Hell to Pay: The Life and Violent Times of Eli Gault

by J. Lee Butts

Fans of gritty westerns will love this action-packed novel by J. Lee Butts!If a hard life makes harder men‚ then Eli Gault is cast-iron in boots. Raised by a merciless‚ drunken, fire-and-brimstone preacher‚ young Eli avenged himself upon his pious pa. And that was only the beginning of his rage.Because when Eli meets Cutter Sharpe—a legendary man killer and expert gunhand—the two start shooting their way across Texas, leaving behind a trail of blood and bodies. But Eli is about to learn there’s a line a man shouldn’t cross, because with a vicious life like his there’s always a price to pay . . . and it’s paid in blood.Praise for The Life and Times of Haydon Tilden“Lawdog should assume its rightful place beside other Western classics.” —Peter Brandvold, author of Once Hell Freezes Over“Lawdog has it all. I couldn’t put it down.” —Jack Ballas, author of West of the River“J. Lee Butts is one fine Western writer whose stories have a patina of humor, nonstop action . . . and a strong sense of place.” —Roundup MagazineAbout the J. Lee Butts is the author of 22 published books and numerous magazine articles and short works. His book Brotherhood of Blood was runner-up for the Western Writers of America Spur Award in 2005. He’s worn many hats over the years (teacher, administrator, pool manager, IBM supervisor, and western author), and he and his late wife lived everywhere from Los Angeles to Dallas. Currently he’s hanging those hats back in White Hall, Arkansas.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2009

Reviews

[Still · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn. Sure took me longer to finish this enjoyable enough Western than I thought.

This is one action packed, gore slinging number.
Told in first person by a guy who reads like he’s Festus from the old TV series Gunsmoke, there’s little of a real plot here. It’s basically a series of misadventures that end in gunfire - with enough descriptions of gore that approach the “Edge” series by George G. Gilman levels.

Many brutal fistfights, many more gunfights.
I enjoyed reading this.

[Barbara Lee Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE WAYWARD PREACHER'S SON

A rough abuse non childhood was all that Eli Gault really cares to remember. His father blamed him for his mother's death, from that a point on his father a traveling fire and brimstone evangelist who dipped into the ugly sins he preached against to the so called poor sinners during his travels around Texas. The man was an abusive raging alcoholic who beat his son Eli constantly and indulged in flings with doxies and awe struck widowed women he seduced after his revivals. The minister/father preached to the pitiful downtrodden of dancing with the Devil and
himself holier than thou and them some,very sad.
Eli's life led into gambling, killing, drinking and womanizing and anything else he felt like doing.
Texas Ranger Tiger Jim Baker and the accusing murdered family, as usual, bribes were paid to the presiding judge and prosecutor to fix the trial for poor Eli Gault aka Henry Moon. One could say, his goose is cooked!!

[Elaine Reinhard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. True western!

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting novel. The is the first book by Butts for me amd I liked it quite fine.
Told in the first person, we find Eli Gault sitting in jail awaiting the hangman for a murder he didn't commit, which should have been a justifiable killing at any rate but for the wealth and power of the dead man's family. Gault tells the tale of how he went from the young son of an itinerant preacher to a killer awaiting death.
How he'd learned gambling from one man and how to use a gun from another, as well as his treatment as boy at the hand of his father, all contributing no small part to his ending.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

Cover to cover this book was none stop, page turning goodness. I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to more, hats off !