Trail Drive

The Cattlemen #1

by Brian Garfield

Dan Sweet was a tall man, a strong man, and most important, a man who had taken his own measure and lived by it. Now he had promised Ben Gaultt to drive four thousand head of beef across the blazing Arizona desert—Indian country. Sweet was not the man to make an idle promise.

But trouble was brewing; there were too many people who didn’t want that beef to market. Nate Ringabaugh gave Sweet his first warning, and Ringabaugh was a man who commanded respect. Miles Littlejack had grimly fought Sweet for authority, and Owen Mingo was doing his best to whip the crew into a mutiny.

There was one man left. He was waiting. In his mind, Ben Gaultt had to be ruined, and there was only one way to do it. Dan Sweet had to die.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Brian Francis Wynne Garfield was a novelist and screenwriter. He wrote his first published book at the age of eighteen, and gained prominence with 1975 his book Hopscotch, which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. He is best known for his 1972 novel Death Wish, which was adapted for the 1974 film of the same title, followed by four sequels, and a remake starring Bruce Willis.

His follow-up 1975 sequel to Death Wish, Death Sentence, was very loosely adapted into a film of the same name which was released to theaters in late 2007, though an entirely different storyline, but with the novel's same look on vigilantism. Garfield is also the author of The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History. Garfield's latest book, published in 2007, is Meinertzhagen, the biography of controversial British intelligence officer Richard Meinertzhagen.

Brian Garfield was the author of more than 70 books that sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and 19 of his works were made into films or TV shows. He also served as president of the Western Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America.

Pseudonyms:
• Bennett Garland
• John Ives
• Drew Mallory
• Frank O'Brian
• Brian Wynne
• Frank Wynne

Reviews

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This came to me as an Ace Double-Novel Western (F-260), paired with Trouble at Gunsight quite a deal at $0.40, even in 1962. That pairing unfortunately undermines Trail Drive slightly, since Gunsight is so superior that Trail Drive comes off probably even flatter than it is by comparison.
Story is (mild spoilers if you have never read a standard western), a MAN takes on a job he knows is going to be trouble, and then rides into trouble leading a herd his own way. Wins the girl, of course. Inspires others and awes them with his awesomeness. Wins out in the end, of course.

What rescues this time-waster is the quality of the telling, it's your usual western with no twists, the characters are exactly who they always are, and the outcome is never in doubt, but the writing is above the average Western Genre Pulp. So there is no reason to pick this one up unless you are really looking for a novel in the style of, but less carefully thought out than, your usual Louis L'Amour effort.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow, just another western but, the characters were real and they had depth . Enjoyed reading this very much. Wish it had been longer. It was just a very good western novel. will look for more works by this author on ebay right now.