Six-Gun Bride of the Teton Bunch and Seven Other Action-Packed Stories of the Wild West (Barricade Classic Western)

Though he died tragically young at age 35, Les Savage is fondly remembered as one of the finest western authors of the mid-20th Century. During his lifetime Savage wrote 24 novels and 100+ short stories. Eight of those stories are brought together in this 1995 collection from Barricade Books. As demonstrated in these stories, Savage was a masterful author. The stories have the ring of Wild West authenticity in their language, character's actions, etc. Those characters are well drawn and refreshingly varied, including a mountain man, a Union cavalryman Lieutenant, an engineer, a cattle drive cook and a Canadian Mountie! The action is well paced with gunfights, heroism, romance, double-dealing and redemption running through 'King of the Buckskin Breed,' 'Dangerous Orders,' 'Devil's Keyhole' and the remaining stories. The best story is 'Lunatic Patrol' where a Candian Mountie doggedly struggles to bring in a murderer despite horrendous weather conditions, attempts by the half-crazed killer to escape and a stunning, hidden secret in the Mountie's past that is revealed at story's end. It is a marvelous piece of writing. If you prefer your western action in short doses rather than in novel length, this Barricade Book volume is a great way to sample the work of Savage. If you have never read Les Savage, you owe it to yourself to check out this book. It shows a master at work!