Gunsmoke and Grit

The Sheriff Went to Cincinnati by Henry E. Giles EQMM, March 1951 ★★★★★ Dear Western Readers, You might be wondering why Gunsmoke & Grits is venturing into an issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine . Let me clarify right off the bat: I'm not shifting genres here. I managed to track down a well-preserved copy of Vol. 17, No. 88 from March 1951, because I wanted to read a specific short story, “ The Sheriff Went to Cincinnati ,” credited to Henry E. Giles but written by his wife, Janice Holt Giles. While it's not a classic Wild West tale, the story unfolds in the Kentucky hills. In Janice Holt Giles's biography by Dianne Watkins Stuart, she recounts a letter Janice wrote to her agent revealing that Henry claimed to have "started writing a little"—which was quite the stretch—after submitting his first short story to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine for their 1949 annual mystery contest and winning the first story award along with a $150 prize. “ The Sh...

Every Friday, I have the pleasure of sharing a snippet or two from my reading adventures—whether it’s from a book I’m currently diving into, a future pick waiting on my shelf, or a delightful surprise from my library. I’ll link this post to The Friday 56 meme, hosted by My Head Full of Books .  Today, I'm sharing a brief snippet of The Wild Wild West by Robert Vaughan, a 1998 novel inspired by the classic television series that aired from 1965 to 1969.  There were three books published in 1998, right before 1999's godawful feature film steampunk parody adaptation starring Will Smith, and regrettably, I had to sit through that dreadful movie in theaters. This year, I found The Wild West West and the third book, The Night of the Assassin , at an antique thrift store. Curiously, the booth didn’t have the second book but did have a duplicate copy of the first book and the novelization of the 1999 film, which I decided to pass on.  Here’s an interesting fact: I had a great...

Every Friday, I have the pleasure of sharing a snippet or two from my reading adventures—whether it’s from a book I’m currently diving into, a future pick waiting on my shelf, or a delightful surprise from my library. I’ll link this post to The Friday 56 meme, hosted by My Head Full of Books .  Today, I’m excited to share a fascinating snippet from the 1940 25¢ Dell Book titled Raw Land , penned by Luke Short, the pseudonym of Frederick D. Glidden (1908-1975). This story originally appeared in Western Story Magazine under the title Gunsmoke Graze . It revolves around a lawman plotting a jailbreak, a foreman who’s shaking down his boss, and a friend embroiled in a dispute over ownership of a stark and desolate stretch of land.  So, where did I stumble upon this classic Wild West tale? I came across it by chance at a flea market for just a dollar. It struck me as peculiar that it was the only book in that particular booth, yet there it was, standing out on a shelf, clear as ...

RENEGADE LAWMEN Luke McCan, #2 by Cameron Judd St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1999 ★★★★★ They met in a hot, bloody bar fight on a cold Nebraska afternoon. The Fiddler was skinny, one-eared, and on the run from a vicious feud with another man missing an ear of his own. Luke McCan was on the drift, driven West by the death of the woman he loved. Now they would become partners, signed up as lawmen in a town without crime. At least, Walden City, Colorado, was without crime, until Fiddler and McCan arrived. By the time their career as peacekeepers was over, Walden City was in flames, Fiddler and McCan were on the run—and a long, hard ride of adventure and vengeance had only just begun. . . Dear Western Readers, I've been eager to read Cameron Judd's Renegade Lawmen ever since I stumbled upon it at an antique flea market, where it was going for the unbeatable price of fifty cents. I definitely got my money's worth! Originally published in 1992 under the title Fiddler and McCan , R...

Happy Sunday!  This past week, I shared my thoughts on Longarm and the Molly Maguires by Tabor Evans, participated in my other blog's Book Blogger Hop , and featured a rainy excerpt from These Men Chose Hell on the Friday 56. I made my usual Monday visit to the local Salvation Army, not expecting to find anything new given the 4th of July holiday weekend. As I suspected, there weren’t any fresh books to browse through, but it did give me a chance to see if I had missed any hidden gems from my last trip. I found four historical fiction novels: Dishonored Flesh: The History of Rome Hanks by Joseph Pennell (published in 1944 with the cover tagline: " The Greatest Civil War Novel Ever Written "), The Golden Fury by Marian Castle (published in 1949), Griffin's Way by Frank Yerby (published in 1962), and Come Gentle Spring by Jesse Stuart (published in 1969). At the library, I managed to grab two discarded large-print hardcovers in the Western genre: Thunder Moon b...

