A Wolf in the Fold

I agree with the assessment of the other reviewers here that "A Wolf in the Fold" is a terrific read. Better yet, it's utterly different. The characters are multifaceted and the body count is high. Lucas Stark is a tough dude, a mostly bad man who, despite his propensity to commit murder, is true to his own code. He is twice betrayed by "clients" and finding out what happens to them is a lot of fun. Let me conclude simply by saying that Lucas is a man you don't want to cross. Highly recommended.

A hired assassin, Lucius Stark is the coldest man in Texas. If the price is right he'll kill anyone with no second thoughts. But even the hardest of men have a soft spot. When Stark grows too fond of a woman he is hired to kill, his client shows his displeasure by shooting him in the back. Now it's payback time and Stark sets out to deliver his own brand of vengeance...free of charge. A book written in the first person isn't my usual choice of reading but this one has me convinced I must try more. A book where the lead character can only be described as a cold-hearted killer, a man other books would have as the hero's foe. David Robbins' masterfully composed words have you wanting him to win even though you feel you shouldn't. But is Stark the most evil character in the story, I'd say no. There's one other, a person who takes what they want with complete disregard to those in the way, they will be walked over, or killed, without a second thought. Yes Stark kills without feeling too but he only kills if paid to or his life is threatened. David Robbins also allows a moment of feeling to crack the hardness of Stark, a fleeting moment of humanity that almost gets Stark killed, a moment in which Stark's desire for vengeance is born and then for those who like violent and action packed books it becomes one long killing spree. A story that will confuse your emotions into how you should feel about a killer, touch your emotions due to the fate of innocents and rouse your emotions in wanting to see justice done. All this achieved by superb storytelling that makes this one of the best books written by David Robbins. Very highly recommended.

This book is actually written by David Robbins who is one of several authors dedicated to continuing the production of great westerns in the style of Ralph Compton. But, although it is a hard-to-put-down book, sure to cause most western fans to lose some sleep by reading too long, it is a surprise. Where Compton usually has written primarily about a hero, who normally ends up not only vanquishing the bad guys but also getting the girl, this is such a different twist that in a way I was turned off as much as turned on. As a previous reviewer has described, Lucius Stark is a "gun for hire", who by his own admission had never before considered the rightness of his client's goal, i.e. the killing of one or several people. The book begins with Stark tracking down, and killing, a gang of horse thieves, straightforward enough. But, when he rides back to the ranch of the man who hired him to track down said gang, the client refuses to pay him the balance owed, and foolishly tries to shoot Stark. The rancher is, of course, killed for his duplicity and the attempt to shoot, but then Stark enters the house to encounter the rancher's wife, who if anything is more obstinate than her husband in refusing to pay. So Stark shoots her. Well, he finds the money, and rides away with the ranch hands in hot pursuit. We next find him, after a short break, on a new job, which he is told involves the theft of cattle from the client's ranch by a farm and small ranch family. The task is to kill not only the head of the accused family, but every single member of the family, including children. Stark at first poses no objection to such a request, and as the story unfolds he meets several townspeople, including a very-pretty lady who owns the hotel-restaurant. The reader just knows the story is going to turn out for the good at that point. But there are many surprises along the way. Even though this is a tale from a very-different perspective than the usual, and too many good people are killed by their own stupidity, mostly, it is really hard to have the accused rustler family all killed - most by the client's men. One can wish the tale had been written differently, which of course would have affected the outcome, but it is still a gripping story and I highly recommend it.

A Wolf In The Fold - A Ralph Compton Book By David Robbins Genre: Western I don't usually enjoy books written in a first person point of view but this one has changed my mind about that because it was so damn good!!. Lucius Stark is a Regulator, an assassin for hire for the princely sum of $[...] and rancher Gertrude Tanner has the dollars to hire him. His targets are the Butcher family who according to Tanner have been rustling her cattle. What follows is the tale of a ruthless killer who has a change of heart when a young girl reaches his but then tragedy hits and all hell breaks loose as Stark gains revenge. This was a terrific read with great characters, an excellent story with lots of twists, turns and suprises with loads of action, fantastic dialogue, chapters with cliffhanger endings and more. I found Stark a fascinating character even if he was so totally ruthless and in a lot of ways Gertrude Tanner was just like him, two sides of the same coin I suppose. If you want a Western with a great story with loads of action you can't do better than this book, Highly recommended.