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Joe Noose #3
Branded
In his third series installment, acclaimed author and horror filmmaker Eric Red brings his trademark volatile action and bloody violence to a classic genre, injecting modern speed and grit into Old West legend as Joe Noose hunts down the first known serial killer on the American frontier...
SCARRED FOR LIFE
A new kind of evil has come to the Old West. A killer as cold and hard as the Wyoming winter. He wanders from town to town. Slaughters entire families along the way. With grotesque glee, he brands the letter Q in his victims' flesh. Joe Noose knows the killer's identity. He recognizes the killer's brand. He bears the same scar from his childhood--and he's determined to stop this madman once and for all. Two U.S. Marshals have agreed to help Joe. But they've never hunted a killer like this before. A sadist who kills for pleasure--and scars you for life...
SCARRED FOR LIFE
A new kind of evil has come to the Old West. A killer as cold and hard as the Wyoming winter. He wanders from town to town. Slaughters entire families along the way. With grotesque glee, he brands the letter Q in his victims' flesh. Joe Noose knows the killer's identity. He recognizes the killer's brand. He bears the same scar from his childhood--and he's determined to stop this madman once and for all. Two U.S. Marshals have agreed to help Joe. But they've never hunted a killer like this before. A sadist who kills for pleasure--and scars you for life...
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 26, 2021
11 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Eric Red
63 books110 followersEric Red is a Los Angeles based novelist, screenwriter, and film director. His novels, an edgy Y/A book called DON’T STAND SO CLOSE and a dark fantasy called THE GUNS OF SANTA SANGRE and its sequel THE WOLVES OF EL DIABLO are published in hardcover, trade paperback and digital editions by SST Publications. Two other novels, a science fiction thriller called IT WAITS BELOW, and a mystery crime thriller called WHITE KNUCKLE are published by Samhain Publishing. The first two of his Joe Noose Western novels, NOOSE and HANGING FIRE, are published in Mass Market Paperback and digital editions by Kensington Books and Pinnacle Books. The next two Joe Noose Westerns, BRANDED and THE CRIMSON TRAIL, will be published in 2021.
Mr. Red directed and wrote the films COHEN AND TATE for Hemdale, BODY PARTS for Paramount, UNDERTOW for Showtime, BAD MOON for Warner Bros. and 100 FEET for Grand Illusions Entertainment. His original screenplays include THE HITCHER for Tri Star, NEAR DARK for DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group, BLUE STEEL for MGM and THE LAST OUTLAW for HBO.
His published horror and suspense short stories have been in Cemetery Dance magazine, Weird Tales magazine, Shroud magazine, Dark Delicacies III: Haunted anthology, Dark Discoveries magazine, Mulholland Books' Popcorn Fiction, among others.
He created and wrote the sci-fi/horror comic series and graphic novel CONTAINMENT from SST Publications and the horror western comic series WILD WORK for Antarctic Press.
Visit his website at www.ericred.com.
Mr. Red directed and wrote the films COHEN AND TATE for Hemdale, BODY PARTS for Paramount, UNDERTOW for Showtime, BAD MOON for Warner Bros. and 100 FEET for Grand Illusions Entertainment. His original screenplays include THE HITCHER for Tri Star, NEAR DARK for DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group, BLUE STEEL for MGM and THE LAST OUTLAW for HBO.
His published horror and suspense short stories have been in Cemetery Dance magazine, Weird Tales magazine, Shroud magazine, Dark Delicacies III: Haunted anthology, Dark Discoveries magazine, Mulholland Books' Popcorn Fiction, among others.
He created and wrote the sci-fi/horror comic series and graphic novel CONTAINMENT from SST Publications and the horror western comic series WILD WORK for Antarctic Press.
Visit his website at www.ericred.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 1, 2021
Someone is traveling around from town to town branding and killing men, women and children. When the horrible deeds of this nefarious serial killer come to the attention of Joe Noose he knows he must track the sadist and put him down. This mission is all personal as it was 20 years ago that a mysterious man branded Joe, scarring him for life. Joe overcame the mutilation and channeled his pain into making himself the best man he could - but now it was time to stop the madman’s trail of terror.
A fantastic western adventure. Well written, with entertaining and realistic characters. The story is intriguing and tense and sucks you in from the beginning. The only drawback is the secondary story about a character named Puzzleface that pops up about half way through. The story has now bearing on the overall arc, doesn’t involve any of the main characters and feels like filler added in the pad out the overall length of the novel. It may have made a great standalone short story but feels out of place here. Because of this it gets 4 stars instead of 5.
A fantastic western adventure. Well written, with entertaining and realistic characters. The story is intriguing and tense and sucks you in from the beginning. The only drawback is the secondary story about a character named Puzzleface that pops up about half way through. The story has now bearing on the overall arc, doesn’t involve any of the main characters and feels like filler added in the pad out the overall length of the novel. It may have made a great standalone short story but feels out of place here. Because of this it gets 4 stars instead of 5.
February 7, 2021
Branded by Eric Red
A Joe Noose Western #3
The prologue provides the background event that was a catalyst in the life of a thirteen-year-old boy who would become Joe Noose. Joe is a sheriff when the story begins but his past has been varied and interesting though we don’t hear many details about that time period. Coming into the series on book three was fine as I was easily able to get a feel for Joe and what may have happened in the previous books.
What I liked:
* Joe: a big man in more ways than one. He is strong, enduring, has a credo of his own, gets the job done, does what it takes, loves his horse, doesn’t have a biological family but may be on the way to having a chosen family. I like him.