Every Friday, I have the pleasure of sharing a snippet or two from my reading adventures—whether it’s from a book I’m currently diving into, a future pick waiting on my shelf, or a delightful surprise from my library. I’ll link this post to The Friday 56 meme, hosted by My Head Full of Books .  Today, I'm excited to share a little snippet from the newly released These Men Chose Hell by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. This book is the second installment in the Fort Misery series, and I love the cover art! I'm a bit hesitant to jump into it, though, since I want to read the first book first. That said, I believe these books are standalones, so who knows? I might plunge into this one sooner rather than later. "Dang this rain." Lucas Dean spat, scowling as the wind tried to take off both his hat and the Mexican blanket wrapped around his shoulders. ╌ page 56, These Men Chose Hell ⁓B.J. Burgess

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly link-up event for book bloggers, hosted every Friday on my blog,  Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer . This week’s question comes from Elizabeth @ Silver's Review :  "How many weekly bookish posts do you share on your blog and/or social media?" My Answer:  My goal is to publish one Western review each week on Gunsmoke & Grit . However, there’s always a chance that I might share more down the line. For now, though, I’m sticking with one review a week. Additionally, I participate in the Friday 56, where I showcase a snippet from a Western, and The Sunday Post, where I chat about my recent book purchases, discoveries, and any updates about the blog. And, now and then, I might also throw in an answer for the Book Blogger Hop . I really need to make a conscious effort to post on social media more regularly; I often forget that I even have those accounts. ⁓B.J. Burgess

LONGARM AND THE MOLLY MAGUIRES Longarm, #10 by Tabor Evans Jove, 1979 ★★★★✰ IN 1880, COAL WAS KING. AND THE MINERS PAWNS. It was going to be a long, hard strike. Already—in Carboniferous, Colorado—the gunmen were squaring off: mine-company goons vs. the "Molly Maguires"—union terrorists whose real names were only whispered in the torch-lit dark. Into this nerve-taut town rode Longarm, a government strikebreaker who didn't like his job one bit. Until he met a coalman's wildcat daughter—and struck gold. Dear Western Reaeders, Let’s take a trip back to the 1970s, a time when Westerns were on the brink of fading away — a trend that sadly still seems to hold today. During this era, the wave of "Adult Westerns" began to hit the paperback racks. These novels stand apart from traditional Westerns, featuring more explicit scenes of sex and violence. One notable contributor to this genre was author Lou Cameron (1924-2010), who played a significant role in creating the...

Happy Sunday!  In celebration of this year’s 4th of July, I shared my thoughts on Day of Independence by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. I also posted a snippet from the 1954 historical novel Blue Hurricane by F. Van Wyck Mason on the Friday 56 . I’m curious where everyone discovers new Western releases! Living in a small town has its challenges; my limited options are a mid-size Walmart book department, a Dollar Tree , and a Dollar General , where the tiny book section rarely stocks anything new. I wish there were a Barnes & Noble or another bookstore nearby, but I'm stuck with what's available. The only new Westerns at my local Walmart are the monthly Johnstone titles, along with the occasional Louis L'Amour reprint. Speaking of William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, I recently grabbed their July releases: Calamity James—a fictional take on Jesse James's brother, These Men Chose Hell —the second book in the Fort Misery series, and The Man from...

Every Friday, I have the pleasure of sharing a snippet or two from my reading adventures—whether it’s from a book I’m currently diving into, a future pick waiting on my shelf, or a delightful surprise from my library. I’ll link this post to The Friday 56 meme, hosted by My Head Full of Books .  Today, I’m sharing a paragraph from Blue Hurricane by F. Van Wyck Mason, published by J.B. Lippincott Company in 1954. This novel presents a compelling depiction of the Union Navy during its crucial campaign in the West, set in 1862.  I stumbled upon the book at a local Salvation Army store for just a few pennies as part of a $1 bag sale. On my last visit, I got three bags for only a dollar, thanks to some friendly connections. It seems I’m the only one who regularly buys the “older” books there. Recently, someone donated a trove of titles, which is why I find myself stopping by weekly to see what else might be unearthed from the store’s back vault. As for Blue Hurricane , it’s in...

DAY OF INDEPENDENCE by William W. Johnstone & J.A. Johnstone Pinnacle Books, 2014 ★★★½✰ One hundred years ago, American patriots picked up rifles and fought against British tyranny. That was in Boston, where the enemy was King George III and his British troops. Now, in Last Chance, Texas, in the Big Bend River country, the enemy is Abraham Hacker, a ruthless cattle baron who will slaughter anyone who tries to lay claim to the fertile land—or anything on it. For Last Chance, freedom is under siege one violent act at a time. Then wounded Texas Ranger Hank Cannan arrives in town. When he sees the terrorized townsfolk, Cannan is ready to start a second revolution. It's going to take a lot of guts. But Cannan is ready to set Last Chance free with bullets, blood, and a willingness to die—or kill—for freedom. Dear Western Readers, The 4th of July weekend is here, and what better way to mark our Independence Day than by diving into a review of Day of Independence , a 2014 Western penne...