What do you think?
Rate this book
Longarm #69
Longarm on the Painted Desert
HOT ON THE TRAIL OF DESERT DESPERADOES
Five ruthless killers have nabbed a hefty army payroll and escaped along the famed Outlaw Trail through the Painted Desert -- the best hideout land in the West. This wasteland, famous for its beauty, can become a deadly trap for a lawman...
But U.S. Marshal Long knows the territory, and knows he'll need sharp wits and a fast gun to do the job. Longarm's got a score to settle, with only a lonely desert maiden to lend a helping hand!
Five ruthless killers have nabbed a hefty army payroll and escaped along the famed Outlaw Trail through the Painted Desert -- the best hideout land in the West. This wasteland, famous for its beauty, can become a deadly trap for a lawman...
But U.S. Marshal Long knows the territory, and knows he'll need sharp wits and a fast gun to do the job. Longarm's got a score to settle, with only a lonely desert maiden to lend a helping hand!
Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1984
About the author
Tabor Evans
589 books45 followersTabor Evans is the author of the long-running Longarm western series, featuring the adventures of Deputy U.S. Marshal Custis Long. Tabor Evans, is a house pseudonym used by a number of authors. The pseudonym of Tabor Evans would begin in the 1970s when Lou Cameron established it for the Jove Books publishing label. Lou Cameron helped create the character and wrote a number of the early books in the series. The first book was published in 1978. Other authors known to have written books in the series include Melvin Marshall, Will C. Knott, Frank Roderus, Chet Cunningham, J. Lee Butts, Gary McCarthy, James Reasoner, Jeffrey M. Wallmann, Peter Brandvold and Harry Whittington. In addition there are 29 "Giant" editions published as well.
The Longarm series is a mainstay of the "adult western" genre which arose in the 1970s. These books are distinguished from classical westerns by the inclusion of more explicit sex and violence.
The Longarm series is a mainstay of the "adult western" genre which arose in the 1970s. These books are distinguished from classical westerns by the inclusion of more explicit sex and violence.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 28, 2023
Very simple writing, decent plot (lawman pursues a gang of thieves who stole from the US army, has to sort out who really organized the robbery). This series apparently epitomizes the genre of ‘adult western’, so there’s explicit sex. It would be considered steamy but bland in a modern contemporary or western romance.
In fact, comparing this western to contemporary romance is one of the more interesting aspects of reading it. The main difference is how surface the narrative is - I don’t mean shallow. In the romance novels I’ve read, there’s always two levels of narrative: what the characters are saying and doing, and what the characters are feeling. The sex scenes in heterosexual steamy romance are key points where the two narrative tracks intersect, offering confirmation that the male and female leads have something real. In contrast, this ‘adult western’ has only one level, the external. The physical location and appearance of buildings and landscapes, the things people say, the sounds lovers make. Some of the descriptions are complex, and sometimes bad guys lie - that’s part of how you know they are bad, their words don’t match external reality - but you only know what a character feels because they say it. That’s even true for the main character; when Longarm feels something that it wouldn't make sense for him to say to anyone else, he says it to himself in italics: Old son, you can thank your Maker, you’ve been lucky not to get killed. All of that makes for a fast, uncomplicated read, with some level of suspense as to how the bad guys will end up dead and how many women will take an interest in the hero. Of course as a part of this fantasy there’s never a question of an HEA or even a genuine HFN.
In fact, comparing this western to contemporary romance is one of the more interesting aspects of reading it. The main difference is how surface the narrative is - I don’t mean shallow. In the romance novels I’ve read, there’s always two levels of narrative: what the characters are saying and doing, and what the characters are feeling. The sex scenes in heterosexual steamy romance are key points where the two narrative tracks intersect, offering confirmation that the male and female leads have something real. In contrast, this ‘adult western’ has only one level, the external. The physical location and appearance of buildings and landscapes, the things people say, the sounds lovers make. Some of the descriptions are complex, and sometimes bad guys lie - that’s part of how you know they are bad, their words don’t match external reality - but you only know what a character feels because they say it. That’s even true for the main character; when Longarm feels something that it wouldn't make sense for him to say to anyone else, he says it to himself in italics: Old son, you can thank your Maker, you’ve been lucky not to get killed. All of that makes for a fast, uncomplicated read, with some level of suspense as to how the bad guys will end up dead and how many women will take an interest in the hero. Of course as a part of this fantasy there’s never a question of an HEA or even a genuine HFN.
Displaying 1 of 1 review