Mountain Killer

Long Rider #20

by Clay Dawson

Nursed back to health after a near-fatal grizzly attack, Long Rider thanks his rescuer, Ella Porter, and hits the trail to track down the beast who left him scarred and Ella's husband dead. Original.

185 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Probably several ghost writers.

Reviews

[Paul F. · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Mountain Killer" by Clay Dawson, part of the "Long Rider" series is a bitter disappointment for readers of Western fiction who like to live vicariously. I'm sorry, but the plot line will disappoint readers who have come to expect a particular type of Western romantic fiction. This novel also contains a wildly improbable sex scene. I could also tell that the author, Clay Dawson, has never had a broken leg, because if he had, he would know that people with broken legs do not go walking around getting in knife fights. (I speak from the experience of having had a broken leg.) Our hero, Long Rider, aka Gabe Conrad, meets a lovely young widow, Ella Porter, after he is savagely attacked by a grizzly bear that has terrorized the ranch valley. Gabe has to find the quickest port in a storm, and that by pure coincidence is Ella's cabin. Ella's deceased husband has been killed by the grizzly. This angry bear will attack anyone and their livestock, with the interesting exception of bigshot rancher Caleb Burr, who wants Ella something fierce and he's more than a little jealous when he sees Ella with Gabe. Not to worry--Gabe has no plans to get anything going with Ella, and he doesn't. (I said, and I repeat, this novel will disappoint readers who have come to expect a particular plot line.) Gabe suspects a connection between Burr and the killer grizzly, and he's not far wrong. Naturally, for no other reason than that Long Rider enjoys taking on other people's problems and tussles that he frankly could just walk or ride away from, our hero sets himself the task of ridding Los Osos Valley of the diabolical grizzly and anyone connected with it. I give Dawson credit for working hard to produce a plot which is a change from standard Western fare (e.g. gold prospectors, cattle drives, lawmen, etc.), but that's frankly the only good thing about this misguided novel.