Vigilante Dawn

by Marcus Galloway, Ralph Compton

Two men are on the hunt for justice—no matter what it takes—in this gripping Ralph Compton western.

Jarrett Pekoe cares about two his ranch and his family. So when rustlers kill his kin and burn his land to the ground, Jarrett won’t rest until the men responsible have their necks caught in the hangman’s rope. He’s willing to cooperate with the law if it’s on his side—and willing to work outside it if it’s not. 

Lem Beauchamp is a stranger with a mysterious ax to grind when it comes to the bandits who razed Jarrett’s ranch. Despite Jarrett’s suspicion of Lem, he isn’t about to refuse the help of an experienced gunman—even if Lem plans to hand out more punishment than the law dictates. 

And when the hunt for justice turns deadly, Lem and Jarrett may be the only ones willing to risk everything to defeat the lethal criminals before more innocent lives are lost....

Genres: Westerns

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 4, 2014

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good western novelist is difficult to find. One would think that the Ralph Compton name would indicate a quality western novel. However, a careful reader will note that the Compton name is a pseudonym-- a house name-- like the old "Luke Short" name that was used by a publisher in the 1970's. The sad thing is that novels written under these house names have an uneven level of quality. At least the Compton titles list (in small print) the REAL author...

With that said, this particular title was a pretty decent western. In the middle of this story is an interesting mystery. When the young rancher has his cattle stolen, his house burned, and his family murdered, he seeks help from the law. Unfortunately, getting the sheriff to move after the gang responsible is like pouring molasses on a cold winter morning. Eventually, a posse is formed, and a stranger named Lem joins the posse. The mystery is why this fellow wants to be on the posse.

The adventure gets underway and the author spreads out the action and moves stuff along at a decent pace, with carefully placed clues about the gunman sprinkled around. Sadly, when the author gets to the conclusion he rushes the tale as if he was hitting a deadline. Still the story was a good one and well written.

The only real problem was the place where the author referred to a pistol as a "smoke wagon." It just was a corny reference that felt completely out of place.

Still, a decent enough western. A good story.

[Steve Nybroten · Rating 3 out of 5]

don't read many westerns this was easy escape read

[Claudette Gabbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story of revenge.