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Journey of Jim Glass #1-2
Rides a Stranger + A Bullet for Billy
From acclaimed Western author Bill Brooks, the first two books of his captivating “The Journey of Jim Glass” trilogy, now collected in one volume for the first time
RIDES A STRANGER
Coffin Flats, New Mexico, is a nothing town in the middle of nowhere—which suits Jim Glass just fine. Looking for any job, he’s courted by the local brothel owner—because Jim is good with his fists as well as his gun—but instead he is hired by Marshal Chalk Bronson. A hothead named Johnny Waco is threatening to burn Coffin Flats down if his runaway wife isn’t returned to him. Now Glass has a plan that could either make things right or pull the drifter into a world of killers and heartbreak.
A BULLET FOR BILLY
Captain Gus Rodgers of the Texas Rangers is dying—and before he goes, he needs Jim Glass’s help to free his grandson from a Mexican prison. Trouble is, the Federale general holding him wants the head of the boy’s brother, Billy, who has already confessed to murdering the general’s daughter. Gus believes Billy deserves to die. The old ranger is just worried he won’t live long enough to do the deed—which is where Jim Glass comes in.
RIDES A STRANGER
Coffin Flats, New Mexico, is a nothing town in the middle of nowhere—which suits Jim Glass just fine. Looking for any job, he’s courted by the local brothel owner—because Jim is good with his fists as well as his gun—but instead he is hired by Marshal Chalk Bronson. A hothead named Johnny Waco is threatening to burn Coffin Flats down if his runaway wife isn’t returned to him. Now Glass has a plan that could either make things right or pull the drifter into a world of killers and heartbreak.
A BULLET FOR BILLY
Captain Gus Rodgers of the Texas Rangers is dying—and before he goes, he needs Jim Glass’s help to free his grandson from a Mexican prison. Trouble is, the Federale general holding him wants the head of the boy’s brother, Billy, who has already confessed to murdering the general’s daughter. Gus believes Billy deserves to die. The old ranger is just worried he won’t live long enough to do the deed—which is where Jim Glass comes in.
496 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published February 26, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 3, 2021
If you don't mind amateurish western fiction that insults your intelligence, or are looking for a book that demonstrates how NOT to write a convincing and compelling novel, this twofer might be for you.
I've been reading western fiction--from the traditional oaters of Louis L'Amour, to the more literary and challenging cowboy stories of Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry--since I was an adolescent, long enough to have a pretty good sense of what works and what doesn't.
Let me just say the first two books of Bill Brooks's The Journey of Jim Glass trilogy did not work for me.
But then I have a thing about half-baked plots, thin character development, lazy editing, and second-rate prose.
Still, when a horse is shot dead in Chapter 17 and then found grazing at the river's edge in Chapter 19, it becomes difficult to maintain the suspension of disbelief necessary to keep reading a book whose hold on you had already been tenuous for at least a couple hundred pages.
"Two great books in one?" Not. Fortunately, I paid less than a dollar for this book at a Marden's Surplus and Salvage, where I was simply looking for a good rainy-read. Unfortunately, the time I spent reading these stories probably would have been better spent re-reading an Elmore Leonard or Elmer Kelton western.
If you haven't read either of those guys, do yourself a favor and seek them out. But don't waste your time on these books that should never have been accepted by a Big Five publishing company like HarperCollins.
I've been reading western fiction--from the traditional oaters of Louis L'Amour, to the more literary and challenging cowboy stories of Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry--since I was an adolescent, long enough to have a pretty good sense of what works and what doesn't.
Let me just say the first two books of Bill Brooks's The Journey of Jim Glass trilogy did not work for me.
But then I have a thing about half-baked plots, thin character development, lazy editing, and second-rate prose.
Still, when a horse is shot dead in Chapter 17 and then found grazing at the river's edge in Chapter 19, it becomes difficult to maintain the suspension of disbelief necessary to keep reading a book whose hold on you had already been tenuous for at least a couple hundred pages.
"Two great books in one?" Not. Fortunately, I paid less than a dollar for this book at a Marden's Surplus and Salvage, where I was simply looking for a good rainy-read. Unfortunately, the time I spent reading these stories probably would have been better spent re-reading an Elmore Leonard or Elmer Kelton western.
If you haven't read either of those guys, do yourself a favor and seek them out. But don't waste your time on these books that should never have been accepted by a Big Five publishing company like HarperCollins.
December 1, 2025
Rides a Stranger: The Journey of Jim Glass
Occasionally quite funny. A bit crude and irreverent every now and again (purposely so), but it does have more going for it than not (such as interesting and likeable characters). I enjoyed it quite a bit.
4 stars
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A Bullet for Billy: The Journey of Jim Glass
Jim Glass accompanies his former (and dying) Texas Ranger Captain on a mission to kill the latter's grandson. This one is rather edgy, as you might expect given the subject matter. Full of irony. Some religious themes. I found it quite interesting.
4 stars
December 29, 2022
After picking up this mass market paperback at Barnes and Noble to read on a flight, I can confidently say that sitting and staring aimlessly at the headrest in front of me may have been a more constructive use of my time than reading this rubbish.
Never let this man write a female character ever again.
Never let this man write a female character ever again.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews