Rattlesnake

by John Russell Fearn

Against all odds… Len M’Guire, estranged son of Old Red M’Guire, is summoned to rejoin his father near the small frontier town of Red Gap. It soon transpires that Red M’Guire has discovered gold in an old mine, and has sent his trusty sidekick, Baldy Reegan, to Puma City to register his claim and bring Len back to share the glory. However, Jeff Rattin, owner of the Black Diamond saloon, isn’t going to stand back and watch when there's prospect of gold in Red Gap. When Len and Reegan return, they are met with the news that Red M’Guire has been viciously murdered by Rattin, who is hell bent on claiming the gold for himself. Already a man without a conscience, Rattin won’t think twice about killing anyone who stands in his way. But Rattin and his gunhawk, Seth Scarlan, soon discover that they’ve more than met their match in the fearlness Len M’Guire. Fiercely protective of Fay Rodino, the brave and beautiful Black Diamond singer with her own agenda against Rattin, the two team up in their desire for justice Aided by loyal Reegan and the beautiful Fay, Len begins the deadly fight for justice in Red Gap. Can the friends work together to beat Rattin at his own game? But with Fay’s hidden agenda can anyone be trusted? And who will stake the final claim on the gold? John Russell Fearn (1908-1960) is well remembered as almost single-handedly driving the post-World War II boom in British publishing with a flood of science fiction, detective stories, and westerns. His writing appeared under various pseudonyms and has been translated into many languages around the world. His other books include Thunder Valley, Firewater, Deadman’s Bend, Fires of Vengeance, Rule of the Gun and Stone of Courage.

152 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2016

About the author

A prolific author in various genres under his own name, John Francis Russell Fearn also used these pseudonyms: Astron del Martia, Brian Shaw, Conrad G. Holt, Dennis Clive, Frank Jones, Geoffrey Armstrong, Griff, Hugo Blayn, John Russell, K. Thomas Mark Denholm, Paul Lorraine, Polton Cross, Spike Gordon, Thornton Ayre, Vargo Statten, Volsted Gridban, Dom Passante, John Cotton, Ephriam Winiki, Lawrence F. Rose, Earl Titan, Ephraim Winiki.

John Russell Fearn was an extremely prolific and popular British writer, who began in the American pulps, then almost single-handedly drove the post-World War II boom in British publishing with a flood of science fiction, detective stories, westerns, and adventure fiction. He was so popular that one of his pseudonyms became the editor of Vargo Staten’s Science Fiction Magazine in the 1950’s! His work is noted for its vigor and wild imagination. He has always had a substantial cult following and has been popular in translation around the world.

Reviews

[E. C. Swartout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rattlesnake

This wasn't a bad book but neither was it a good book. If a movie were to be made it would definitely be a B grade.