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Winter Range
CATTLE WARTimes were tough in Wolf Bench...and they were about to get tougher. Low beef prices had all the cattlemen going hungry, and rumbling bellies led to itchy trigger fingers. Only one man had been able to keep things under rein, and that was John Mason, not only the most powerful cattleman in the area, but the head of the bank to boot. But then Mason was killed.With Mason dead, all bets were off—and everyone knew it. Every spread for miles around was arming themselves for an all-out range war. Boundaries were going to be re-drawn, fences moved and moved back...and men were going to die. Before it all ended there would be a lot of blood spilled on the...WINTER RANGE.
- GenresWesterns
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1938
72 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Alan LeMay
50 books43 followersAlan Brown Le May was an American novelist and screenplay writer. He is most remembered for two classic Western novels, The Searchers and The Unforgiven. They were adapted into the motion pictures "The Searchers" and "The Unforgiven".
He also wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for "North West Mounted Police" (1940), "Reap the Wild Wind" (1942), "Blackbeard the Pirate" (1952). He wrote the original source novel for "Along Came Jones" (1945), as well as a score of other screenplays and an assortment of other novels and short stories. Le May wrote and directed "High Lonesome" (1950). Le May also wrote and produced (but did not direct) "Quebec" (1951.
He also wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for "North West Mounted Police" (1940), "Reap the Wild Wind" (1942), "Blackbeard the Pirate" (1952). He wrote the original source novel for "Along Came Jones" (1945), as well as a score of other screenplays and an assortment of other novels and short stories. Le May wrote and directed "High Lonesome" (1950). Le May also wrote and produced (but did not direct) "Quebec" (1951.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 15, 2017
LeMay's writing within this modern day (written in '30s) western story is far above what most all accomplish. The trouble is LeMay writes like a current contemporary novelist with 3/4 of the book easy to excise. Was LeMay's work kept away from editors?
It's established early on that this is part of a series. There are parts where I wished I'd read the earlier books. However, maybe the series should be called "A - Detective - Kentucky Jones Western". Through the book, Jones is investigating bad guy stuff, despite his claiming over and over he brokers cows. Why didn't LeMay just make Jones a detective? Not doing that, makes the character uneven and the story hard to place in reality.
The characters are good and also over written. Settings are the same.
Bottom line: I don't recommend the book. 4 out of 10 points.
It's established early on that this is part of a series. There are parts where I wished I'd read the earlier books. However, maybe the series should be called "A - Detective - Kentucky Jones Western". Through the book, Jones is investigating bad guy stuff, despite his claiming over and over he brokers cows. Why didn't LeMay just make Jones a detective? Not doing that, makes the character uneven and the story hard to place in reality.
The characters are good and also over written. Settings are the same.
Bottom line: I don't recommend the book. 4 out of 10 points.
July 20, 2023
A Western Whodunit
This story is one that has a murder at the core of it and a range war brought on by the murder. Wait did I say a murder what I meant was two murders with no suspects for either one. Then there are too many suspects. I liked this story simply for the murder mystery part of it and trying to put all the pieces together to solve it before the hero does. It was a tight race to discover the murderer, but it all came out in the end. One nice thing was the clues were there for you to find for yourself. For me Alan Kemah did an excellent job of telling the story of a more modern West.
This story is one that has a murder at the core of it and a range war brought on by the murder. Wait did I say a murder what I meant was two murders with no suspects for either one. Then there are too many suspects. I liked this story simply for the murder mystery part of it and trying to put all the pieces together to solve it before the hero does. It was a tight race to discover the murderer, but it all came out in the end. One nice thing was the clues were there for you to find for yourself. For me Alan Kemah did an excellent job of telling the story of a more modern West.
January 17, 2023
For Die-Hard Cowboy Fans Only
Not bad if you really love Westerns and Cowboys.
Lots and lots of clichés and recycled western genre stuff but if you’re a fan then it’s unputdownable until the end.
Lots of stuff to get the brain into escapism mode to a different era.
More of a modernised (1920’s/30’s) sort of western where early cars and the odd telephone makes an appearance- as opposed to mainly horses and Indian blanket smoke signals.
A fairly complex script though. Still - the good guy gets the real killer and of course the girl at the end.
Glad I read it.
Not bad if you really love Westerns and Cowboys.
Lots and lots of clichés and recycled western genre stuff but if you’re a fan then it’s unputdownable until the end.
Lots of stuff to get the brain into escapism mode to a different era.
More of a modernised (1920’s/30’s) sort of western where early cars and the odd telephone makes an appearance- as opposed to mainly horses and Indian blanket smoke signals.
A fairly complex script though. Still - the good guy gets the real killer and of course the girl at the end.
Glad I read it.
June 11, 2022
I really couldn't get into it. There wasn't enough action going on. It maybe a good read for some but I wasn't too thrilled. Trying to solve who killed this one guy and a cook was later found dead, a real who done it !
July 9, 2018
Who knew Alan Lemay wrote mysteries? Good read from an older western writer. If you like " Oaters" this would be a good one for you to try.
March 17, 2025
Not really a western; more of a noir detective novel set among cowboys. It got off to a fast start but I found the ending a bit too pat and unsatisfying. Still an entertaining diversion.
July 4, 2018
A Modern Range War/Murder/A Bank Near Collapse/One Woman@One Man
SO has penned a modern day western, which could take place anytime between 1950 - 2020. The man that held the ranches together through the good and bad times is murdered. The Banker had worked for years with the ranchers to keep everyone afloat. However, a land grab is in the offering and the banker is murdered to keep him from using the bank against the rancher attempting thr e land grab. This is an excellent read for the genre!....DEHS
SO has penned a modern day western, which could take place anytime between 1950 - 2020. The man that held the ranches together through the good and bad times is murdered. The Banker had worked for years with the ranchers to keep everyone afloat. However, a land grab is in the offering and the banker is murdered to keep him from using the bank against the rancher attempting thr e land grab. This is an excellent read for the genre!....DEHS
August 1, 2024
This was a diverting cross between Zane Grey and Dashiell Hammett. There is some dry-gulching and horse chases, but also the "all the suspects are in a tiny room" trope. Worth reading just for its uniqueness, but it's no great masterpiece.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews