Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Do YOU Like To Mix It Up?

Cowboy Justice: A Western Adventure (Tales of Tom Mix Book 3)

Scott McCrea hits the nail on the head with this series. And of course it helps that Tom Mix was a real life AND movie character who inspired many a western adventure that set the bar for others to follow. And this latest outing doesn’t disappoint.

Here's the blurb:

*****

Tom Mix is working as marshal in Dewey, Oklahoma, when he comes across three bad men, murderous Jack Carlino and his two sons. Tom knows their reputation, but there is nothing to hold them on, and he reluctantly allows them to go free.

Soon, the train depot is held up with many casualties, including women and children. Tom Mix is savaged by an inquest looking for a scapegoat, leading Tom to go on a grim rampage of revenge.

*****

So, what did I think?

Awesome. That’s what. This story has a darker vibe than the previous ones. Tom Mix is a marshal now. He’s got people to look after. His duty to the law is important, and he thoroughly believes in what he’s doing and how he has to set an example in upholding that law.
The trouble is, the world isn’t as black and white as he would like. And when following the letter of the law leads to tragedy? Ah . . . he begins to realize that perhaps, there are those who are more deserving of rough – frontier-style-justice than he realized.

Unfortunately, by that time, other lives have been affected, and there’s a knock-on domino effect that ripples throughout the community and beyond which Tom Mix now has to counter.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s dark. It’s moody. The suspense is gripping and involves you from the outside. And most of all, it gets you rooting for the good guys.
A great story in a much larger series you really need to read.

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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.