PEACE MARSHAL (Violence on the Frontier)

If you want a fast paced, quick action book, then this is the one for you, as that is pretty much the only way Frank Gruber wrote. He used short sentences, few adjectives, and changed from character to character to make the book read almost as if you were watching a movie. Frank Gruber is called "the king of the pulps" for good reason because of this style which did him well during his life. He wrote not only for magazines but also for the movies in both the western and mystery/crime genres. His westerns are historically accurate as to time and place and personages. Well written, easy to understand. In this one a gunfighter/lawman is suppose to be dead, killed in another town; but he really recuperating in a St. Louis hospital. There he meets a woman whom he takes a liking who is going west to the town of Broken Lance. This town is booming because of the influx of cattle because of the arrival of the railroad. And as any western affecionado knows what that means to a town. John Bonniwell is made marshal. Give this book a chance and I think Frank Gruber will grow on you as well.