I don’t read a lot of the Trailsman series, but the four here are by two of my favorite writers under the Jon Sharpe house name: James Reasoner and Ed Gorman.
SEMINOLE SHOWDOWN
Skye Fargo is out to help an old friend, Billy Buzzard, with whom he scouted for the army with, years back. When the letter had caught up with him, he’d responded immediately. Someone is grabbing young women, a dozen, and they are never seen again. One of them is Billy’s sister, Wa-nee-sha. Two men who’ve gone investigating are missing as well.
The two men are determined to find them and the people responsible. And of course they will pay for their crimes. And, of course, there’s the lovely Echo McNally to contend with also, a task Skye is not averse to accomplishing.
RIVERBOAT RAMPAGE
At first, Skye is amused at the Trahearne brothers and their con games: the fight with the big but dumb brother while the other takes bets, finally giving the former a signal when they get enough so that he can “accidentally” when the fight. Then he’ll break out in big tears afraid that he’s hurt his opponent. Everyone is so embarrassed at the “slow” huge man that they pay up.
But they picked on the wrong man: the bully in town who won’t take the beating lying down. Deciding to help them, and their sister, the beautiful Laurie. A battle results in the bully’s death, then the brothers pull one more con on the way to the riverboat they’d booked passage aboard, resulting in a hasty departure ahead of an angry mob.
Going upriver, they are pursued by the dead bully’s brothers and something else is going on aboard the riverboat. Obviously military men in civilian garb guarding something under wraps.
These two are by James Reasoner and while the adult western series has never been a favorite of mine, I do like these. There’s plenty of action and a bit of sex thrown in.
A lot of fun.
IDAHO IMPACT
When Skye stopped the fight in the alley between Theo Mason and the good-looking Bonnie McLure, he din’t know what he was getting himself into. Bonnie was a rich man’s daughter, but she was also skilled in card games, cons, and other things.
When her father is murdered, Mason is accused and she wants Skye to find the real killer. Though he dislikes the man, Fargo believes him innocent also. They have to deal with townspeople that want to hang Mason and find the real killer. Another body turns up, a maid that knew a bit too much.
COLORADO CLASH
Near Cawthorne, Colorado, Skye Fargo comes across the body of a young man shot to death. Identifying papers were on the body and where he worked, so The Trailsman took the young victim into town.
There, he learns that the young man was the third of three friends killed and all had been suspects in a stage coach robbery in which folks had died. It seemed logical that there was fourth involved that was cleaning up loose ends.
The sheriff turns out to be an old friend of Skye’s, under a different name, who urges the Trailsman to help him find the killer. Agreeing on twenty-four hours, he starts his investigation.
The bodies start to pile up as the old woman who owned the land where he found the body is killed. A reporter looking into it as well is found dead..
The only clue Skye has is a button found near the first body.
These two are by Ed Gorman and, as usual, they are as much mystery as western.
All four are worth checking out if one hasn’t already done so.
