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Cash Laramie & Gideon Miles #1
Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles
Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles is a western noir, short story collection spotlighting the thrilling tales of two deputy U.S. Marshals working in 1880s Wyoming Territory. Cash Laramie, raised by Native Americans, is known as the outlaw marshal for his unorthodox way of dealing with criminals and his cavalier approach to life. Gideon Miles is one of the first African American marshals in the service and has skills with guns, knives, and tracking that are unrivaled. This collection broaches issues like racism, child abuse, and morality.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
June 29, 2024
I think I’ve had this for 10 years and I’m glad I finally got round to reading it. It’s a collection of short, entertaining, pulpy stories about a duo of lawmen in the old west. Lots of fun and avoids the problematic content of some older western stories.
November 30, 2011
If you see a book on Amazon with 50 5* reviews, you're expecting a good read. Thankfully, Edward A Grainger knows how to deliver. The first volume of the Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles is described as "western noir", and features seven short stories about two deputy U.S. Marshals working in 1880s Wyoming Territory. Cash Laramie is the rebel with a cause, the marshal raised by Arapahos and eager to see justice done, while Gideon Miles is one of the first African American marshals, handy with both blades and firearms.
The stories are extremely well-written, with Melanie and The Bone Orchard Mystery as two of the stand out tales in the collection. As with Under the Sun, Grainger is unafraid to keep his marshals in the sidelines to let other characters take centre stage, and its credit to the strength of his character-building that this even works. Cash is gruff but fair, while Miles is warm and likeable. They're hardly good cop/bad cop, but rather just two partners out to make their world a better place. His world-building is also impeccable, with 1880s Cheyenne leaping from the electronic page with all its sights and sounds.
I know some people will probably pass over these stories saying "I don't like Westerns" but please, put your preconceptions about John Wayne or Clint Eastwood to one side and give them a go anyway. Think of them as short crime stories set in the Old West, or historical noir, but just give them a try before you decide against Westerns!
The stories are extremely well-written, with Melanie and The Bone Orchard Mystery as two of the stand out tales in the collection. As with Under the Sun, Grainger is unafraid to keep his marshals in the sidelines to let other characters take centre stage, and its credit to the strength of his character-building that this even works. Cash is gruff but fair, while Miles is warm and likeable. They're hardly good cop/bad cop, but rather just two partners out to make their world a better place. His world-building is also impeccable, with 1880s Cheyenne leaping from the electronic page with all its sights and sounds.
I know some people will probably pass over these stories saying "I don't like Westerns" but please, put your preconceptions about John Wayne or Clint Eastwood to one side and give them a go anyway. Think of them as short crime stories set in the Old West, or historical noir, but just give them a try before you decide against Westerns!
June 20, 2011
I enjoy reading the occasional traditional Western. Johnny Boggs and James Reasoner are among the contemporary practicing writers I admire. This rollicking collection of traditional Western short stories, then, is right up my alley. The narrative features two U.S. Marshal who are also partners, including the African-American Gideon Miles. "The Bone Orchard Mystery," a twisty, dirty tale, is probably my favorite. I like the brisk pace, lean prose, and hardboiled action, realistic in that such a job was just that difficult way out there on the frontier.
August 24, 2011
My father has always been a fan of westerns. And back in the day when most homes only held one television set you could always find us watching westerns when my father was home. You can laugh if you want, but Bonanza was actually one of my favorites and I had a huge crush on Little Joe. But since I'm all about the honesty here on my blog, it must be said that my heart, regardless of how small it may have been at the time, always belonged to Adam. When I was little I'd sit on the couch with my father and hold his hand as I watched the Cartwright boys saddle up and ride away on the Ponderosa. In fact, when I visited my father a couple of years ago I still found myself sitting next to him on the sofa, holding his hand, and watching old westerns.
Well this week I've been missing my father something terrible. I'm stuck in a horrible spot in my personal life and there are days when I wish I could go back home to Oregon and sit on the couch with my father and watch westerns. But I can't. And even though he's recently told me I can come home whenever I want... I won't. Instead of packing my bags and walking away from my reality, I decided to curl up with a really good collection of western short stories by Edward A. Grainger.
I've never really read a western novel... never would have thought I'd be interested in them. My husband is a Louis L'Amour fan and is always telling me I should read the Lonesome Dove series by Larry McMurtry. Well, like I said before, I haven't read any westerns and until this weekend I really didn't think I'd ever be interested in them.
You see, I'm not a girl with a love for all things pioneer-ish, and I hate camping. Dust in my hair, teeth, or buried under my fingernails, and using outdoor restrooms really isn't my thing. And the thought of milking my own cows and killing and skinning chickens for my next meal kind of makes me nauseous. I don't how people survived back in the day and I have no problem admitting that part of my daily thanks is for the little things I have in my life... indoor plumbing being one of them.
Yet last night as I closed the book on the last short story I read in Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles, I found myself overlooking the homestead and admiring my view of the cattle on my Uncle Jack's ranch in North Dakota. I haven't been there in years and I didn't realize how much I missed playing on that property until I cracked open a book about two marshals and their adventures in the wild west.
In Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles by Edward A. Grainger, you'll find seven incredible stories detailing life in the west, and how two marshals instill justice with the gift of persuasion and strong hands. Not only will you find these two tracking and taking down the bad guys, but you'll find them questioning the law, as well.
In the story Melanie, Cash Laramie deals with the reality of the written law when he stumbles upon a little girl being abused by those that should be caring for her. He leaves the Uncle with a warning, only to return to find him abusing her once again. When the written law declares that nothing can be done, justice is served up anyway when the Uncle is found dead after going to fetch water... in the dark. My favorite line from this story is from Marshal Laramie, "when the town's people don't protect their children, then they're not fit to govern."
My favorite story in the collection was Under The Sun, co-written by Sandra Seamans. The story is told through the perspective of a woman named Delilah, who finds herself living alone after her husband is killed from injuries in a grizzly attack. She's visited by the marshals letting her know that there's an Indian on the run, and that a father seeking revenge for the death of his son is hot on his trail. After refusing to leave her home until Brave Coyote is found, Delilah tries to take up refuge in her home only to find herself annoyed at not being able to take care of her land. Venturing outside, she comes face to face with an injured Brave Coyote, the man wanted by the law, but more importantly, the man that saved her husband from the grizzly attack and brought him home to die. Seeing an opportunity to repay a debt for his kindness towards her husband, Delilah finds a way to bring closure for a town seeking justice, and freedom to an innocent man.
Another great story is Miles To Go, wherein we find Gideon Miles going out in search of a fugitive on his own, and struggling with how to explain why his devotion to law enforcement is so important even though being black keeps him from receiving the proper respect and equal pay as his colleagues. My favorite character in this story is the stable boy Keith... a boy who considers Miles a hero and hopes to one day be a marshal just like him.
The stories are written with such description that you can easily hear the sounds of the wagon wheels and the music in the saloon. Not only that, you can easily visualize life in the wild west from the feeding of the horses to the dresses on the women in the saloon. A fist fight here and a gun fight over there... stepping back in time is easy with this wonderful collection of stories.
