The Book Wagon: Sixguns & Shadows

Classic characters ride again and new ones take aim.

A Cowboy’s Return

When Elmer Kelton, one of the greatest western writers to put words on a page, passed away back in 2009, it was the end of an era. The likes of his character Hewey Calloway would not ride again on his many misadventures in the dusty wastes of West Texas.

To my surprise, however, thirteen years later, Steve Kelton would take over the reins from his father. In Elmer Kelton’s, The Unlikely Lawman (published by Forge, 2022), Steve Kelton takes us back to 1904, two years before the set time of The Good Old Boys, when we were first introduced to Hewey Calloway.

This time around sees Hewey leaving West Texas and traveling north into Colorado trailing a herd of horses for his good friend Alvin Lawdermilk. Being stuck with a young hand named Billy Joe Bradley, the two from the start don’t see eye to eye. After some time on the trail with different ideas on work ethics, Billy Joe turns out to be an outlaw. Hewey then finds himself being deputized to help bring in the outlaw by retired Texas Ranger Hanley Baker.

Steve captures the brilliance his father brought to the character of Hewey Calloway. The same fun-loving cowboy, who would rather stay out of reach of the encroaching progress of civilization or a violent confrontation, rides through these pages with familiarity. The story was a welcome home to characters from the first three books of Hewey Calloway while introducing a great new character in Hanley Baker. Baker shines almost as bright as Hewey in their constant banter back and forth.

The Unlikely Lawman lets us see Hewey in different situations and how he handles them as we would expect him to. Never one to turn down telling a tall windy, Hewey delights the characters he comes across with his tall tales. Even if some characters know he is pulling their leg on some of the details. Sadly, after writing this book, Steve Kelton, too, passed away. Author John Bradshaw has now taken over and another Hewey Calloway adventure was published in 2024 called The Familiar Stranger. I have had communication with Bradshaw who stated he is trying to get another book published featuring the beloved cowboy Hewey.

Rating: 4.5 Nuggets out of 5

Sticking to the Trail

Keeping with the theme of returning characters, Larry D. Sweazy brings back his famous Texas Ranger in The Return of the Wolf (Published by Thorndike Press, 2021). Josiah Wolfe returns after a seven-year hiatus from The Gila Wars. Now an ex-Texas Ranger, Josiah is thrown right into the middle of a family feud between the Langdons and the Halversons, where both sides have a strong grudge against him. The Lang- don’s want revenge for Josiah’s role in bringing a family member to justice. The Halverson’s are his in-laws, and they are bitter toward Josiah for his wife’s and their daughter’s death, and taking Lyle, their grandson, away from them. This leads to a boiling point, and no one is safe as the bullets fly. What will make things worse is when Josiah falls for the lovely Eva Langdon.

Larry D. Sweazy, a master at his craft, creates suspense and wonder within his stories. The Return of the Wolf captures all his technique and makes you not only feel for the characters in the story but experience their emotions as well. In one part of the story, Josiah’s young son Lyle, runs off as a badman comes to their home. After dealing with the villain, Josiah cannot find Lyle. The way Sweazy blends action and emotion, I found myself becoming deeply concerned about Lyle. In the suspenseful showdown scene near the end,.there is a lot of commotion. It could be easy to lose the reader at points trying to keep up with everything going on. Sweazy leans into the emotion running through the scene while using descriptions to keep the reader grounded and the suspense building all at the same time.

Finding Josiah in the middle of a family feud where both sides resent him was a great choice by Sweazy to challenge the characters. I found this an exceptional way to challenge the “good vs evil” or better said, “white hat vs black hat” formula in western writing. It connects the reader emotionally to both sides instead of just straight out of the gate. Knowing who the villain is spares the reader of having to read two hundred plus pages waiting for a resolution of something you could see coming a mile away. This great addition to the Josiah Wolfe series is a standout western. If you have not read the other books in this series, I highly recommend you do so.

Rating: 5 Nuggets out of 5

A Bunch of Busters, Fellers, and What the Devils

The Johnstone formula is a phenomenon that cannot be denied regarding readership and how many books a year are published under that name. When you enter the western section at Barnes & Noble, seventy-five percent of the books in stock are by William E. Johnstone. Dead Broke, Colorado (Published by Kensington Publishing Corp, 2025) sticks to the Johnstone formula that has spilled across hundreds of books and many different series.

