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No Surrender
There's no surrender in the Wild West
Morton Tolliver thought he had fixed the problem of ownership of the Flying V the day he sent his men to wipe out Francisco Villa and his family.
But he couldn't be more wrong.
The murder of Villa sparks the beginning of a war, which bursts into flames the day a quiet stranger rode into the town of Hammerhead asking after his good friend Francisco.
Barn Milburn isn’t afraid of Tolliver.
Nor any of the hired guns he has drafted in to protect his land empire.
And the scene is set for a showdown between Tolliver and Milburn - with victory the reward for the quick and death the penalty for the slow.
But who will be victorious in the end?
No Surrender is perfect for fans of classic western adventure.
'A thrilling read.' - Robert Foster , best-selling author of The Lunar Code .
Christopher Kenworthy was a journalist and novelist. His other Westerns include Last Shot and Hired Gun , and he has also written two naval fiction series - the John Paul Jones adventures and the In the Dark of the Moon saga.
Morton Tolliver thought he had fixed the problem of ownership of the Flying V the day he sent his men to wipe out Francisco Villa and his family.
But he couldn't be more wrong.
The murder of Villa sparks the beginning of a war, which bursts into flames the day a quiet stranger rode into the town of Hammerhead asking after his good friend Francisco.
Barn Milburn isn’t afraid of Tolliver.
Nor any of the hired guns he has drafted in to protect his land empire.
And the scene is set for a showdown between Tolliver and Milburn - with victory the reward for the quick and death the penalty for the slow.
But who will be victorious in the end?
No Surrender is perfect for fans of classic western adventure.
'A thrilling read.' - Robert Foster , best-selling author of The Lunar Code .
Christopher Kenworthy was a journalist and novelist. His other Westerns include Last Shot and Hired Gun , and he has also written two naval fiction series - the John Paul Jones adventures and the In the Dark of the Moon saga.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 19, 2016
Sometimes you just know you've landed in good hands right from the first five pages. Western stories are tricky these days and it's tough on a reader who just wants the old-style real deal. Nothing flashy or fancy cluttering up the pages. Just a gritty, raw, tough hero survivor who wins against the odds and saves the ranch and the girl. And boy howdy, did this book deliver on all counts.
The story opens on an ambush murder of Francisco Villa a local ranch owner. Mort Tolliver has his eyes on the big prize and Villa stood in his way simple as that. But what isn't simple is when a tall stranger rides into town and puts Tolliver and his men on notice that things aren't going to be easy if Tolliver wants his big business empire.
Barn Milburn didn't arrive in time to prevent his best friend's murder, but he doesn't have time to grieve because now Francisco's widow, Laura, Barn's long time secret love, is still in trouble for resisting Tolliver's threats and attack and determining to hold the ranch. Tolliver hires expensive guns, but he doesn't fully understand the caliber of man he has aroused when he unleashes his pack of coyote's on Barn Milburn and the rest of the Villa outfit.
Alright, this was a pretty straight forward story about a greedy, brutal man on one side and a quiet justice-seeking man on the other. But for all it's simplicity, the author took the time to paint an in depth portrait of the old southwest and got the characters who live there just right. The story encompasses all who make the territory home from the Apaches, the Mexicans, the whites, the ex-Civil war fighters, townsfolk, drifters, cowboys, vaqueros, solid frontier women. All there and depicted well.
The setting is described in poetic language as is the yearning and dreams of Barn and a few others. The narration is shared by a handful with Barn and Tolliver getting the majority, but others taking their turn and filling in the story. The action and transitions were paced well. I might have wanted an epilogue after that ending, but for the most part, this was a satisfying quick read.
Those who enjoy old-style western storytelling should definitely give this book a look.
My thanks to Pioneering Press for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review.
The story opens on an ambush murder of Francisco Villa a local ranch owner. Mort Tolliver has his eyes on the big prize and Villa stood in his way simple as that. But what isn't simple is when a tall stranger rides into town and puts Tolliver and his men on notice that things aren't going to be easy if Tolliver wants his big business empire.
Barn Milburn didn't arrive in time to prevent his best friend's murder, but he doesn't have time to grieve because now Francisco's widow, Laura, Barn's long time secret love, is still in trouble for resisting Tolliver's threats and attack and determining to hold the ranch. Tolliver hires expensive guns, but he doesn't fully understand the caliber of man he has aroused when he unleashes his pack of coyote's on Barn Milburn and the rest of the Villa outfit.
Alright, this was a pretty straight forward story about a greedy, brutal man on one side and a quiet justice-seeking man on the other. But for all it's simplicity, the author took the time to paint an in depth portrait of the old southwest and got the characters who live there just right. The story encompasses all who make the territory home from the Apaches, the Mexicans, the whites, the ex-Civil war fighters, townsfolk, drifters, cowboys, vaqueros, solid frontier women. All there and depicted well.
The setting is described in poetic language as is the yearning and dreams of Barn and a few others. The narration is shared by a handful with Barn and Tolliver getting the majority, but others taking their turn and filling in the story. The action and transitions were paced well. I might have wanted an epilogue after that ending, but for the most part, this was a satisfying quick read.
Those who enjoy old-style western storytelling should definitely give this book a look.
My thanks to Pioneering Press for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review.
January 5, 2018
No Surrender
This is a good read. This story is full of action and adventure just like a good western should be.
This is a good read. This story is full of action and adventure just like a good western should be.
May 10, 2016
Christopher Kenworthy really does know how to write a Western. This is the third book I have read of his, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each one of them. They may have killed Francisco Villa, but he certainly didn’t go down easily. Domingo Yepes was told by his employer Morton Tolliver that Francisco would have a considerable amount of cash on him, and he wanted him dead. Tolliver really wanted Francisco dead because of the land him and his wife own. Tolliver owned most of the town of Hammerhead, and he wanted to expand his freight line and Land Settlement Company. Unfortunately, Francisco and his wife Laura own the land that he wants. Barn Milburn has been a friend of the Villa’s for a long time, and he comes to Laura’s rescue. He’s very good with a gun, and one of the fastest draws in the west. Instead of going into the family business, he liked to fight. So he went off to war, and now that he is back he can help Laura with her problem with Tolliver. This is a very enjoyable Western, with plenty of shooting and fighting. I certainly look forward to more from this great Author.
November 4, 2016
Pretty Good
Well written fast paced and steeped in authenticity. A hero who is believable sort of although a bit too good to be true for me. After all 6ft 6in is very big especially in those days and another one who has twinkle eyes that betray an inner rock of strength and makes men step aside. Still he does manage to get shot and stabbed and wounded so he can't be all bad.
Well written fast paced and steeped in authenticity. A hero who is believable sort of although a bit too good to be true for me. After all 6ft 6in is very big especially in those days and another one who has twinkle eyes that betray an inner rock of strength and makes men step aside. Still he does manage to get shot and stabbed and wounded so he can't be all bad.
November 11, 2016
A very good and entertaining novel. I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to everyone.
May 9, 2016
This book is published by Pioneering Press
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews