Miles to Lost Dog Creek

Cash Laramie & Gideon Miles #11

by Ron Scheer

U.S. Marshal Gideon Miles is on a well-deserved vacation to visit family in Overton, Nebraska. It will be anything but restful, or pleasant, when his path crosses with a couple of jail-breaking hardcases, a young man in desperate need of guidance, and a revenge-seeking, ruthless killer.

Miles to Lost Dog Creek is a long-short story by Ron Scheer in the Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles series. It also includes the bonus Cash Laramie adventure “Origin of White Deer” by Edward A. Grainger and Chuck Tyrell.

Genres: Westerns

118 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 23, 2015

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first part of this is a western novelette by Ron Scheer, who has written for Beat to a Pulp before, but only for nonfiction. The story features U.S. Marshal Gideon Miles, a black lawman in a time when blacks were not often allowed to aspire to such a role. Miles decides to take a long overdue vacation but manages to find trouble despite that desire, including running into one of the most vicious killers ever seen in the Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles series.

The second part of this work is a bonus Cash Laramie story by Edward A. Grainger and Chuck Tyrell that takes us back to Laramie's origins.

Both stories are excellent and well worth a read. Unfortunately, Ron Scheer passed away recently so we are unlikely to see any more fiction contributions from him for Beat to a Pulp. That's a shame because his story here shows great promise of what might have been.

[Tim Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gideon Miles is on vacation to see an aunt he hasn't seen in years. But he gets drawn into a jailbreak and a vendetta that leaves him assisting the local sheriff and trying to save a young black teen from continuing to make very poor choices.

This is a relatively weak entry in the series. It's not that there's anything inherently wrong with it. It almost certainly suffers from its very short length. None of the antagonists really have any discernible personality and their motivations are paper thin. There just isn't enough happening here for me to recommend it unless you're looking for a quick free read.

It does include the added story “Origin of White Deer” by series creator Edward A. Grainger and Chuck Tyrell. I read this one in one of the collections of Grainger's stories of Laramie and Miles and recall it being pretty decent. Since Grainger's books have inexplicably disappeared from the Kindle store this is a decent way to read the backstory of Cash Laramie.

Otherwise you can probably pass on this one.

[Ben A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun, albeit too short tale that managed to hit all the right notes for me as it raced to its conclusion.

[Kevintipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

U. S. Marshal Gideon Miles is in Overton, Nebraska ostensibly on vacation. It should be a peaceful time as he is in town to visit family who has finally come back from Ontario, Canada. Fifteen plus years after the Civil War his aunt and her husband are finally back where he can visit. Miles intends to do just that and nothing else.

The problem is that soon Way Gunn and Kit Kale, a couple of hard guys up from Kansas, and looking to cause trouble arrive in town. Thanks to their latest criminal efforts, they wind up in the local jail. Unfortunately, one way or another, they got a local lad with troubles of his own, involved in their breakout scheme. Gunn and Kale make good their escape and have the young boy with them as either a hostage or a witting accomplice.

Either way, the local law needs his help and before long Miles is on their trail. He seems himself in the boy and hopes to help him while taking Gunn and Kale back into custody. Miles isn’t the only one on the trail. Everyone involved is being tracked by a man who is leaving bodies in his wake.

This tale by the late Ron Scheer is a good one. Filled with plenty of action it holds true to the western canon set for this series long ago. The ending is a bit open making it clear that a potential sequel was in mind and unfortunately not completed.

Also included in the book is the short tale, “Origin of White Deer” written by Edward A. Grainger and Chuck Tyrell. This tale explains the backstory of Cash Laramie. It can also be found in the short story collection Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles: Volume II.

Billed as the eleventh entry in the series, Miles To Lost Dog Creek is a very good western novella. The story features all the elements that make the Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles series so very good. It also proves once again that, though the authors many change from time to time, the essence of spirit of the series flows seamlessly from one book to the next. This series is a very good one and well worth your time.


Miles To Lost Dog Creek (Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles Book 11)
Ron Scheer
http://www.buddiesinthesaddle.blogspo...
Beat To A Pulp
http://www.beattoapulp.com
September 2015
ASIN# B015RQ42LO
E-Book (also available in print)
86 Pages
$1.49


Material to read and review was obtained via funds in my Amazon Associate account.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ended a bit abruptly and thus was a bit unsatisfying.
Still, I truly enjoy these characters and their stories and hope there will be many more of them