Coroner Creek

by Luke Short

A gunfighter rides high and low on a manhunt for the Apache who killed his fiancée in this blazing story of revenge from a master storyteller of the West. The army wagon train carried rifles, ammunition, and a chestful of gold through Apache territory, where every white man was a target. With the soldiers rode a single stagecoach carrying the woman whom Chris Danning planned to marry. When the train passed through Karnes Canyon, an Apache raiding party stormed out of the shadows, and the creek ran red with blood.   For eighteen months now, Danning has searched for the Apache who attacked the wagon train and killed his fiancée. He’s also hunting the corrupt white man who sold the soldiers out. With the help of a grizzled Indian scout, Danning finally gets the name of the Apache chief and a description of their informer. When he finds them, the real battle will begin.   A truly unique saga of vengeance and obsession in the American West, Coroner Creek—which was made into a 1948 Columbia Pictures film starring Randolph Scott—explores the darkest parts of the cowboy soul. .  

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

Luke Short (real name Frederick Dilley Glidden) was a popular Western writer.

Born in Kewanee, Illinois Glidden attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for two and a half years and then transferred to the University of Missouri at Columbia to study journalism.

Following graduation in 1930 he worked for a number of newspapers before becoming a trapper in Canada then later moved to New Mexico to be an archeologist's assistant.

After reading Western pulp magazines and trying to escape unemployment he started writing Western fiction. He sold his first short story and novel in 1935 under the pen name of Luke Short (which was also the name of a famous gunslinger in the Old West, though it's unclear if he was aware of that when he assumed the pen name.)

After publishing over a dozen novels in the 1930s, he started writing for films in the 40s. In 1948 alone four Luke Short novels appeared as movies. Some of his memorable film credits includes Ramrod (1947) and Blood on the Moon (1948). He continued to write novels, despite increasing trouble with his eyes, until his death in 1975. His ashes are buried in Aspen, Colorado, his home at the time of his death.

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

REREAD: October 2024

Luke Short wrote about a hundred short stories and over fifty novels, mostly set in the American West, selling more than 30 million copies of his novels. His greatest popularity was during the 40s and early 50s. "Coroner Creek" was one of his best.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent Luke Short western this tale of vengeance is well done. Man decides to kill the individual responsible for the death of his bride to be. This became a good Randolph Scott western. Many of Short's stories from the 40's & 50's became movies. Recommended to western fans.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Luke Short western about vengence.. A man has come to town from his ranch to pick up his fiancee. The stage is late and he and a Deputy ride out to see why it's late. They find the stage and your had been robbed and the driver, guard and passengers had been murdered. The man swears revenge and begins to look for the man of men responsible for his intended death. This novel was made into a screen play and the movie started Randolph Scott. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Jeffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Luke Short is an excellent writer and for those of you that are Western novel readers should read Short’s books. I have read all Louis L’ Amour books and about 70 of William W. Johnstone’s along with many other western writers and I think this writer is as good as those writers.

[Paul Dellinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

See the movie, read the book

I had seen the movie version of this story with none other than Randolph Scott, and it was great to be able to read the original which included several characters, one particular key one, who were missing in the adaptation. The author writes hard boiled westerns and this one was no exception. The action at the end is probably even more intense and holds a surprise that movie-goers won’t have seen coming. The hero is not someone you want to mess with, almost a prairie version of Donald Hamilton’s Matt Helm character, very practical and seemingly merciless. But he does gradually rediscover his humanity, all of which makes for a great yarn.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took Chris Danning eighteen months to even get a hint of who was responsible. The stage had been held up by Indians off the reservation, a strong box full of cash taken, and everyone slaughtered but the young woman. She lived for two days before dying.

She'd been on her way to marry Chris Danning.

It took him further months to follow up on the information the Indian had given him until it led him to the town of Coroner Creek and a man named Younger Miles. Miles was the big dog in town and intent on getting bigger.

And it had all started a couple of years before. A man new in town with plenty of money that bought a ranch and a freight line.

Chris Danning was out to, first, ruin him, then kill him.

Miles was married to the sheriff's daughter and had the old man in his pocket. The wife was a drunk that Miles wanted kept hidden.

Kate Hardison runs the hotel and looks after her crippled father. Chris and she don't get along at first. He seems a bitter, hard man with little sympathy. Chris is single-minded to the point of rudeness in his pursuit of Miles.

Of course we know where that's headed.

The book first came out in 1946 and was made into a film starring Randolph Scott in 1948. The copy I have is the fourth printing of the second Bantam edition from December, 1967.

Excellent western.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Luke Short story is more of what you would call an Adult Western. Like other of these stories you have a case of a man on a mission this time it is one of revenge. Chris Danning is hunting the man responsible for the death of his future wife. He finds the man, but he has other factors to deal with beside destroying and killing the man. He is to have to decide what he will do when he finds the man and deals with him. The pace is fast and you get to the end and fond there is a twist in the story. So if you like to see the bad guy face the justice he deserves then this is one to read.

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a classic western tale. At a bare bones level, the plot is common in these stories. A mother and daughter own a small ranch. The big local rancher is a bad guy who is trying to take over the entire range. His greed knows no limits. A drifter rides into town. Unbeknownst to the locals, the drifter has his own grudge against the big greedy rancher. He soon joins forces with the lady ranchers and gun play eventually settles everyone’s hash. While it is a time honored theme in many westerns, this one stands out due to character development. Based upon my comments above, as well as countless other westerns you may have read, you might assume the characters are quite shallow. But here, the author took the time to fill in and broaden their characteristics. Many of them are very likeable, many are not. But not all bad guys are strictly bad. They have their own motives and instincts for survival. Also, the story is full of greater detail and a few sub plots, not just a simple straight revenge story. So, if you enjoy westerns without political overtones, you’ll enjoy this book.

[Thomas Burchfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Luke Short we2stern I ever read, way back in the 1960s. I've recently been rereading his books, along his other novels that I haven't read. You can read about my experiences with this, plus a new book on "Blood on the Moon," the 1948 film drawn from his novel Gunman's Chance, through the link below.

https://thomburchfield.medium.com/the...

Thanks!.

[Michael Sigler · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5
An an unengaging story full of characters you just don't care about. A very choppy story that only picks up in the last quarter.

[Lexie 🎃 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very exciting, great plot twist