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Restless Guns
Tucson Smith and Stony Brooke come to the aid of Teddy Stinson when her father loses the will to save his ranch from creditors
260 pages, Hardcover
Published December 31, 1995
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June 10, 2022
This Western, originally published in 1929, introduces us to Tuscon Smith and Stony Brooke, who will later become two-thirds of "The Three Mesquiteers" when joined by Lullaby Jones in a later novel. The Three Mesquiteers will then jump to the movie screen and appear in 51 B-movies during the 1930s & 40s. John Wayne, before he became an A-lister, would play Stony Brooke in 8 of those films.
The book introduces us to Tuscon and Stony when they are being pursued by Mexican soldiers. They'd been fighting for the losing side in a civil war. This action-packed opening is an effective introduction. We learn that both men are experts with both rifle and pistol, both are pretty much danger junkies and either would gladly give his life for this friend.
They escape back to the U.S. and almost immediately get involved in a range war, instinctively siding with the underdogs. The story that follows is a good one. Tuscon and Stony are both intelligent as well as good with their guns, working to outsmart as well outfight the bad guys. At one point, Tuscon briefly claims to switch sides and, before the bad guys catch on to him, he's managed to dispose of a few of them.
Later, Tuscon is captured and put in a pretty wild death trap. This is followed by a very intense scene in which he has to outdraw a gunman in order to survive--but if he does, Stony (who is also a prisoner) will be shot. He has to either throw the fight and get killed or allow his friend to die. It's a remarkable scene and Tuscon's solution to the dilemma is clever.
The exact year this takes is never given, but one character uses an automatic pistol and a big battle near the end involves a pair of Browning machine guns, which places the action in 1895 or soon afterwards.
My one complaint is that bantering dialogue between Stony and Tuscon fails to give them truly distinct personalities. Other than Tuscon being taller and red-haired, the two can sometimes seem interchangable. But both are still tough and likeable protagonists. I liked "Restless Guns."
The book introduces us to Tuscon and Stony when they are being pursued by Mexican soldiers. They'd been fighting for the losing side in a civil war. This action-packed opening is an effective introduction. We learn that both men are experts with both rifle and pistol, both are pretty much danger junkies and either would gladly give his life for this friend.
They escape back to the U.S. and almost immediately get involved in a range war, instinctively siding with the underdogs. The story that follows is a good one. Tuscon and Stony are both intelligent as well as good with their guns, working to outsmart as well outfight the bad guys. At one point, Tuscon briefly claims to switch sides and, before the bad guys catch on to him, he's managed to dispose of a few of them.
Later, Tuscon is captured and put in a pretty wild death trap. This is followed by a very intense scene in which he has to outdraw a gunman in order to survive--but if he does, Stony (who is also a prisoner) will be shot. He has to either throw the fight and get killed or allow his friend to die. It's a remarkable scene and Tuscon's solution to the dilemma is clever.
The exact year this takes is never given, but one character uses an automatic pistol and a big battle near the end involves a pair of Browning machine guns, which places the action in 1895 or soon afterwards.
My one complaint is that bantering dialogue between Stony and Tuscon fails to give them truly distinct personalities. Other than Tuscon being taller and red-haired, the two can sometimes seem interchangable. But both are still tough and likeable protagonists. I liked "Restless Guns."
Displaying 1 of 1 review