Dead Broke, Colorado is the first in a new series I am sure will have at least five sequels, with one already one on its way this Sep- tember. Throughout this book, the dialogue flatlines and stays similar with each character. The marshal is quite bossy and everyone he seems to get into an argument with soon gets called “buster” and the townsfolk follow suit. When the marshal is surprised by something or someone showing up, he drops a lot of “what the devils?” The narrator is not much different in this regard with “feller” coming up quite a bit throughout the story.

The memorable characters of the story are gambler Sara Cardiff, Marshal Mick MacMicking, and the gassy Mayor Nugget. The inspiration for these characters feels like they could have been pulled from the James Stewart western movie Destry Rides Again and then dipped in that Johnstone formula. Marshal Duncan “Mick” MacMicking, who states in the story he is not fond of his name, which I found to be humorous, is this series’ version of Johnstone’s famous Smoke Jensen character. The classic Johnstone “hero” of the story that does not show any slight form of remorse or regret after gunning someone down. Sara Cardiff has an interest in the town and the marshal though she does challenge him at times. Mayor Nugget, who was a miner who founded the town, fumbles around with ideas to make his town prosperous all the while being gassy. At one point, there is a scene of tension, and a hush falls over everyone in the crowd. The author found it necessary to let the reader know that even “Nugget kept his fart silent.”

The final showdown comes three hundred-and sixty-pages in. The fight is between townsfolk and gunfighters and to top it off, a large storm comes through, threaten- ing to flood the entire town. The ending is a spectacle of rip-roaring action that then wraps up to a quick ending. If you are a fan of the Johnstone formula, then you will be happy with this tale.

Rating: 2.5 Nuggets out of 5

A Deal with Death

Occasionally, you will find a book title that falls in line with the story perfectly. Trail of Madness (published by Lawless Trails Press, 2024), is one of those titles that tells you exactly what you are getting into. Michael Knost has taken a classic legend and has made his retelling worthy of a deep study. This story takes off with the idea of what if death came calling but instead of taking your life, came with a deal instead?

There are many different versions of the tale as to why Jack McCall decided to end James Butler Hickock’s life with a bullet to the back of the head. Michal Knost has viewed the historical facts of this assassination and put to question Jack McCall’s mental health. Re- ceiving a brain injury, McCall has episodes of sharp headaches and flashy vision which leads to him meeting with a mysterious figure known as John Varnes. Promising him to be bulletproof, Varnes makes a deal with McCall to go to Deadwood to take care of someone who did not hold up their end of a deal with him back in Denver.

After proving to him that he is bulletproof, Varnes convinces McCall to take revenge on Hickock for the killing of a long-lost brother McCall never knew he had. Varnes makes shadowy appearances throughout the book, guiding McCall to his destiny, from the killing of a legend to swinging from a rope.

Michael Knost challenges the reader to look through the eyes of the assassin who shot down one of the greatest westerners in cold blood. The reader will find themselves at times almost empathetic toward McCall as he slips slowly into madness. Knost’s take has made this retelling fresh, dramatic and downright terrifying trying to understand how someone can commit such a heinous murder. I found myself constantly hoping McCall would not follow through with the devilish wisdom of Varnes.

The story moves very fast and keeps you reading page to page. When I needed to go to work or take care of something at home, I literally had to tell myself to put the book down. Western fans should all be rejoicing for this dark and demented tale that Michal Knost has so masterfully put together.

Rating: 5 Nuggets out of 5.

A Bone to Pick

In Dragon Teeth (published by Harper Fiction, 2017), Yale fresh- man William Johnson poses as a photographer to win his way onto Othniel Charles Marsh’s 1875 western fossil hunting expedition. The journey is uneventful until Johnson finds himself in a conversation with a stranger who is later identified as the right-hand man of Marsh’s archrival, Professor Edward Drinker Cope. Cope is also leading a fossil hunting expedition west. Marsh’s paranoia leads him to suspect Johnson is spying for Cope, so he abandons Johnson, leaving him with little cash and his photographic equipment. Johnson soon joins Professor Cope’s expedition and departs for Helena in the Montana Territory.

Written long before Crichton was a household name, Dragon Teeth was published posthumously by his estate. Despite gun battles and Indian raids, Dragon Teeth lacks the action of many westerns but an enjoyable story helps maintain the pacing. It worked well enough as a road trip listen, though I wouldn’t give it a second go-round.

Rating: 3.5 Nuggets out of 5