Herne the Hunter 2: River of Blood

by John J. McLaglen, Ben Bridges (Editor), Piccadilly Publishing (Editor)

Facing down the albino killer, Isaiah Coburn doesn't come without its consequences in this second in the fast-moving Western adventure. "Becky rolled and slithered further and further towards the river. Everything she tried to grab hold of gave way in her hands. She clawed frantically at the mud but only succeeded in tracing patterns in it. Until she came to a sudden stop against something hard. Becky looked around, then upwards. Her heart stopped, her mouth sagged it was a pair of boots. The owner of which leered down at her through the mist which was rising off the ground. He had the strangest eyes and skin she had ever seen. Becky had seen no man like him before. It was Isaiah the albino. ‘What a present to be made to us in such difficult times,’ he grinned." ABOUT THE AUTHOR John J. McLaglen is the pseudonym for the writing team of Laurence James and John Harvey. Laurence James began his writing career in 1974 when he published his first novel in the science-fiction series SIMON EARTH LIES SLEEPING. He worked in publishing for ten years off and on till about 1970, when he went to “New English Library and ran the editorial side of NEL for three years.” In addition, around 1974, James published the fantasy saga of Hells Angels in England & Wales in the early 1990s under the name Mick Norman. While the name of Laurence James is not synonymous with Westerns, those of John J. McLaglen, William M. James and James W. Marvin, to name but a few, are. John Harvey, a former English and drama school teacher began his contribution to the Herne the Hunter series with the second book, River of Blood. “In the Western,” says John, “I’m interested in finding a balance between the myth of the West (as it comes through American literature and film) and the historical reality. Increasingly, I’m concerned to attempt to make a stronger place for women in the Western, which is traditionally a refuge of masculinity and male fantasy.” The character of Jed Herne is like a blunt instrument moving through the West. He never achieves happiness, nor riches. Laurence James said, “There is no such thing as a happy western hero. Never. They can’t be. They’ve got to be men alone. They’ve got to be heroes.”

Genres: Westerns

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 27, 2012

About the author

A pseudonym used by John Harvey and Laurence James.

Reviews

[Éric Kasprak · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the Herne the Hunter series is a direct continuation of the first one. As stated in my review of the first book, the Piccadilly Cowboys were not known for the deep character study, but for violent and fast paced action and River of Blood fits right in. In this second book, we get an evolution of the relation between Herne and Becky, which reenforce the creepy vibe I got from Herne toward Becky's blossoming womanhood from the first book. Herne his busy killing a couple more guys from the gang raper's list, but still makes time to gun down a young gunslinger who was getting too close to Becky to his liking. I know that the series switch between two different authors from book to book and I must say that I prefer the style of the first author. Still River of Blood is a very good story and a great example of the violent action oriented stories from the Piccadily's outing.

[Barbara Lee Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

VENGEANCE ROAD

Herne on the vengeance trail searching for the snakes who raped his wife, who he discovered hanging in their barn, she had committed suicide.
This but characters of seven men who also murdered his neighbor Jody's mother, who he now rode with on his trek to locate the last men involved in this hellish murdering binge they were on.....alcohol always brings out the worst of people they do things that normally they wouldn't do. But under the guise of alcohol they can commit these crimes under the blankets of night...
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[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Herne is still on the vengeance trail against the men who caused the death of his wife and her friend. No one is spared in his quest. He has the friends teenage daughter to worry about along the way. This time he is hunted as well by an albino that once was a cohort. Fast and to the point.

[Mick Lillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

great western read it when i was twelve , still as good as ever