Long Run

by Nelson C. Nye

Will Howlett had set his guns aside and rode a thousand burning miles from Texas-just to make sure his past stayed far behind him.

But fate and a spunky woman trying to hang on to her bullet-straddled Star Cross Ranch had a different game in mind for him.

Howlett had to take the gungslingers trail again. And this time there would be no turning back.

Genres: Westerns

172 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Nelson Coral Nye was an American author, wrote westerns and non-fiction books on quarter horses. Besides Nelson C. Nye he also wrote fiction using the pseudonyms Clem Colt and Drake C. Denver.
1959 Spur Award winning author for 'Long Run'.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_... and https://absolutewestern.fandom.com/wi...

Reviews

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a short book with a lot going on but it still felt like it dragged due to its paper-thin characters. The story gets in motion when a drifting gambler with a past comes across two dead men and the man that killed them. The killer claims he is with the law, and sends the gambler into town with the two dead men and and the story of what happened. The gambler gets locked up for double murder, as the story is quickly realized as bogus. After a few days in jail, the gambler figures out who the murderer is and gets drawn into the conflict involuntarily.

The biggest problem with this book is there's not a compelling character anywhere to be found. Will Howlett is the gambler, and he is reluctant to get involved with everything, so he'd rather, I don't know, stay in prison and be hanged? He gets released from jail by a woman (Francine) he's never met who immediately gives him her property to solve all of her problems. There's the usual will they or won't they tension, but Francine is barely in the book except to be exasperated. The bad guys are Francine's foreman and the rival rancher, neither of whom does anything particularly interesting.

The high point of the book was a trial throw thrown together to convict Howlett that ends up showing different truths. It comes out of nowhere and is over in a few pages. The rest of this was a quick read but not an enjoyable one. So far this was my least favorite of the Spur Award winners that I've read.

[Justin Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite the book packed in just 125 pages. While I wish the ending could've been developed a tiny bit more, I do love this book. It contains many twists and turns and builds plenty of suspense. Despite what one reviewer says, it's not just your typical western novel. The fact that it contains such a twisting turning plot that I have found comparison in very few books that are quite longer than this. The spur award should also support the validity of this novels uniqueness and creativity. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone. Definitely gonna read more nelson nye now

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard western as gunslinger Will Howlett must go against a land grabbing rich rancher in order to protect the woman he loves. Nothing new, some excitement, and of course he saves the day nad gets the gal.