Oh, and before I forget... these are two extremely handsome marshals, as they've both managed to the get the girl a time or two in this collection. And I'd be a total liar if I didn't admit I've got a serious crush on Marshal Laramie. Hmmm... Do you think if I find a dress like the one Lenora was wearing that Marshal Laramie will come to my rescue?
*sigh*
A girl can always dream...
Well this week I've been missing my father something terrible. I'm stuck in a horrible spot in my personal life and there are days when I wish I could go back home to Oregon and sit on the couch with my father and watch westerns. But I can't. And even though he's recently told me I can come home whenever I want... I won't. Instead of packing my bags and walking away from my reality, I decided to curl up with a really good collection of western short stories by Edward A. Grainger.
I've never really read a western novel... never would have thought I'd be interested in them. My husband is a Louis L'Amour fan and is always telling me I should read the Lonesome Dove series by Larry McMurtry. Well, like I said before, I haven't read any westerns and until this weekend I really didn't think I'd ever be interested in them.
You see, I'm not a girl with a love for all things pioneer-ish, and I hate camping. Dust in my hair, teeth, or buried under my fingernails, and using outdoor restrooms really isn't my thing. And the thought of milking my own cows and killing and skinning chickens for my next meal kind of makes me nauseous. I don't how people survived back in the day and I have no problem admitting that part of my daily thanks is for the little things I have in my life... indoor plumbing being one of them.
Yet last night as I closed the book on the last short story I read in Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles, I found myself overlooking the homestead and admiring my view of the cattle on my Uncle Jack's ranch in North Dakota. I haven't been there in years and I didn't realize how much I missed playing on that property until I cracked open a book about two marshals and their adventures in the wild west.
In Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles by Edward A. Grainger, you'll find seven incredible stories detailing life in the west, and how two marshals instill justice with the gift of persuasion and strong hands. Not only will you find these two tracking and taking down the bad guys, but you'll find them questioning the law, as well.
In the story Melanie, Cash Laramie deals with the reality of the written law when he stumbles upon a little girl being abused by those that should be caring for her. He leaves the Uncle with a warning, only to return to find him abusing her once again. When the written law declares that nothing can be done, justice is served up anyway when the Uncle is found dead after going to fetch water... in the dark. My favorite line from this story is from Marshal Laramie, "when the town's people don't protect their children, then they're not fit to govern."
My favorite story in the collection was Under The Sun, co-written by Sandra Seamans. The story is told through the perspective of a woman named Delilah, who finds herself living alone after her husband is killed from injuries in a grizzly attack. She's visited by the marshals letting her know that there's an Indian on the run, and that a father seeking revenge for the death of his son is hot on his trail. After refusing to leave her home until Brave Coyote is found, Delilah tries to take up refuge in her home only to find herself annoyed at not being able to take care of her land. Venturing outside, she comes face to face with an injured Brave Coyote, the man wanted by the law, but more importantly, the man that saved her husband from the grizzly attack and brought him home to die. Seeing an opportunity to repay a debt for his kindness towards her husband, Delilah finds a way to bring closure for a town seeking justice, and freedom to an innocent man.
Another great story is Miles To Go, wherein we find Gideon Miles going out in search of a fugitive on his own, and struggling with how to explain why his devotion to law enforcement is so important even though being black keeps him from receiving the proper respect and equal pay as his colleagues. My favorite character in this story is the stable boy Keith... a boy who considers Miles a hero and hopes to one day be a marshal just like him.
The stories are written with such description that you can easily hear the sounds of the wagon wheels and the music in the saloon. Not only that, you can easily visualize life in the wild west from the feeding of the horses to the dresses on the women in the saloon. A fist fight here and a gun fight over there... stepping back in time is easy with this wonderful collection of stories.
Oh, and before I forget... these are two extremely handsome marshals, as they've both managed to the get the girl a time or two in this collection. And I'd be a total liar if I didn't admit I've got a serious crush on Marshal Laramie. Hmmm... Do you think if I find a dress like the one Lenora was wearing that Marshal Laramie will come to my rescue?
*sigh*
A girl can always dream...
February 14, 2017
Poor word choices and inaccurate history and gun play, June 8, 2016
This review is from: Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles (Cash Laramie & Gideon Miles Series Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
These stories are full of odd turns of phrase and poor word choices. For instance in one story Marshal Miles sees and follows an invisible trail. In another story horse flesh is ripped away and, "One shooter's bullets continued to blow chunks of horse in a splattered arc over Cash's head." What were the three outlaws using? A cannon? The author seems fond of the image. In another story Marshal Miles is shot, "Miles cried out when the flesh of his left shoulder ripped away." Miles eventually recovered completely so it seems unlikely that he really lost a piece of his shoulder.
Then there are the descriptions of gun fights. Miles, using a 6 shot Colt single action fires 3 bullets into various bad guys, then "sprayed slugs" to another man's chest. No mean feat with either 2 or 3 rounds left in a single action revolver. He then has a bullet left for the last outlaw. I said 2 or 3 rounds left because even though the Colt could be loaded with 6 rounds, it was regularly carried with 5 because of the danger of a live round under the hammer of that model.
There is also questionable history such as Deputy U.S. Marshal Miles, a black man, being paid half what a white marshal is paid. Nonsense. Until 1896 or 1898 the marshals were not paid a salary at all but collected fees for various activities. I examined records about the black deputies serving under Hanging Judge Isaac Parker in Fort Smith. There are no indications that they were paid half fees. In fact, Judge Parker said that several of them, including Bass Reeves, were among his most valuable deputies.
There is more but these examples should suffice. I downloaded this book via Kindle Unlimited.
This review is from: Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles (Cash Laramie & Gideon Miles Series Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
These stories are full of odd turns of phrase and poor word choices. For instance in one story Marshal Miles sees and follows an invisible trail. In another story horse flesh is ripped away and, "One shooter's bullets continued to blow chunks of horse in a splattered arc over Cash's head." What were the three outlaws using? A cannon? The author seems fond of the image. In another story Marshal Miles is shot, "Miles cried out when the flesh of his left shoulder ripped away." Miles eventually recovered completely so it seems unlikely that he really lost a piece of his shoulder.
Then there are the descriptions of gun fights. Miles, using a 6 shot Colt single action fires 3 bullets into various bad guys, then "sprayed slugs" to another man's chest. No mean feat with either 2 or 3 rounds left in a single action revolver. He then has a bullet left for the last outlaw. I said 2 or 3 rounds left because even though the Colt could be loaded with 6 rounds, it was regularly carried with 5 because of the danger of a live round under the hammer of that model.
There is also questionable history such as Deputy U.S. Marshal Miles, a black man, being paid half what a white marshal is paid. Nonsense. Until 1896 or 1898 the marshals were not paid a salary at all but collected fees for various activities. I examined records about the black deputies serving under Hanging Judge Isaac Parker in Fort Smith. There are no indications that they were paid half fees. In fact, Judge Parker said that several of them, including Bass Reeves, were among his most valuable deputies.
There is more but these examples should suffice. I downloaded this book via Kindle Unlimited.
