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Lassiter #5
Lassiter #5: A Hell of a Way to Die
Lassiter is on the outlaw trail when he runs onto King Jessup's land. An iron-jawed, whiskey-tempered rancher whose brand is on a big chunk of Texas and ruled it with the six-gun and the hanging tree. With only two bullets left, he is captured by a gang of riders. Though before being hung, he cuts a deal with Jessup, who better keep his word or Lassiter will take on his whole empire to get him. You don’t mess with Lassiter and get to survive!
"A solid western novel with plenty of action." — Goodreads.com
"Highly recommended, it's a quick read full of action and well done characters." — Goodreads.com
"A solid western novel with plenty of action." — Goodreads.com
"Highly recommended, it's a quick read full of action and well done characters." — Goodreads.com
- GenresWesterns
169 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1969
About the author
Jack Slade
1,067 books4 followersPseudonym of Alexander Leslie Scott, 1893-1974, American writer.
Other pseudonyms are Bradford Scott, Jack Bertin, and Jackson Cole.
Other pseudonyms are Bradford Scott, Jack Bertin, and Jackson Cole.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 10, 2026
I hadn't read any of the Lassiter books, written by several authors under the house-name of Jack Slade. But I wanted to give the series a try and this one was written by Ben Haas (author of the superb Fargo series). Since it didn't seem necessary to read the series in order, I started with this one.
The protagonist is a self-interested and often violent gunfighter, who plans and executes complex heists in the Wild West, often targeted against the Wells Fargo company (who had driven his own stagecoach business into bankruptcy and his partner to suicide). He's pursued by relentless Wells Fargo agent Sydney Blood.
In this one, the book begins with Lassiter finding the body of a man who was killed in a particularly horrible way. This sets off a series of events in which he is caught up in the machinations of a wealthy Texas rancher and the rancher's enemy-the beautiful female outlaw named Silver. Lassiter switches sides a few times during the story. He and Silver begin to fall for each other, something Lassiter considers a problem. In his view, a man without any emotional connections in his life is free. A man involved with a woman is turned into a "blubbering idiot."
The story unfolds in an effective and often very exciting manner, with Ben Haas employing his usual skill in mixing plot development together with great action scenes. There's a particularly intense scene in which a captured Lassiter is tied up, wrapped in the blood-soaked hide of a longhorn, then left out to be trampled and gored by other longhorns who will be enraged by the smell of the blood.
Later, he and Silver have a chance to pull off a heist targeting the rancher's money. But an unexpected act of mercy by Silver might come back to bite both her and Lassiter.
I enjoyed this one enormously and I'll probably return to the series soon.
The protagonist is a self-interested and often violent gunfighter, who plans and executes complex heists in the Wild West, often targeted against the Wells Fargo company (who had driven his own stagecoach business into bankruptcy and his partner to suicide). He's pursued by relentless Wells Fargo agent Sydney Blood.
In this one, the book begins with Lassiter finding the body of a man who was killed in a particularly horrible way. This sets off a series of events in which he is caught up in the machinations of a wealthy Texas rancher and the rancher's enemy-the beautiful female outlaw named Silver. Lassiter switches sides a few times during the story. He and Silver begin to fall for each other, something Lassiter considers a problem. In his view, a man without any emotional connections in his life is free. A man involved with a woman is turned into a "blubbering idiot."
The story unfolds in an effective and often very exciting manner, with Ben Haas employing his usual skill in mixing plot development together with great action scenes. There's a particularly intense scene in which a captured Lassiter is tied up, wrapped in the blood-soaked hide of a longhorn, then left out to be trampled and gored by other longhorns who will be enraged by the smell of the blood.
Later, he and Silver have a chance to pull off a heist targeting the rancher's money. But an unexpected act of mercy by Silver might come back to bite both her and Lassiter.
I enjoyed this one enormously and I'll probably return to the series soon.
December 9, 2021
Perfect western by Ben Haas (aka John Benteen of Fargo fame). Lassiter is an outlaw after mostly Wells Fargo money since he blames them for ruining his business. Though on the run he runs into Jessup's land, known as King in that part of Texas. With only two bullets left, he is captured by a gang of riders. Though before being hung, he cuts a deal with Jessup, who better keep his word or Lassister will take on his whole empire to get him.
Highly recommended, you can see why after Haas did this book that the publisher wanted many more from him.
Highly recommended, you can see why after Haas did this book that the publisher wanted many more from him.
August 18, 2012
Such a fun book!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews