CHARLES ALLEN GRAMLICH - KILLING TRAIL

Synopsis/blurb…..

RIDE INTO DANGER! 

Killing Trail is a collection of western short stories by Charles Allen Gramlich, the author of the Talera Trilogy and Cold in the Light. It contains: 

Killing Trail: When they dumped Angela Cody on Lane Holland’s ranch she was scant moments from death. She managed to speak only a few words, but those were enough to make Lane strap on his guns and ride out on a killing trail. 

Showdown at Wild Briar: Accused of a murder he didn’t commit, Josh Allen Boone has ridden a long way from his Wild Briar Ranch. But now he’s coming home, and the real killers are waiting for him with a rope. 

Powder Burn: They said Davy Bonner’s luck had run out and they ambushed him along a dark road. But luck or no, Davy wasn’t going down without a fight. 

Once Upon a Time with the Dead: For the gray raiders, death was an old friend. 

The work also includes two nonfiction essays, one about Louis L’Amour and another about the real Wild West. 

Charles Allen Gramlich is a novelist and short story writer, as well as – a husband, father and university professor. Most of his work is classed as either fantasy or science fiction with a splash of horror thrown in. He does write in the Western genre also.

Blog friend Prashant first read this and offered up a review combined with an interview with the author over on his blog. Having read and enjoyed a few westerns sporadically over the years – mainly early Elmore Leonard stuff I bought a copy of this short collection back in April last year.

Verdict – enjoyable and a decent hour or so’s reading with another notch on the scoreboard at the end of it. I always kind of feel Westerns are crime fiction within a specific setting. Someone has usually been wronged and there’s a pursuit to extract justice and bring the culprit to heel, or more usually place him in the ground six feet under. There’s usually quite clearly drawn lines between good and bad, white hats and black hats.

So 4 tales then, one a short, short piece with a dose of the supernatural – probably my least favourite of the lot. The other 3 had a depth to them that isn’t always easy to pull off in short story format…..characters with motivation and settings and a sense of place that had me spitting dust from mouth as I read. Without spoiling justice gets served in the end, or revenge is taken…..what’s the difference?

Showdown at Wild Briar would be my favourite of the bunch. Our hero is tricked into returning home for his own lynching. Josh Allen Boone is falsely accused of murder and betrayed by his first love. You just can’t trust a woman, can you? (My wife is the obvious exception to the rule!)

A decent hour’s reading and I’ll be back for more from the author if he has any more like these in his saddlebags!

4 from 5

Charles Allen Gramlich’s blog - Razored Zen is here.

Bought on Amazon UK for kindle.