The Reckless Gun

Gunsmoke #4

by Joseph A. West

Book by West, Joseph A.

Genres: Westerns

345 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2006

About the author

Joe West was born and raised in the seaside town of Saltcoats in Scotland. At 19 he became a police officer, but soon turned his love of writing into a career as a journalist, working for the Daily Mirror in London among others. In 1972 West was recruited as a reporter for the National Enquirer, and began working in the United States. Traveling the world in search of stories, West almost froze to death on an Alaska mountain, and a spider bite nearly killed him in the Amazon rainforest. 'I swelled up like a balloon and turned a real pretty violet color,' he recalls.

Now a full-time novelist, West and his wife Emily reside in sunny Lake Worth, Florida, where he enjoys tamer pursuits like canoeing the alligator-infested swamps of the Everglades. His daughter Alexandria attends a local college where she studies forensic technology. She will have absolutely nothing to do with canoes and alligators.

West researches the settings of his novels by exploring the terrain in person, usually with little more than a sleeping bag and a can of coffee.

Recently he and Emily celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary at the Lodge in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, a gift from the students at Rio Rancho High School who use West's first novel as a textbook. They then spent a month in the mountains and deserts of New Mexico, often pitching their tent where the air is thin at 9,000 feet above the flat.

Reviews

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A large lynching party after one of his prisoners, renegade indians on the war path, and a wagon train with a cholera outbreak are only some of the problems Marshall Dillion has on his plate. Really enjoyed this Gunsmoke tale from West, he keeps the action going and the characters are fairly true to the TV series.

Highly recommended for fans of the show and for just fans of a good solid western.

[John Bruni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another top-notch Gunsmoke book from Joseph A. West. With most TV series, when a book is written with those characters, the authors don't understand those characters. West is a rarity. I feel like this really was an episode of Gunsmoke. The villain is great. Matt Dillon is a humble force of nature. Festus is . . . Festus. If you like Gunsmoke, you need to read these books.

[James Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best books in the series.

[Read1000books · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the fifth Gunsmoke western by Joseph West that I have read and this one is surely the poorest of the lot. The violence was more graphic and the adult references too frequent. And, unlike the t.v. series, Mr. West can't seem to get through one book without either Matt or Festus (or both) getting shot to pieces and nearly killed (it was Festus in this one). Joseph West wrote a total of six "Gunsmoke" westerns. They are not chronological in any way, thus you can read them in any order. So if you start with this one, they only get better.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent western! Easy to get into because of the known characters from Gunsmoke. The old half hour series was too short to really get a good storyline going, or to delve into the personalities of the characters, but a book allows you to get to know the characters a little better. This book has a solid storyline and lots of action.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

In honor of the late James Arness, one of my favorite actors. Almost as enjoyable as watching a brand new episode of Gunsmoke, favorite TV show of all time. West must study the reruns as much as we do. My favorite episodes are not so violent as this book, however.

[Malia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, typical Gunsmoke...Matt lives, but I don't know how. Takes a lickin, and his watch keeps still tickin. For real.