June 15, 2011
A wonderful collection of seven western stories featuring Marshal Cash Laramie, who is sometimes called the Outlaw Marshal. Laramie has a little of Matt Dillon in him, but there's a lot more of Dirty Harry. Laramie is a true hero, the one who does what has to be done to protect the innocent rather than just doing what the law allows. His partner, Gideon Miles, is cut from the same cloth, although he is a black law officer in a difficult time.
I really enjoyed this collection and highly recommend it. A fun read, but also one that makes you think and doesn't skirt the tough issues.
I really enjoyed this collection and highly recommend it. A fun read, but also one that makes you think and doesn't skirt the tough issues.
June 8, 2015
Recently, while working on my review of the Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles Volume II, I realized I had never read the first book of the series. I have no idea how that happened. It was clear that I needed to read the original book, Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles and do so immediately.
After a short introduction by Chris F. Holm, it is on to stories starting with “The Wind Scorpion.” The plan had been to escort a prisoner by the name of Black Jack Larson to Cheyenne, Wyoming to stand trial for the murder of a circuit judge. Instead, the plan now is to somehow stay alive as Black Jack, with the help of two of his men, have beaten the heck out of Marshal Cash Laramie and left him to die while making good on their escape.
“Kid Eddie” features a young man being held in jail in Vermillion for various heinous crimes. It is about a year after events in “Wind Scorpion” and Cash is well aware that duplicity can come in many forms. Cash doesn’t want to go anywhere Vermillion but when Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Devon Penn tells him to bring “Kid Eddie” aka Eddie Morash back Cash saddles up and goes because he has a job to do.
“Miles To Go” unites Cash Laramie and his friend and fellow Marshal, Gideon Miles, in the hunt for Van Jones. Though it does not look that way as this complicated story begins with Miles hitting the trail alone. Both lawmen know that van Jones is heading for his hideout near the owl Creek Mountains. Once there he will have his gang backing him while Cash has to stay in town and testify in court regarding another matter.
People keep dying at the McAllister family plot. Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles are in Twin Falls trying to figure out what is going on in “The Bone Orchard Mystery.”
Child abuse didn’t just start in the last few decades despite what some of the media claims these days. It is the subject of the powerfully moving story “Melanie” where Cash Laramie intervenes to make things a bit better for the young girl.
“Under the Sun” with Sandra Seamans comes next where the window Delilah Murphy does not want the assistance of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles. Her Uncle Charlie thought their help would be a good idea, but she has her reasons for not wanting their help. They don’t have time to press the issue as they are searching for a man known as “Brave Coyote.” They are not only ones looking for him as the father of a boy Brave Coyote killed is also on the hunt.
“The Outlaw Marshall” opens with a poker game. Cash Laramie is the subject, among others, as the men play cards. Because it soon becomes clear that at least one of the players is a card cheat one knows gunfire is sure to soon erupt.
A body is on a bank of a Louisiana bayou and the spilling blood is attracting an alligator looking to do what comes naturally. The man who is known to many as “The Lawyer” is fine with that as he wants a few more questions answered. He isn’t the only one with questions in this tale as Marshall Cash Laramie will soon be involved.
The eight western tales in the Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles are all good ones. Cash and Gideon are bonded by friendship as well as the fact that neither one is accepted as he is by many people. That bond also extends to their code of justice which requires each one to do what is right as opposed what the law says in some cases. Each tale is more than just a story of men on horseback getting the bad guy or bad guys. Each tale is complicated with plenty of interesting characters, a mystery or two, and plenty of action to keep the reader turning the pages. Whether the Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles is your first exposure to cash and Gideon or one you come to after many other books in the series, these reads are all good ones well worth your time.
Adventures Of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles
Edward A. Grainger (David Cranmer)
Beat To A Pulp
http://www.beattoapulp.com
June 2011
ASIN# B005RTV86E
E-Book (also available in print)
144 Pages (Estimated)
$0.99
This is one of those cases where I am not sure if the author sent it to me or I bought it using funds in my Amazon associate account. Either is possible, but I suspect the author sent in my way for my use in an objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
After a short introduction by Chris F. Holm, it is on to stories starting with “The Wind Scorpion.” The plan had been to escort a prisoner by the name of Black Jack Larson to Cheyenne, Wyoming to stand trial for the murder of a circuit judge. Instead, the plan now is to somehow stay alive as Black Jack, with the help of two of his men, have beaten the heck out of Marshal Cash Laramie and left him to die while making good on their escape.
“Kid Eddie” features a young man being held in jail in Vermillion for various heinous crimes. It is about a year after events in “Wind Scorpion” and Cash is well aware that duplicity can come in many forms. Cash doesn’t want to go anywhere Vermillion but when Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Devon Penn tells him to bring “Kid Eddie” aka Eddie Morash back Cash saddles up and goes because he has a job to do.
“Miles To Go” unites Cash Laramie and his friend and fellow Marshal, Gideon Miles, in the hunt for Van Jones. Though it does not look that way as this complicated story begins with Miles hitting the trail alone. Both lawmen know that van Jones is heading for his hideout near the owl Creek Mountains. Once there he will have his gang backing him while Cash has to stay in town and testify in court regarding another matter.
People keep dying at the McAllister family plot. Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles are in Twin Falls trying to figure out what is going on in “The Bone Orchard Mystery.”
Child abuse didn’t just start in the last few decades despite what some of the media claims these days. It is the subject of the powerfully moving story “Melanie” where Cash Laramie intervenes to make things a bit better for the young girl.
“Under the Sun” with Sandra Seamans comes next where the window Delilah Murphy does not want the assistance of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles. Her Uncle Charlie thought their help would be a good idea, but she has her reasons for not wanting their help. They don’t have time to press the issue as they are searching for a man known as “Brave Coyote.” They are not only ones looking for him as the father of a boy Brave Coyote killed is also on the hunt.
“The Outlaw Marshall” opens with a poker game. Cash Laramie is the subject, among others, as the men play cards. Because it soon becomes clear that at least one of the players is a card cheat one knows gunfire is sure to soon erupt.
A body is on a bank of a Louisiana bayou and the spilling blood is attracting an alligator looking to do what comes naturally. The man who is known to many as “The Lawyer” is fine with that as he wants a few more questions answered. He isn’t the only one with questions in this tale as Marshall Cash Laramie will soon be involved.
The eight western tales in the Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles are all good ones. Cash and Gideon are bonded by friendship as well as the fact that neither one is accepted as he is by many people. That bond also extends to their code of justice which requires each one to do what is right as opposed what the law says in some cases. Each tale is more than just a story of men on horseback getting the bad guy or bad guys. Each tale is complicated with plenty of interesting characters, a mystery or two, and plenty of action to keep the reader turning the pages. Whether the Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles is your first exposure to cash and Gideon or one you come to after many other books in the series, these reads are all good ones well worth your time.
Adventures Of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles
Edward A. Grainger (David Cranmer)
Beat To A Pulp
http://www.beattoapulp.com
June 2011
ASIN# B005RTV86E
E-Book (also available in print)
144 Pages (Estimated)
$0.99
This is one of those cases where I am not sure if the author sent it to me or I bought it using funds in my Amazon associate account. Either is possible, but I suspect the author sent in my way for my use in an objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
June 12, 2012
We seem to be in the beginning stages of a real resurgence of interest regarding Westerns. I couldn't begin to tell you why, but I'm thankful for it. My own interest in the genre is fairly recent as well, coinciding nicely with the new spike. Something in the water, I reckon. Or in the rotgut whiskey.
