Wild Lonesome

by Harry Whittington

"Evan Landrews was a convicted murder. That he had been framed made very little difference to the men who hunted him: Barr Kingan, his best friend, who also happened to be a doggedly determined Sheriff; Tyler, who had doublecrossed Landrews and so had to see him dead to feel safe; and Blaisdell, out for the bounty: a soulless killer with eyes as flat as a dead bird. No one believed that Landrews had the ghost of a chance - except Landrews."

Genres: Westerns

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

He also wrote under the names Ashley Carter, Harriet Kathryn Myers, and Blaine Stevens, Curt Colman, John Dexter, Tabor Evans, Whit Harrison, Kel Holland, Suzanne Stephens, Clay Stuart, Hondo Wells, Harry White, Hallam Whitney, Henri Whittier, J.X. Williams.

Harry Whittington (February 4, 1915–June 11, 1989) was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel. Born in Ocala, Florida, he worked in government jobs before becoming a writer.

His reputation as a prolific writer of pulp fiction novels is supported by his writing of 85 novels in a span of twelve years (as many as seven in a single month) mostly in the crime, suspense, and noir fiction genres. In total, he published over 200 novels. Seven of his writings were produced for the screen, including the television series Lawman. His reputation for being known as 'The King of the Pulps' is shared with author H. Bedford-Jones. Only a handful of Whittington's novels are in print today.
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Reviews

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've heard much about Harry Whittington but have only read one book of his before this, at least that I know of. What I can see from the two I've read is that Whittington had a gift for raw, dramatic writing. He was good at creating characters and putting them into interesting conflicts. This particular book started strong and ended strong, but I thought it sagged rather badly in the middle, even though the writing was strong throughout. A young man is on his way to a hang rope when he escapes and flees into the desert. A posse headed by the man's old friend follows. The escape was great but the part with the desert pursuit was rather slow. The climax, where the man is confronted, is top notch, though. I'll definitely read more Whittington. Three and a half stars

[B.G. Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered whittingtons westerns after reading a few top notch crime novels of his (backwoods tramp and connoley's woman were the main two)Whittington,like Elmore Leonard and Ed Gorman wrote both types of books with style and authenticity.in Wild Lonesome he managed to convey the kind of rage a man would feel at being robbed and betrayed by someone posing as his friend.The betrayed man is Landrews and the betrayer is a sorry, would-be despot named Tyler; a land grabbing, power hungry racist who has no more justification for screwing Landrews than him being married to a mexican.I like a novel that keeps the main tension going between three or four characters,and between Landrews,his wife,the sheriff,and Tyler there's enough suspicion and hatred to keep the tension high and also paint a pretty bleak picture of life in the old west.put this one on your western reading list and check out Charro too

[Chris Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hail Whittington!
solid western that does not work out so well for some racist redneck pieces of shit.
maga would not approve of this book,
probably banned in Texas and Florida...

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Wild Lonesome. It's one of the best Westerns I've read in a long time. Muscular prose style, unrelenting suspense, and a satisfying plot are its trademarks. Recommended.