7 minute read
Six-Guns & Shadows
From classic vengeance to modern twists, these Westerns deliver.
The Man Behind the Badge
Of Norwegian and German descent, James Aurness was born on May 26, 1923, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to college-educated, professional parents. In his autobiography, he tells about his adventures growing up in the depression era Midwest. Drafted in 1943 for service in World War 2, and sent to the European theater, he fought at Anzio, where he was wounded leading a night patrol. It was an injury that led to significant pain later in life. After his recovery, he eventually found his way to Hollywood where circumstances led him to his iconic role as Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke. Arness had many interests from surfing, to sailing, and flying. Surfing almost derailed his Hollywood fame, but the intervention of his future first wife salvaged his opportunity.
Arness tells about the events in his life, rather than discussing and offering insight into them. True to the personality shared by thoughts of his friends and co-stars in the appendices, Arness maintains his privacy and focuses mostly on the positive, often glossing over painful events. Much of the section on his Gunsmoke years centers on his and the show’s popularity with very few anecdotes. Despite the nature of autobiographies, Arness manages to come across as humble and self-deprecating.
I confess to picking this book up excited to learn about the life of the man behind the character I watched on television with my father on a weekly basis. In the end, I found the lack of insight and depth disappointing. James Arness: An Autobiography (Published by McFarland & Company, Inc., 2001) is interesting as far as it goes and does offer the reader a behind-the-scenes look at a path to success and filming a series, but it left me more than slightly unfulfilled.
Rating: 3.5 Nuggets out of 5.
—
Short, Sharp, and Deadly
Bill Pronzini’s The Hanging Man (Published by Stark House Press, 2024) is a collection of short stories. In the titular opening story, Carl Miller and Ed Bozeman, deputy sheriffs, must determine the identity of the drifter found hanging and who murdered him. Low on water deep in the Arizona desert, “Decision” follows Roy Boone when he comes upon a dry, neglected ranch and meets Jennifer Todd who has been badly beaten. Saddlemaker Reed Cable knows newly paroled Lee Tarbeaux holds a vengeful grudge and is headed his way in “Fear.” Storms have a way of exposing secrets and in the finale, “Crucifixion River,” a violent storm forces Caroline Devane, James Shock, and many others to seek shelter at the ferry station run by T.J. Murdock and his family. No one is entirely who they seem and revealing what has been buried could ruin lives. Others stand to profit from the information, and doing the right thing isn’t always black and white.
Pronzini’s prose is peppered with lingo that reads like he was raised in the old west. The inhabiting characters, despite first impressions to the contrary, stand out as prototypes rather than cliches. His skill propels the reader from one story into the next even while digesting the twist that pulled the previous story together.
Many of the greats among the writers of western lore have published short story collections. Few are as delightful as The Hanging Man. Pronzini has the knack of crafting stories like both L’Amour and Leonard, with Christie’s mastery of the surprise ending. Prep the midnight oil—this one will keep you turning pages all night.
Rating: 5 Nuggets out of 5.
—
When Legends Fade
The demise of the Old West has not yet reached pre-World War I Arizona. Zach Provo spent the last twenty-eight years in the Yuma Territorial Prison plotting revenge against the man who put him there. When a work detail lands his chain gang well outside the prison walls, he overpowers the guards and frees the entire crew. Retired sheriff Sam Burgade knows, as soon as he hears the news, that Provo is coming for him. When his initial plan to trap Provo fails, Burgade insists on participating in the posse sent to track the gang, despite now needing assistance to mount his horse. How will he survive if the younger Provo again eludes capture and tracks him down?
More than just an action novel, The Last Hard Men, searches the depth of men’s souls and asks what revenge can drive a man to and the strength of a man’s ability to survive in the face of despair. This is an excellent study of vengeance by a master of the revenge theme as Garfield previously demonstrated in Death Wish. The dialect is occasionally difficult to follow but does nothing to distract from the well-crafted plot or richly developed characters.
Outside the classics, many of the mid-to-late century authors are overlooked. Long since out of print, and thus not easy to track down, Garfield is worth the effort. The Last Hard Men (Bantam Books, 1971) is not only a fun look at the dying days of the wild west, but also thought provoking and well worth reading.
Rating: 4.5 Nugget out of 5.
—
Where Spurs Still Shine
Shiny Spurs and Gold Medallions (Thorndike Press, 2025) is a collection of award-winning short stories by Rod Miller and Michael Norman. The opening story, “A Death of Crows,” takes an interesting look at Lieutenant Charles Gatewood, best known as a controversial officer involved in the hunt for Geronimo, and the struggle to manage an Apache reservation. What happens when hungry tribal members and a wealthy cattle rancher clash? “Black Joe” examines the long memory of a wild stallion who leads a herd of mustangs on the range of rancher Duncan Kirkwood. Conor Doyle is hired to track down Issabella Grant who has run away to rejoin a Commanche tribe she had recently been rescued from after several years in captivity in “The Hunt for White Dove Woman.”
Miller and Norman present a series of stories that are both interesting for their Western flair and thought provoking for their deep dives into controversial themes and topics. Stories such as “The Death of Delgado” are almost ballad-like in their poignancy. Yet, while all these stories have won awards, none quite live up to the grandeur of the masters during the hay day of the genre. All of the endings felt inevitable and few could be called truly surprising.
Shiny Spurs and Gold Medallions is an enjoyable read. It is worth the price of admissionto Miller’s and Norman’s West, though few of the stories draw me back for a re-read.
Rating: 4 Nuggets out of 5.
—
Legendary Lawman
Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and The Woman Who Inspired Him (Two Dot, 2024) is the story of the intertwined history of Bill Tilghman’s career and his wife, Zoe’s, life after his tragic death. The narrative of the story switches back and forth between the events of Bill Tilghman’s law enforcement career and Zoe’s life after his passing as she seeks to raise their children and write a biography of her legendary lawman’s life. Major events of Tilghman’s epic life as a lawman are retold by Zoe in a way that meshes with the life she is living as his widow.
The book is a compelling read that captures the struggle and beauty of life and death in the west in this biography within a biography. Authors Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss bring the story of a wife’s love to life as she seeks to honor her late husband’s legacy amidst the struggle of her own life. The attention to detail and use of primary sources garners an authenticity to the writing and brings the story of the Tilghmans’ to life on the page. The storytelling propelled me through this rich and interesting story of the history of the Tilghmans. The writing style of Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss is a smooth narrative that gives the reader a satisfying deep dive into the details without feeling like a clunky, laborious read. The book is engaging and is unique in its presentation of a story within a story.
Rating: 5 Nuggets out of 5.