Riding the first wave of the Western resurgence is a fella we'll call Edward A. Grainger, coming full-throttle out of the stable with the insanely fun short story collection The Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles.
Cash and Gideon are Marshalls in the town of Cheyenne in the late 1800's, a time when lawlessness ran rampant and only a few dedicated men stood tall and ready to defend law and justice--or, in the case of our heroes, at least justice. They're great characters, these two. Throwbacks, in a way, to the sort of steady and silent heroes you might remember from your youth: Shane, The Virginian, L'Amour's Sackett family... you get the idea. The kind of gun-totting hombres you'd want on your side with the chips are down.
So yeah, there's something charmingly old-fashioned about these stories, but Grainger is a smart enough writer to know that the modern reader needs something more than just a nostalgia trip, or a mythologizing of an era that's already been mythologized to hell and back. These stories do more than that; they also give us a real picture of the ugly violence and rampant racism of the time. With Gideon Miles, a black man wielding authority in a time when that was almost unheard of, we have a hero who is confident, realistic in his world view, and--often--the moral center of his world.
But the bulk of the stories in Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles focus on Cash--a decent and resourceful man with an incredibly strong sense of right and wrong. In the introduction, Grainger says the stories were inspired by Leone's terrific "spaghetti westerns", but the truth is he gives us characters much more fully developed than that, and in Cash we have a hero who is more obviously on the side of the angels than anyone in those morally murky films.
And I guess there's no point in being coy about it, as it's an open secret anyway--Grainger is the pen name of David Cranmer, editor of Beat to a Pulp. I say this just in case you had any doubts about picking this collection up. Cranmer is a guy with impeccable taste in stories, and he doesn't go any easier on his own work.
My personal favorites in Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles: "Kid Eddie", in which Cash must escort a charming but psychotic criminal back to Cheyenne to face justice (Cranmer predicted I'd like this one a lot, and he was right), "Melanie", which finds Cash at odds with a loutish wife-and-child abuser who can't be touched by the law, but--maybe--can still face justice at the hands of Cash Laramie, and "The Outlaw Marshall", where we see at last the lengths Cash is willing to go to in order to mete out justice--as the last story in the book, it's probably the most brutal, and shows us a side of Cash that Grainger had only hinted at before.
All in all, some great stuff. The episodic nature of the stories would lend themselves well to being a television show, a la The Rifleman, Stagecoach, Gunsmoke, etc...
Man, wouldn't that be great?
Anyway, buy this book. It's only .99 cents, for a good 100 bucks worth of Western high adventure
Riding the first wave of the Western resurgence is a fella we'll call Edward A. Grainger, coming full-throttle out of the stable with the insanely fun short story collection The Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles.
Cash and Gideon are Marshalls in the town of Cheyenne in the late 1800's, a time when lawlessness ran rampant and only a few dedicated men stood tall and ready to defend law and justice--or, in the case of our heroes, at least justice. They're great characters, these two. Throwbacks, in a way, to the sort of steady and silent heroes you might remember from your youth: Shane, The Virginian, L'Amour's Sackett family... you get the idea. The kind of gun-totting hombres you'd want on your side with the chips are down.
So yeah, there's something charmingly old-fashioned about these stories, but Grainger is a smart enough writer to know that the modern reader needs something more than just a nostalgia trip, or a mythologizing of an era that's already been mythologized to hell and back. These stories do more than that; they also give us a real picture of the ugly violence and rampant racism of the time. With Gideon Miles, a black man wielding authority in a time when that was almost unheard of, we have a hero who is confident, realistic in his world view, and--often--the moral center of his world.
But the bulk of the stories in Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles focus on Cash--a decent and resourceful man with an incredibly strong sense of right and wrong. In the introduction, Grainger says the stories were inspired by Leone's terrific "spaghetti westerns", but the truth is he gives us characters much more fully developed than that, and in Cash we have a hero who is more obviously on the side of the angels than anyone in those morally murky films.
And I guess there's no point in being coy about it, as it's an open secret anyway--Grainger is the pen name of David Cranmer, editor of Beat to a Pulp. I say this just in case you had any doubts about picking this collection up. Cranmer is a guy with impeccable taste in stories, and he doesn't go any easier on his own work.
My personal favorites in Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles: "Kid Eddie", in which Cash must escort a charming but psychotic criminal back to Cheyenne to face justice (Cranmer predicted I'd like this one a lot, and he was right), "Melanie", which finds Cash at odds with a loutish wife-and-child abuser who can't be touched by the law, but--maybe--can still face justice at the hands of Cash Laramie, and "The Outlaw Marshall", where we see at last the lengths Cash is willing to go to in order to mete out justice--as the last story in the book, it's probably the most brutal, and shows us a side of Cash that Grainger had only hinted at before.
All in all, some great stuff. The episodic nature of the stories would lend themselves well to being a television show, a la The Rifleman, Stagecoach, Gunsmoke, etc...
Man, wouldn't that be great?
Anyway, buy this book. It's only .99 cents, for a good 100 bucks worth of Western high adventure
February 28, 2017
Great collection of short western fiction. Something just a little different from the usual. Worth reading.
June 10, 2011
A collection of short stories featuring U. S. Marshalls Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles. Edward A. Grainger is the pseudonym of David Cranmer who edits the webzine BEAT TO A PULP as well as the anthology BEAT TO A PULP, ROUND ONE.
An excellent set of stories, two appearing here for the first time, the others at various venues.
Table of contnets:
THE WIND SCORPION
KID EDDIE
MILES TO GO
THE BONE ORCHARD MYSTERY
MELANIE
UNDER THE SUN(with Sandra Seamans)
THE OUTLAW MARSHALL
Cash Laramie is a U. S. Marshall. He will dispense his own brand of rough justice if he feels it necessary. The stories even touch things out of whack in today's world(MELANIE), people wrongly accused and a choice must be made, even a psychopath.
And then there is a certain well known Marshall and deputy who make a brief appearance in one story.
As mentioned earlier, a fine set of stories and available today from Amazon, for Kindle, for the highly reasonable price of $.99. Well worth checking out.
An excellent set of stories, two appearing here for the first time, the others at various venues.
Table of contnets:
THE WIND SCORPION
KID EDDIE
MILES TO GO
THE BONE ORCHARD MYSTERY
MELANIE
UNDER THE SUN(with Sandra Seamans)
THE OUTLAW MARSHALL
Cash Laramie is a U. S. Marshall. He will dispense his own brand of rough justice if he feels it necessary. The stories even touch things out of whack in today's world(MELANIE), people wrongly accused and a choice must be made, even a psychopath.
And then there is a certain well known Marshall and deputy who make a brief appearance in one story.
As mentioned earlier, a fine set of stories and available today from Amazon, for Kindle, for the highly reasonable price of $.99. Well worth checking out.
March 29, 2012
I'm a fan of westerns and this collection of short stories is okay, but lacks any depth. I never connected with the characters and would have preferred a more in depth look at them. I was intrigued by hints of their personality.