* Bess Sugarfoot: a strong woman, a marshal, the daughter of a marshal, a force to be reckoned with, can take care of herself, good friend to Joe, believe there is more to her than I met in this book.
* Ethan Ford: a marshal working with Joe and Bess to bring in The Brander is hiding something, and it is a big something that is a bit of a twist when exposed.
* That though there was violence not all of it was graphic…some was left to the imagination.
* The gritty feel of the time on the trail and the realness of what that might have been like
* The plotting, writing and way the story was told. Some scenes may have seemed over-the-top or too much but it fit with the story and characters and was good fun.
* Not knowing it all in advance and being someone that often reads the end of a book first that is saying something.
* That this portion of the series felt complete
* The way the introduction to book four was made.
What I didn’t like:
* What I was meant not to like…the bad guys and the way they behaved. It was easy to be okay with the way they ended
* The loss of the animals…always makes me sad to have an animal misused, abused or die in some sad way.
Did I enjoy this book? I think I did
Would I read more in this series/by this author? I believe I would
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Pinnacle for the ARC – this is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
A Joe Noose Western #3
The prologue provides the background event that was a catalyst in the life of a thirteen-year-old boy who would become Joe Noose. Joe is a sheriff when the story begins but his past has been varied and interesting though we don’t hear many details about that time period. Coming into the series on book three was fine as I was easily able to get a feel for Joe and what may have happened in the previous books.
What I liked:
* Joe: a big man in more ways than one. He is strong, enduring, has a credo of his own, gets the job done, does what it takes, loves his horse, doesn’t have a biological family but may be on the way to having a chosen family. I like him.
* Bess Sugarfoot: a strong woman, a marshal, the daughter of a marshal, a force to be reckoned with, can take care of herself, good friend to Joe, believe there is more to her than I met in this book.
* Ethan Ford: a marshal working with Joe and Bess to bring in The Brander is hiding something, and it is a big something that is a bit of a twist when exposed.
* That though there was violence not all of it was graphic…some was left to the imagination.
* The gritty feel of the time on the trail and the realness of what that might have been like
* The plotting, writing and way the story was told. Some scenes may have seemed over-the-top or too much but it fit with the story and characters and was good fun.
* Not knowing it all in advance and being someone that often reads the end of a book first that is saying something.
* That this portion of the series felt complete
* The way the introduction to book four was made.
What I didn’t like:
* What I was meant not to like…the bad guys and the way they behaved. It was easy to be okay with the way they ended
* The loss of the animals…always makes me sad to have an animal misused, abused or die in some sad way.
Did I enjoy this book? I think I did
Would I read more in this series/by this author? I believe I would
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Pinnacle for the ARC – this is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
October 7, 2021
I received this ARC for an honest review.
For me, this was the time I read this author and I enjoyed the book and the characters. Joe Noose knows the killer because he carries the brand “Q” from him from when he was a kid. Now along with two U.S. Marshals are tracking the killer down.
I Like the character Bess Sugarfoot, a Marshal, and daughter of a Marshal who was killed. You feel that there is something that could happen between her and Joe but Joe does not want to do anything about his feelings. The story moves along at a good pace and will keep you entertained all the way through. Good characters as well. I received this book from Netgalley.com
For me, this was the time I read this author and I enjoyed the book and the characters. Joe Noose knows the killer because he carries the brand “Q” from him from when he was a kid. Now along with two U.S. Marshals are tracking the killer down.
I Like the character Bess Sugarfoot, a Marshal, and daughter of a Marshal who was killed. You feel that there is something that could happen between her and Joe but Joe does not want to do anything about his feelings. The story moves along at a good pace and will keep you entertained all the way through. Good characters as well. I received this book from Netgalley.com
March 16, 2022
This was book 3 of 4 of the series. Outstanding. Action packed especially the last one hundred pages when it was hard to put the book down. The Brander is dead. Marshall Bess returns to her town. Noose hitches on to a cattle drive looking for a killer to help lovely cattlewoman Laura and collect $5,000 bounty if successful.
March 10, 2021
The prologue of Branded gives some important background into Joe Noose, and a bitter lesson that Joe learned at thirteen.
U.S. Marshall Emmett Ford appears in Bess Sugarland's office in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He's tracking a serial killer who brands his victims, sometimes entire families.
Joe Noose recognizing the brand and the killer, joins Bess and Emmett Ford in tracking down the deranged killer through a Wyoming winter.
Another fast-paced adventure with plenty of action. Read in November.
NetGalley/Kensington Books
Western/Thriller. 2021. Print length: 281 pages.
U.S. Marshall Emmett Ford appears in Bess Sugarland's office in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He's tracking a serial killer who brands his victims, sometimes entire families.
Joe Noose recognizing the brand and the killer, joins Bess and Emmett Ford in tracking down the deranged killer through a Wyoming winter.
Another fast-paced adventure with plenty of action. Read in November.
NetGalley/Kensington Books
Western/Thriller. 2021. Print length: 281 pages.
June 24, 2021
Great mystery.
December 5, 2021
Lots of Suspense,
A lot of mystery turns and suspense. However you might not want to snack as you read, there are graphic gory details.
A lot of mystery turns and suspense. However you might not want to snack as you read, there are graphic gory details.
December 14, 2021
Would love to see the movie to match this series of books. Wonderful chaos, bloody, like a good Quentin Tarentino movie. Can't wait to read more of these.
April 17, 2024
3rd book in the series is only okay. I won’t be reading any further. But the first 2 books were a good read. Enjoy
June 11, 2024
More pulpy western fun from Red.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews