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The Fatal Frontier

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A collection of western stories by leading crime and mystery writers includes such contributions as "Riverboat Fighter" by Brian Garfield and "Not a Lick of Sense" by Bill Pronzini, as well as works by Elmore Leonard, John Jakes, and Loren D. Estleman.

419 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

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About the author

Ed Gorman

468 books122 followers
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There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name


Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Suzy.
142 reviews2 followers
February 3, 2016
In the past I've said "I don't like books of short stories", but as it's been ages since I read a collection, so I thought I'd give it a go, again. Nah, I still don't like short stories! This was a patchy collection, and even though there were some noteworthy authors, and a few good stories, it wasn't consistently good throughout, and I found myself skimming through some of them just so I could finish it.
Profile Image for Charles.
Author 41 books294 followers
July 8, 2009
A somewhat uneven collection but generally pretty good. Some of the best stories were "The time of the wolves" by Marcia Muller, "Hacendado" by James Reasoner, and "The Ghost with Blue Eyes" by Robert Randisi.

The worst story in the book, and one of the weakest so called professional stories I've ever read was "The Woman at Apache Wells" by John Jakes.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

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