I'd be interested in a full novel with these characters.
I also note that a lot of people who "don't like westerns much" enjoyed this.
I'd be interested in a full novel with these characters.
I also note that a lot of people who "don't like westerns much" enjoyed this.
November 28, 2011
Okay, Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles is a western. So's Firefly. Highly recommended for fans of the latter. Lots of hard choices in the service of justice.
May 17, 2012
Great western stories with top notch writing.
August 29, 2019
I bought both volume I and II and they've been sitting in my to-read pile long enough that they can drive a car now. And I found it... uninvolving. Short stories don't have a word to waste, every one of them has to punch its weight. Most of these stories read like longer stories that got cut off early, or shed a lot of their substance to make themselves fit. Our two main characters probably have flaws, but we didn't really have time to get into that. They do lots of rugged manly things, but they do them at times with a jarringly modern mindset. All in all, I probably won't read volume II.
July 1, 2017
I like it
I like this author and his style of writing he made the characters interesting and fun to follow. Good book
I like this author and his style of writing he made the characters interesting and fun to follow. Good book
September 1, 2017
Collection of Western shorts.
May 14, 2018
Follow 2 heroic western marshals!
For those who love western cowboy stories involving marshalls & law breakers, this book is for you! Escapades include saving damsels in distress.
For those who love western cowboy stories involving marshalls & law breakers, this book is for you! Escapades include saving damsels in distress.
November 29, 2022
poor
Not very good so can’t rate any higher. Looking for something better and didn’t find it in this bad boy.
Not very good so can’t rate any higher. Looking for something better and didn’t find it in this bad boy.
September 7, 2011
When you put up a title with ‘The Adventures Of’, I reckon you’re a brave author. Boy had those tales better do the business if you’re starting off with that.
Edward A Granger sure didn’t let me down with his work, unless leaving me needing to read more of them can be a crime laid at his door.
Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles work in a world that is familiar to me from old movies and legends. In some ways, that gives the author and advantage as with the merest hint of description I’m able to fill in an entire 70mm frame. That suggests it was easy; I’d say it’s the opposite. It would have been so easy to overload the tales with the unnecessary and Granger gets this perfect.
Their worlds are the extremes, the panoramic open spaces of the landscape and the claustrophobia of bars and hotel rooms where there’s barely enough room to draw a gun.
Their internal worlds are also of extremes. Extreme males with a dash of sensitivity. Certainty in what they do versus a barrow-load of question marks. The need to do what a man has to do and the need to leave all morality on the side for a while as they take care of business.
Throughout the book there are biblical names. I’m not well-versed enough to try and attach meaning to Solomon and Delilah, Mary and Lazarus or Gideon, but I do think this world they all inhabit is a place where Old Testament and New Testament crash into each other like high-speed trains. Cash Laramie is from the eye-for-an-eye mould, yet at the same time he has compassion and a need to apply justice correctly. Poor fellow.
Packing a series of stories together like this gives the book much more weight than a simple binding of short stories. It’s like Block’s Hitman in that respect; instead of feeling like short pieces, I was left with a sense that I’d completed a novel as I’d spent so much time with the same characters.
There are all the ingredients you might imagine in Western tales and more.
The conversation is perfectly handled, lots said with hardly an opening of a mouth. Take this for an epitaph:
“What kind of marker did you leave?”
“Half the truth. Here lies +++++++++++. Fast gun and beloved son.”
or another:
‘1860 – 1882: RIP ++++++++++++ Loved by everyone ‘cept the dirty dog murderer who shot him down.’
Had me purring.
Another thing that demonstrates the writer’s skill is his description of the shoot-outs. He’s so matter-of-fact and brief. Where they might have been used as a culmination of a story, Granger just includes it like he might any other piece of the puzzle.
He’s also worked Cash into a multi-faceted character, even allowing him to show his hand as a detective now and then.
My advice to readers is that this is a real treat. An absolute joy of a read. A needs buying kind of book even at ten times the price you can get it for.
Go buy your ticket.
Edward A Granger sure didn’t let me down with his work, unless leaving me needing to read more of them can be a crime laid at his door.
Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles work in a world that is familiar to me from old movies and legends. In some ways, that gives the author and advantage as with the merest hint of description I’m able to fill in an entire 70mm frame. That suggests it was easy; I’d say it’s the opposite. It would have been so easy to overload the tales with the unnecessary and Granger gets this perfect.
Their worlds are the extremes, the panoramic open spaces of the landscape and the claustrophobia of bars and hotel rooms where there’s barely enough room to draw a gun.
Their internal worlds are also of extremes. Extreme males with a dash of sensitivity. Certainty in what they do versus a barrow-load of question marks. The need to do what a man has to do and the need to leave all morality on the side for a while as they take care of business.
Throughout the book there are biblical names. I’m not well-versed enough to try and attach meaning to Solomon and Delilah, Mary and Lazarus or Gideon, but I do think this world they all inhabit is a place where Old Testament and New Testament crash into each other like high-speed trains. Cash Laramie is from the eye-for-an-eye mould, yet at the same time he has compassion and a need to apply justice correctly. Poor fellow.
Packing a series of stories together like this gives the book much more weight than a simple binding of short stories. It’s like Block’s Hitman in that respect; instead of feeling like short pieces, I was left with a sense that I’d completed a novel as I’d spent so much time with the same characters.
There are all the ingredients you might imagine in Western tales and more.
The conversation is perfectly handled, lots said with hardly an opening of a mouth. Take this for an epitaph:
“What kind of marker did you leave?”
“Half the truth. Here lies +++++++++++. Fast gun and beloved son.”
or another:
‘1860 – 1882: RIP ++++++++++++ Loved by everyone ‘cept the dirty dog murderer who shot him down.’
Had me purring.
Another thing that demonstrates the writer’s skill is his description of the shoot-outs. He’s so matter-of-fact and brief. Where they might have been used as a culmination of a story, Granger just includes it like he might any other piece of the puzzle.
He’s also worked Cash into a multi-faceted character, even allowing him to show his hand as a detective now and then.
My advice to readers is that this is a real treat. An absolute joy of a read. A needs buying kind of book even at ten times the price you can get it for.
Go buy your ticket.
June 13, 2013
When you put up a title with `The Adventures Of', I reckon you're a brave author. Boy had those tales better do the business if you're starting off with that.
Edward A Granger sure didn't let me down with his work, unless leaving me needing to read more of them can be a crime laid at his door.
Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles work in a world that is familiar to me from old movies and legends. In some ways, that gives the author and advantage as with the merest hint of description I'm able to fill in an entire 70mm frame. That suggests it was easy; I'd say it's the opposite. It would have been so easy to overload the tales with the unnecessary and Granger gets this perfect.
Their worlds are the extremes, the panoramic open spaces of the landscape and the claustrophobia of bars and hotel rooms where there's barely enough room to draw a gun.
Their internal worlds are also of extremes. Extreme males with a dash of sensitivity. Certainty in what they do versus a barrow-load of question marks. The need to do what a man has to do and the need to leave all morality on the side for a while as they take care of business.
Throughout the book there are biblical names. I'm not well-versed enough to try and attach meaning to Solomon and Delilah, Mary and Lazarus or Gideon, but I do think this world they all inhabit is a place where Old Testament and New Testament crash into each other like high-speed trains. Cash Laramie is from the eye-for-an-eye mould, yet at the same time he has compassion and a need to apply justice correctly. Poor fellow.
Packing a series of stories together like this gives the book much more weight than a simple binding of short stories. It's like Block's Hitman in that respect; instead of feeling like short pieces, I was left with a sense that I'd completed a novel as I'd spent so much time with the same characters.
There are all the ingredients you might imagine in Western tales and more.
The conversation is perfectly handled, lots said with hardly an opening of a mouth. Take this for an epitaph:
"What kind of marker did you leave?"
"Half the truth. Here lies +++++++++++. Fast gun and beloved son."
or another:
`1860 - 1882: RIP ++++++++++++ Loved by everyone `cept the dirty dog murderer who shot him down.'
Had me purring.
Another thing that demonstrates the writer's skill is his description of the shoot-outs. He's so matter-of-fact and brief. Where they might have been used as a culmination of a story, Granger just includes it like he might any other piece of the puzzle.
He's also worked Cash into a multi-faceted character, even allowing him to show his hand as a detective now and then.
My advice to readers is that this is a real treat. An absolute joy of a read. A needs buying kind of book even at ten times the price you can get it for.
Go buy your ticket.
Edward A Granger sure didn't let me down with his work, unless leaving me needing to read more of them can be a crime laid at his door.
Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles work in a world that is familiar to me from old movies and legends. In some ways, that gives the author and advantage as with the merest hint of description I'm able to fill in an entire 70mm frame. That suggests it was easy; I'd say it's the opposite. It would have been so easy to overload the tales with the unnecessary and Granger gets this perfect.
Their worlds are the extremes, the panoramic open spaces of the landscape and the claustrophobia of bars and hotel rooms where there's barely enough room to draw a gun.
Their internal worlds are also of extremes. Extreme males with a dash of sensitivity. Certainty in what they do versus a barrow-load of question marks. The need to do what a man has to do and the need to leave all morality on the side for a while as they take care of business.
Throughout the book there are biblical names. I'm not well-versed enough to try and attach meaning to Solomon and Delilah, Mary and Lazarus or Gideon, but I do think this world they all inhabit is a place where Old Testament and New Testament crash into each other like high-speed trains. Cash Laramie is from the eye-for-an-eye mould, yet at the same time he has compassion and a need to apply justice correctly. Poor fellow.
Packing a series of stories together like this gives the book much more weight than a simple binding of short stories. It's like Block's Hitman in that respect; instead of feeling like short pieces, I was left with a sense that I'd completed a novel as I'd spent so much time with the same characters.
There are all the ingredients you might imagine in Western tales and more.
The conversation is perfectly handled, lots said with hardly an opening of a mouth. Take this for an epitaph:
"What kind of marker did you leave?"
"Half the truth. Here lies +++++++++++. Fast gun and beloved son."
or another:
`1860 - 1882: RIP ++++++++++++ Loved by everyone `cept the dirty dog murderer who shot him down.'
Had me purring.
Another thing that demonstrates the writer's skill is his description of the shoot-outs. He's so matter-of-fact and brief. Where they might have been used as a culmination of a story, Granger just includes it like he might any other piece of the puzzle.
He's also worked Cash into a multi-faceted character, even allowing him to show his hand as a detective now and then.
My advice to readers is that this is a real treat. An absolute joy of a read. A needs buying kind of book even at ten times the price you can get it for.
Go buy your ticket.
August 22, 2011
This is a series of shorts featuring primarily Marshall Cash Laramie in a western setting. I will post my review of each story individually, first.
THE WIND SCORPION - I didn't like this story very much. Maybe a 2 star rating. I felt it flowed badly and there wasn't much logic at all to at all. Maybe I just don't know much about this time/culture, but I'd like to think that farmstead women, be they alone or not, don't just sleep with every Marshall (or man) that drops by. It didn't seem realistic to me, just another sad plot twist attempt.
KID EDDIE - A bit more fun... also a bit more typical. Kid Eddie says he didn't commit the crimes he is supposed to be executed for. But then while traveling back to the town where his trial is supposed to be held, he and Cash Laramie are ambushed. Afterwards Kid Eddie is gunned down due to trying to run and confessing to the murders, etc. Very typical... but I still sorta liked it. 3 stars.
MILES TO GO - This story features Gideon Miles as the main character. Somehow I like him better than Cash Laramie. He seems more dashing, and more about morality, than Cash. This story finally brought the lawmen's lifestyle and choices home to me. It makes more sense in my head now.
THE BONE ORCHARD MYSTERY - I really loved this story! 5 Stars! Sherlock Holmsy-type mystery to be solved, which Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles managed to do without too much bloodshed!
MELANIE - This was a really sad story. I never like to think about things like child abuse in general, or even specifically in a western era... but I was glad at the HEA ending this story had.
UNDER THE SUN(with Sandra Seamans) - Ah, I really loved this story too! It was a backwards-outlaw story, where the bad guy is really the good guy. "It was just an accidental killing, no need to hang the good Injun!" Still, it left me feeling pretty happy.
THE OUTLAW MARSHALL - The last story was really one of revenge. An earlier character had been lynched and our good Marshall Cash Laramie hunts him down and manages to get another outlaw in the same hand!
Conclusion: All in all pretty good works. Very western, but also much too short. I had expected a bit more in the way of storytelling and details... this is something that you could easily read with a 5th grade English class and have them analyze. Shame, since there were some good ideas here (none that were blazing, but some good ones.)
THE WIND SCORPION - I didn't like this story very much. Maybe a 2 star rating. I felt it flowed badly and there wasn't much logic at all to at all. Maybe I just don't know much about this time/culture, but I'd like to think that farmstead women, be they alone or not, don't just sleep with every Marshall (or man) that drops by. It didn't seem realistic to me, just another sad plot twist attempt.
KID EDDIE - A bit more fun... also a bit more typical. Kid Eddie says he didn't commit the crimes he is supposed to be executed for. But then while traveling back to the town where his trial is supposed to be held, he and Cash Laramie are ambushed. Afterwards Kid Eddie is gunned down due to trying to run and confessing to the murders, etc. Very typical... but I still sorta liked it. 3 stars.
MILES TO GO - This story features Gideon Miles as the main character. Somehow I like him better than Cash Laramie. He seems more dashing, and more about morality, than Cash. This story finally brought the lawmen's lifestyle and choices home to me. It makes more sense in my head now.
THE BONE ORCHARD MYSTERY - I really loved this story! 5 Stars! Sherlock Holmsy-type mystery to be solved, which Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles managed to do without too much bloodshed!
MELANIE - This was a really sad story. I never like to think about things like child abuse in general, or even specifically in a western era... but I was glad at the HEA ending this story had.
UNDER THE SUN(with Sandra Seamans) - Ah, I really loved this story too! It was a backwards-outlaw story, where the bad guy is really the good guy. "It was just an accidental killing, no need to hang the good Injun!" Still, it left me feeling pretty happy.
THE OUTLAW MARSHALL - The last story was really one of revenge. An earlier character had been lynched and our good Marshall Cash Laramie hunts him down and manages to get another outlaw in the same hand!
Conclusion: All in all pretty good works. Very western, but also much too short. I had expected a bit more in the way of storytelling and details... this is something that you could easily read with a 5th grade English class and have them analyze. Shame, since there were some good ideas here (none that were blazing, but some good ones.)
December 15, 2011
I have a confession to make. As a general rule, I don’t read Westerns. I find that too often the stories get lost in the author’s desire to provide the reader with every little period-accurate detail they’ve researched, and bogged down with unwieldy “cowboy” lingo in the dialog. And while that may appeal to some, it’s just not my cup of tea.
I have another confession to make. Edward A. Grainger, aka David Cranmer, is turning me into a convert. You see, Cranmer doesn’t write Westerns per se, he writes well-crafted stories with engaging characters that just happen to take place in the Old West. And he does it very, very well. Don’t get me wrong, the adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles are unquestionably Westerns, but Cranmer never loses sight of the real prize: character and story. And that makes all the difference in the world to this reluctant reader of Westerns.
It helps that Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles, both U.S. Marshals, are charismatic and unique individuals. Laramie is known to display an unorthodox streak as questionable as the outlaws he hunts, his behavior often fueled by the approach to life that was ingrained in him having been raised by Native Americans. For his part, Miles brings the challenge of being one of the first black Marshals into play, showing how his status as a black man in the 1880s Old West can make both all the difference in the world and none whatsoever to how he does the job… often at the same time.
The seven stories in this collection run the gamut from straight-up action/adventure (“Kid Eddie”) to a genuine whodunit mystery (the very clever “The Bone Orchard Mystery”) to reflections upon complex societal issues and social mores (“Miles to Go,” “Melanie”). From collection opener “The Wind Scorpion” to closer “The Outlaw Marshal,” every one of them is worth the price of admission.
Normally I would recommend you get Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles if you are a fan of Westerns, but I figure if you are you’re probably already on-board. Instead, I actually recommend this collection to you if, like me, you are a reluctant reader of Westerns. I guarantee David Cranmer and his buddies Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles will change your mind.
I have another confession to make. Edward A. Grainger, aka David Cranmer, is turning me into a convert. You see, Cranmer doesn’t write Westerns per se, he writes well-crafted stories with engaging characters that just happen to take place in the Old West. And he does it very, very well. Don’t get me wrong, the adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles are unquestionably Westerns, but Cranmer never loses sight of the real prize: character and story. And that makes all the difference in the world to this reluctant reader of Westerns.
It helps that Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles, both U.S. Marshals, are charismatic and unique individuals. Laramie is known to display an unorthodox streak as questionable as the outlaws he hunts, his behavior often fueled by the approach to life that was ingrained in him having been raised by Native Americans. For his part, Miles brings the challenge of being one of the first black Marshals into play, showing how his status as a black man in the 1880s Old West can make both all the difference in the world and none whatsoever to how he does the job… often at the same time.
The seven stories in this collection run the gamut from straight-up action/adventure (“Kid Eddie”) to a genuine whodunit mystery (the very clever “The Bone Orchard Mystery”) to reflections upon complex societal issues and social mores (“Miles to Go,” “Melanie”). From collection opener “The Wind Scorpion” to closer “The Outlaw Marshal,” every one of them is worth the price of admission.
Normally I would recommend you get Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles if you are a fan of Westerns, but I figure if you are you’re probably already on-board. Instead, I actually recommend this collection to you if, like me, you are a reluctant reader of Westerns. I guarantee David Cranmer and his buddies Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles will change your mind.
June 12, 2011
In Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles, Edward A. Grainger (aka David Cranmer) delivers seven satisfying stories that you shouldn't miss.
I'm not always the biggest fan of Westerns, but here the quality trumps any reservations about genre. Not to mention that Grainger skillfully crosses Western with noir and mystery (especially in The Outlaw Marshal, The Bone Orchard Mystery, and Kid Eddie), which makes for a tasty combination.
Grainger possesses a gift for characterization and one of the things I enjoyed most about this collection was seeing how Cash Laramie developed--from action hero in The Wind Scorpion to cool compromiser in Under the Sun. But throughout Cash Laramie and his partner, Gideon Miles, are pursuers of justice as they see it. Both prove to be complex and very likable heroes.
Under the Sun, co-written with Sandra Seamans, is one entry in the collection that doesn't focus on the duo, instead rotating to the perspective of Delilah, who repays a debt to an Indian, Brave Coyote. Here Grainger and Seamans deal with the political and moral realities of law enforcement in the old West while telling a riveting story.
Bottom line: If you like fast pulp action and adventure with real characters and fine writing, you'll love Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles.
I'm not always the biggest fan of Westerns, but here the quality trumps any reservations about genre. Not to mention that Grainger skillfully crosses Western with noir and mystery (especially in The Outlaw Marshal, The Bone Orchard Mystery, and Kid Eddie), which makes for a tasty combination.
Grainger possesses a gift for characterization and one of the things I enjoyed most about this collection was seeing how Cash Laramie developed--from action hero in The Wind Scorpion to cool compromiser in Under the Sun. But throughout Cash Laramie and his partner, Gideon Miles, are pursuers of justice as they see it. Both prove to be complex and very likable heroes.
Under the Sun, co-written with Sandra Seamans, is one entry in the collection that doesn't focus on the duo, instead rotating to the perspective of Delilah, who repays a debt to an Indian, Brave Coyote. Here Grainger and Seamans deal with the political and moral realities of law enforcement in the old West while telling a riveting story.
Bottom line: If you like fast pulp action and adventure with real characters and fine writing, you'll love Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles.
February 3, 2013
he book is in the west and the year of the marshal who will keep the law and order for any one who want to pay them.They are going form one place to another cashes bad guys form west to north and east and south.
The marshal love his drink once in while sometime when he goes in the bar it get remarks and then and his partner who is black can settle it or shoot them and then collect the money for the guys.
u
Cash is ambushed and injured and he kills some to them but the surprise is that the Marshal is hurt but he going to get his man one way or another he will go after them till they are all dead
As you read the book cash will get him self and his partner in to trouble but they are the one who are the winner there is a series of story's in the book and then you will love the way the author goes form one to another
go
ONE of story's are out law marshal you see when Marshal go bad they had to go after them two some of them are greedy for money and he murder a kid he did not need to do it was a Indian kid who was in a store at the wrong time and now cash go after the out law Marshal.
i have read some great western book and i really got in to this one and i will read more of the authors books.
The marshal love his drink once in while sometime when he goes in the bar it get remarks and then and his partner who is black can settle it or shoot them and then collect the money for the guys.
u
Cash is ambushed and injured and he kills some to them but the surprise is that the Marshal is hurt but he going to get his man one way or another he will go after them till they are all dead
As you read the book cash will get him self and his partner in to trouble but they are the one who are the winner there is a series of story's in the book and then you will love the way the author goes form one to another
go
ONE of story's are out law marshal you see when Marshal go bad they had to go after them two some of them are greedy for money and he murder a kid he did not need to do it was a Indian kid who was in a store at the wrong time and now cash go after the out law Marshal.
i have read some great western book and i really got in to this one and i will read more of the authors books.
