Buchanan 8: Buchanan Calls the Shots

by Jonas Ward

Demetrius and his gang of vicious cutthroats had already attempted to steal Lu Lacy’s herd. Then they attacked Lu herself … That’s when Buchanan and his partner, the prizefighter Coco Bean, rode in. Before long, Buchanan was acting as trail-boss, his job to push a mixed herd up the Western Trail to Dodge City. Trouble was, the odds were all stacked against him. There were Indians to contend with, there were hired gunnies, and there was drought. But he couldn’t afford to fail. So Buchanan did the only thing he could—he strapped on his guns and took the fight to the enemy … William Robert Cox (1901-1988) was a writer for more than sixty years, and published more than seventy-five novels and perhaps one thousand short stories, as well as more than 150 TV shows and several movies on film. He was well into his career, flooding the market with sports, crime, and adventure stories, when he turned to the western novel. He served twice as president of the Western Writers of America, and was writing his fifth Cemetery Jones novel, Cemetery Jones and the Tombstone War, when he passed away. He wrote under at least six pen names, including Willard d’Arcy, Mike Frederic, John Parkhill, Joel Reeve, Roger G. Spellman and, of course, Jonas Ward. Under the Ward byline, he wrote sixteen adventures in the Buchanan series, all of which will be published in ebook by Piccadilly Publishing.

161 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2019

About the author

A pseudonym used by William Ard. House name from 1960 to 1986.

In 1956, hardboiled writer William Ard turned his pen westward and introduced one of the genre’s most enduring characters: Thomas Buchanan, better known as just “Buchanan,” a drifter as likeable as he is deadly. The first novel in the series was called The Name’s Buchanan and appeared under the pseudonym “Jonas Ward.”

Only the first 6 books in the series were written by Ard, and the last, Buchanan on the Prod, was completed by Robert Silverberg.

After Ard's death in 1960 "Jonas Ward" became a house name. Brian Garfield did one and then William R. Cox took over the series and it continued until 1986.