Vendetta Trail

Hawke #3

by Robert Vaughan

Mason Hawke just wants to be left alone. Born with a musician's hands, Hawke has spent the past decade using his lightning–quick fingers to deal death instead of tunes, moving from one town to the next hoping to mute the voices of the dead that continually ring in his ears. But while playing piano in a two–bit saloon in Nebraska, Hawke witnesses a couple of roughnecks gun down a friend of his, and a few seconds later, the killer falls, by Hawke's hand. To honor his dead friend, Hawke travels to her home in New Orleans, but trouble seems to follow Mason Hawke like a hungry dog, and within days, he has put a bullet into a gun–toting thief.

But what should have been a simple act of justice becomes the beginning of a hunt. The man who Hawke shot was part of a business, part of a group, and that group is now determined to take revenge on Mason Hawke. That last tune in Nebraska began a trail that would take him on a winding road, to New Orleans, Missouri, and finally Kansas, before the vendetta that began in Nebraska can finally be put to rest.

Genres: Westerns

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2005

About the author

Robert Vaughan is an American writer. He has also written a series of contemporary and historical romance novels under several pseudonyms including "Paula Moore" and "Paula Fairman". His father served in the military and Robert followed him in the 1950s, entering army aviation. He served until the Vietnam War and won numerous medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with several oak-leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal, and several other medals.
His early books reflected his military background: the first novel was about the US Army along the DMZ in Korea, followed by a trilogy set in Vietnam. There are more than 9 million of his books in print under various names. He was inducted into the Writers’ Hall of Fame in 1998.

Reviews

[Michael Gibb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grit and riveting!

Mason HAWKE is like the precursor of the early old West of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. The man you want on your side.

[Barbara Lee Wood]

THE MAFIA HIT MEN

Ah the Mafia or better still the infamous "Black Hand" of the Sicilian families, who made their move to America. They settled in New York City, lower East side, where they made life of the new Italian emigrants lived. They, moved into areas where they could control manipulate the law with bribes, which went far. They controlled the docks up and down the eastern coast. They expanded into the protection rackets any that they could make a profit off of their own fellow countrymen, whom knew the threat these men exposed while they lived in Italy and Sicily.
New Orleans has always had a reputation of bribery, nothing new! Owners of businesses had to pay protection money, or their businesses would somehow burn 🔥down or the owners would lose their lives. These gangs leaders Dons and their solders had no limits, life mean't held very little value in their world. Mason Hawke knew the kind of men he was dealing with. Very persistent, determined to carry out their assignments of death so that they could rise in the organization to possibly be given a town or city to extort.The bad news bears folks..scary.
Rachel is on the run because there's a bounty on her and Hawke's life. What a mess, but fear not Hawke is a force to deal with, which these henchmen and their leaders will soon discover.
The author also touches upon the after effects of the "War Of Anarchy" families both wealthy and poor were left without any finances. Some family were wiped off the face of the earth. The so called "greed slaves" suffered worse than the poorest white tenant farmers. Women who had no family or skill worked as saloon girls..Can't get any lower than that during that period of American history.
You'll enjoy reading 📚this adventure of our friendly talented"piano player, Mason Hawke. He's a dare devil showing no fear, but don't mistake that as a hindrance because it isn't. A man with strong ethics and moral fortitude, that's Mason Hawke.

[Charles Castell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot put a true and thorough understanding statement about Mr. Robert Vaughan's writing capabilities, although I can day he is in pretty good company with Mr. C. J. Box and the Joe Pickett series. Don't believe my High School English/Literature teacher would appreciate that long ongoing sentence. Mr. Vaughan does an excellent concentration and selection of characters and their storylines are unbelievable. The Hawke series consistently improves with each new episode.

As all other Hawke series, five stars says a lot, but doesn't provide the true value of this outstanding series of our true old western adventures. These stories are so very heartwarming and as a dedicated reader of many great westerns, I place these stories in the top five best series of all times.

There is no doubt that Mr. Vaughan has another book on this series planned, or I will be sorely disappointed (😞), if this doesn't happen.

Mr. Vaughan is very thorough in his descriptions of each and every detailed assignment of his character selections! I am definitely hooked on the exceptional depiction in vivid detail of each and every storyline as they unfold. Most of the time I have no problem defining each and every episode as the develop, but Mr. Nathan has an uncanny penmanship that will not allow me to determine what happens next. That is what makes a good author great!

This is a superb series and I, most definitely, recommend this series of Hawke's escapades to all readers loving great western romantic escapades. These stories definitely reach out and grabs the reader, almost instantaneously, and it is your loss if you do not join "The Hawke" bandwagon! I cannot set these novels aside until the last storyline is completed.

[D-Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good.
But has it's moments.
Plays out like a cheap Grade-D Western with all the Italian Mafioso stereotypes imaginable.
I appreciate the effort of the author (Robert Vaughan) trying to mix things up by adding new antagonists for Hawke to encounter, but it plays incredibly cheesy.
The only thing that stops this from being a 1-star dime-store novel is some of the action (particularly the ending) is pretty entertaining.
I think I am moving on from this series and looking for new Westerns to read.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaughan again puts Hawke on hero pedestal. Skilled at fighting and guns, yet modest, he protects the helpless from criminals. Her plight would be hopeless without him.

Start of Italian Mafia in US true? When feuding Families cross Hawke, one gang leader telegrams ahead of paddleboat. Rachel, whore witness to murder, ìs also target. Pursuers are persistent, following train, endangering passengers.

Rachel is exceptionally stunning. No surprise when they connect. Hawke usually has a wonderful woman for one book. But he leaves early morning, no hard weepy farewells.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good and entertaining novel. I enjoyed reading this novel and recommend this book to everyone.

[Nita Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Italian Movie in the West

What a moving story of Mason Hawke. His life as piano player in saloons and helping save the life of a prostitute. Very exciting and !it's of adventure.

[larry brashear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

A great story of the old West, well written and edited, interesting and exciting with a good plot. Of course it has good winning over evil.

[BLOOPY! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't really warm up to any character. Wrong character name used a couple times. Had good action.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pianist and gunfighter Mason Hawke gets into a gunfight at the saloon where he works. The owner dies, so he decides to ride to New Orleans.

Once there, he gets a job playing piano in a bordello, and finds conflict with the mafia, then only just becoming a national force.

Some pretty exciting parts, although some of the events seem to come out of left field. Pretty decent for a modern western.