June 28, 2013
These short stories are great westerns in the Clint Eastwood genre. I am also reminded of the stories of the great Louis L'Amour.
First paragraph of the first short story in the book.
THE WIND SCORPION
Each blistered step unleashed a flash of razor pain that snaked up his spine and bit into his throbbing head. Staggering ahead, the trail twisted for miles. Any hope of crossing paths with a helping hand vanished with the arrival of the afternoon sun's fiery breath. Water, he needed water. Straying from the security of the well-worn trail was surely a death sentence. There was no way of knowing how far he'd have to wander to find a stream, and in his weakened condition, without a gun, he was no match for the treacherous Wyoming terrain and wildlife. He knew he must stick to the road that eventually would lead to Vermillion, and hopefully, the men who left him to die. He had been escorting a prisoner, Black Jack Larson, to Cheyenne to stand trial for the murder of a circuit judge when he was jumped and beaten by Larson's men.
Grainger, Edward A. (2011-06-08). Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles (Cash Laramie & Gideon Miles Series) (Kindle Locations 45-51). BEAT to a PULP. Kindle Edition.
First paragraph of the first short story in the book.
THE WIND SCORPION
Each blistered step unleashed a flash of razor pain that snaked up his spine and bit into his throbbing head. Staggering ahead, the trail twisted for miles. Any hope of crossing paths with a helping hand vanished with the arrival of the afternoon sun's fiery breath. Water, he needed water. Straying from the security of the well-worn trail was surely a death sentence. There was no way of knowing how far he'd have to wander to find a stream, and in his weakened condition, without a gun, he was no match for the treacherous Wyoming terrain and wildlife. He knew he must stick to the road that eventually would lead to Vermillion, and hopefully, the men who left him to die. He had been escorting a prisoner, Black Jack Larson, to Cheyenne to stand trial for the murder of a circuit judge when he was jumped and beaten by Larson's men.
Grainger, Edward A. (2011-06-08). Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles (Cash Laramie & Gideon Miles Series) (Kindle Locations 45-51). BEAT to a PULP. Kindle Edition.
February 17, 2012
Mark Twain already reviewed this when he wrote Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses (http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/HNS...). These stories, short as they are, are packed with cliches, wooden dialogue, generic descriptions (when descriptions are provided at all), and dull one-note characters. The writing is lazy first draft material, with confusing action scenes, poor word choice (much of which seems to be plucked at random from a thesaurus by someone with a poor vocabulary), and sloppy grammar.
All the five star reviews that prompted me to purchase this are mind-boggling. Apparently none of the people who wrote them have heard of Larry McMurtry, Elmore Leonard, or anyone else who has mastered the art of the Western. This book is everything that's bad about today's self-publishing market, where writers shell out hundreds for fancy book covers but won't give an editor a dime. Don't waste your time or money on this one.
All the five star reviews that prompted me to purchase this are mind-boggling. Apparently none of the people who wrote them have heard of Larry McMurtry, Elmore Leonard, or anyone else who has mastered the art of the Western. This book is everything that's bad about today's self-publishing market, where writers shell out hundreds for fancy book covers but won't give an editor a dime. Don't waste your time or money on this one.
February 8, 2012
Clint Eastwood country. What I admired as much as anything else in this book, was that it was unpretentious. Strong stories, simply told, without trying for affected language. This is a very CLEAN book, with short stories perfect for a coffee break or when you don't have much time to get your reading fix.
You can tell Edward had a lot of fun writing this, and that the milieu is one he cares about. As others have noted, the old west of the spaghetti westerns, of Clint Eastwood and the Man with No Name, came through strongly as an unspoken backdrop.
And then, as if all this weren't enough, Mr. Grainger prices this collection at 0.99!!! This is the kind of book the Kindle was invented for: pleasurable writing for a more than fair price. The author should be very proud of this book, and I hope it sells like hotcakes for him.
If you haven't read this yet, do yourself a favor and do so.
You can tell Edward had a lot of fun writing this, and that the milieu is one he cares about. As others have noted, the old west of the spaghetti westerns, of Clint Eastwood and the Man with No Name, came through strongly as an unspoken backdrop.
And then, as if all this weren't enough, Mr. Grainger prices this collection at 0.99!!! This is the kind of book the Kindle was invented for: pleasurable writing for a more than fair price. The author should be very proud of this book, and I hope it sells like hotcakes for him.
If you haven't read this yet, do yourself a favor and do so.
July 5, 2011
If you took a razor blade and ran it down a wet canvas half dripping with black ink, then smeared it into the white area, you’d get a good replica of the characters Edward Grainger draws out in Cash & Miles. The backdrop is late 1800’s. Times are harsh. A shot of whiskey doesn’t go far. Cash is the harbinger of the law, but he bears much more than this, he bears a conscience that is often at disagreement with the law. It’s this inner battle that carries the reader eagerly through the stories and wanting more. Miles holds my favorite shoot out scene in “Miles To Go.” He’s full of spunk, grit and is a sort of cornerstone to the series. There’s a bit of everything for everyone in the book: gunfights, love, humor, horror, friendship and grit. One of my favorite reads for this year. I highly recommend, especially for those who are fans of Stephen King’s Dark Tower books.
October 3, 2014
After reading the impressive Cash Laramie western novella Manhunter’s Mountain by Wayne D Dundee I started looking for further books featuring the tough US Marshal. Going back to the source I found this short story collection by the original writer and creator Edward A Grainger. What follows is a rough and tough selection of outlaws, bandits and villains hunted down by the relentless Marshal Cash Laramie and his partner in some of the stories fellow deputy Gideon Miles. The narrative in these stories is thin, taunt and hardboiled. There are no paragraphs of waste just concise and economical pages sprinkled with action and dialogue. Interestingly the author manages to include topics such as race and child abuse to give real depth to the collection. For any western fan or curious reader I would recommend this collection.
February 6, 2012
Seven short stories in this volume that was free for Kindle.
I grew up with a Dad who loved Zane Grey and Louis Lamour. When I was looking for something to read I often picked up a book by these authors. So I've read a few Westerns in my day.
These short stories made me think of the dime novels that were so popular in the last 1800s. I imagine a lot of them were just like these stories.
Cash and Gideon are U.S. Marshals in Wyoming circa 1880. Their lives are complicated. Gideon especially because he is black.
Each story tells of an outlaw and consequences. Those consequences don't always follow the letter of the law.
Great reading for anyone who loves Westerns. Highly recommended.
I grew up with a Dad who loved Zane Grey and Louis Lamour. When I was looking for something to read I often picked up a book by these authors. So I've read a few Westerns in my day.
These short stories made me think of the dime novels that were so popular in the last 1800s. I imagine a lot of them were just like these stories.
Cash and Gideon are U.S. Marshals in Wyoming circa 1880. Their lives are complicated. Gideon especially because he is black.
Each story tells of an outlaw and consequences. Those consequences don't always follow the letter of the law.
Great reading for anyone who loves Westerns. Highly recommended.
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