Border Dogs

Ranger #4

by Ralph Cotton

Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack allies himself with revenge-driven bank robber Willis Durant against an army of ruthless outlaws who kidnapped Sam's partner Maria.

Genres: Westerns

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[Lowell Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great ranger series

[Stven · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time for me to read Ralph Cotton. I'm clearly in the middle of a series with this book. The terse-spoken John Wayne figure, "the Ranger," is essentially the pat Western good guy protagonist, posited here with no back-story or explanation. Cotton strings him through an interesting parade of opposing forces, a U.S. Army division trailing the rogue ex-Confederate "Border Dogs," an escaped prisoner bent on revenge, one tenderfoot woman and one bundle of hellfire, a sprinkling of Mexican Federales, etc., etc., and arranges a series of confrontations settled by death and gunfire. So the form is fulfilled.

For me, the gold standard in Westerns is Louis L'Amour, and I would say that Cotton in one way exceeds L'Amour's quality and in another falls short. Cotton's writing style is just a little bit richer, but his feeling for the detail of the landscape is a bit sparser. The sense I usually have with L'Amour that he is introducing me to a new bit of vegetable or mineral or animal inhabiting the desert or some new spot he's brought the story around to, I don't get in Border Dogs.

[Barbara Lee Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

"SOME DO ESCAPE"

Sam Burrack aka The Ranger and Maria his partner has been take hostage during a train robbery. A man name Willis Durant, is also on the hunt for the men who slaughtered his Ute wife and their son because they could..sociopaths and psychopaths that's what seemed to be the type of lawless men roaming the west. Again it's REVENGE, stolen gold and gun runners, backstabbing rejects. An unrelenting hot dusty deserts with few water holes or places of shade. This is another great Sam-by God-Burrack, Ranger. Arizona territories above and below with his partner Maria, who can shoot, ride and hold her own under adverse conditions.

[Dale Parrott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I wish I could remember why. I plan on reading it again. I do remember my family was on a vacation and my wife picked this up for me at a dollar store in Crocket, Texas. We had stopped to visit the Davey Crocket museum. I thought it was a very thoughtful gift which may be one of the reasons I really liked it. But I'm sure it was a good story as well. I need to read it again.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story..played out really well. Lots of twists and turns and it ended good.
They read like a Western movie..very quick paced and lots of action. Seriously can't believe I've been taken in by these books..so not my style, but what can I say..I'm interested in seeing how they all play out.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not normally a western fan but a few writers seem to jump out and grab me. Ralph Cotton writes a quick paced and very historically accurate book. Nice read with great characters. Very recommended

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay book. But I prefer the character depth of Kelton more.

[Will Welton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this one and the usual Arizona Rangers came to the recuse. Some of the territory in which this book talked about I have been through and on foot while training with the Army.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody book "on the Border"

There's so much bad in best of us and so much good in worst it I'll behooves us to gossip!

[Jeff]

rg

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid action story set in the old west, although trying to keep up with as much as 5 different roaming groups with dozens of characters at a time gets a bit difficult to keep track. Although some of the personalities stood out, too many were interchangable to keep straight in my head who was who and what they were doing.

The tale wound in interesting directions, and tended not to go where I expected as a reader, which was entertaining at least.