen trying to lure him out - end up murdering his wife.  Shaw goes on a gun blasting rampage, hunting down his wife's killers and showing Texas that while he might not be a bad guy - he IS a stone cold killer, and impossibly good at it.

Gunman's Song is your typical action revenge story, but done in the most badass of ways.  No over-the-top, ridiculous events or cheesy dialogue.  Just a raw tale of good old fashioned revenge, served with cold steel and hot lead.  And Shaw struggling inwardly, having no illusions about his issues with alcohol and women, keep it from being two dimensional.  4 out of 5.