Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Do YOU Like to Mix it up?

This is the first Scott McCrea book I’ve read, and it won’t be the last.
And the simple reason?
It’s a fast and furiously paced adventure that’s as fun to read as it’s gripping.

*****

A killer bear is slaughtering the villagers of La Mort Sanglante, a mill town in the mountains of Oklahoma. Marshal Tom Mix—on his way to a conference of Texas Rangers—isn’t so sure. Is Big Claw real, or a mountain man riding the vengeance trail? And will Tom be able to identify the killer before he becomes the next victim

*****

I loved the idea of an ex-wild west showman turned U.S. Marshal – Tom Mix – sticking his nose into what most folk think is a straightforward, yet tragic death. Nobody really gives him any credence. He doesn’t fit. Not the way he acts. The way he dresses. But boy, does Mix prove them wrong!
As I mentioned, its riotously good fun. The setting is superb; the plot a nice mix of murder/mystery/whodunit; and the story rolls along at a furious pace that holds you from beginning to end. It’s like one of the Saturday Matinee adventures you’d go to see at the cinema on weekends as a kid.
What’s not to like.
But hey! Don’t take my word for it. Grab a ten-gallon hat and find out for yourself.
You won’t regret it.

The Cabrerra Brothers thought they had a perfect escape plan after stealing the plates for the new five dollar bill: hijack a balloon at the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show! Their plan goes haywire with the appearance of Wild West star Tom Mix, a band of renegade Comanches, and an emergency landing on Black Mesa, Oklahoma. Tom Mix and the bandits might survive … but only if they band together against the renegades.

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Trouble on the Smoky Hill Trail

A Cheyenne raiding party turns the quiet community of Elder Grove, Kansas, upside down, resulting in the death of a mother and father, and the abduction of their teenage daughters. All seems lost. But the Cheyenne didn’t reckon on the leaders of Elder Grove, Jacob and Noah Pearl. Two men with a remarkable shared history, who are a force of nature when roused. And as the Cheyenne are about to discover, they’re also the kind of men who will do anything to see justice done, even if it means getting their hands dirty.

Shootout ar Russell Springs

A tornado tears through the open plains of Kansas, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Yet that force of nature isn’t the only thing that might ravage the land. The Plains Indians are massing in their hundreds. Cheyenne, Comanche, Lakota, Kiowa, and Arapaho. All of them, turning their eyes toward the foreign settlers who encroach ever further into their ancestral hunting grounds with each and every passing year. Already on the run from the law, the notorious Reno Gang also come calling, thinking that the residents of Elder Grove will be no match for a bunch of murdering horse thieves. And just who are the two strangers from the east that come to town, acting all friendly, yet asking sly question about the Pearl brothers? One thing’s for sure. . . Another storm is brewing. And when it strikes, not everyone will walk away.

Uprising in Comanche Country

It took the Pearl brothers considerable time and effort to shape the region around Elder Grove into a safe haven for all. For settlers. For travelers. Even for the Plains Indians who constantly roam the prairie in pursuit of buffalo. But when a bunch of marauding army deserters commits a heinous act that rouses the massed tribes to anger, it puts all that hard work in jeopardy. Yes, the hornet’s nest has been stirred. So much so, that even the Comanche are provoked to war. And their sting is deadly indeed. How the Pearl brothers will react remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure. Nobody will escape unscathed.

Living By The Code

The old west can be a harsh and unforgiving place, even for those like Jacob and Noah Pearl, who are used to the rigors of frontier living. So, when ghosts from the past return to threaten the peace and stability of their community, they’re quick to respond, and go out of their way to eradicate that threat before the shadow it casts can spread too far. Some might view their response as an overreaction. Ruthless, even. But the Pearl Brothers and the residents of Elder Grove look on it as following the Code of the West. A code that never wavers in the protection of you, your own, and seeing justice done.

Unfinished Business

The Pearl brothers encountered all sorts of people in the years it took them to set up the community of Elder Grove. Disgruntled Plains Indians. Murderers. Horse thieves. Army deserters. And in all that time, none were more exasperating than those folks who acted like a dog with a bone. Those mavericks who let their past failures and grievances gnaw away at them so much that they never seemed able to let go. A troublesome enough irritation when you have to deal with such behavior in passing. Imagine, then, how they’ll respond upon encountering a notorious gang who can’t abide the thought of simply giving up and moving on until they’ve carried out ‘just one more’ robbery. Or worse still, predatory bands of Cheyenne, stubbornly seeking revenge on those they feel have caused them to lose face. Yes, life is never dull on the Plains of Kansas . . . As the Pearl brothers are about to discover yet again.

Call of Duty

The long-awaited day has arrived! Yes, it’s been some time coming, what with all the trials and tribulations they’ve had to overcome. But at last, the day of the wedding is here, and Jacob and Astrid are finally going to tie the knot and settle down. . . Or are they? You see, that’s the thing about Kansas. It’s a vast and majestic country, filled with natural wonders and delights to satisfy the soul and take the breath away. Yet it’s also filled with dangers enough to catch the unwary and send them to an early grave. And when one of those dangers insists on poking its nose into the Pearl brothers’ affairs, now, of all times? Well, it’s time for someone to step up and answer the call of duty.