Shotgun

by Elmer Kelton

Rancher Blair Bishop of Two Forks, Texas, has too many enemies . . . and they are closing in on him. Macy Modock, whom Bishop sent to prison ten years ago, is out of the hoosegow.  Modock is returning to Two Forks along with his sidekick, who is known to be a mean gunman. Also arrayed against Bishop is rival cowman Clarence Cass, who is running his animals on Bishop’s land.

Complicating matters, Cass’s daughter, Jessie, and Bishop’s son, Allan, are in love.

Macy Modock, determined to get even with the man who sent him to prison, schemes with Cass to ruin Bishop.  The black-hearted pair lay claim to untitled lands Bishop uses to graze his cattle – a plan that leads to a deadly confrontation in which two men will die.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction

160 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained, Other Men’s Horses, Texas Standoff and Hard Trail to Follow. He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years. He served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/elmerk...

Reviews

[Chris G Derrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ummm.....I liked the book well enough - as I do the vast majority of the work from this author that I've read to date.
The story was simple to follow with only a few characters and little in the way of surprises during the pages.
The book was only 150 pages in length which I found was not really sufficient to allow too much in the way of detail as far as the characters themselves etc were concerned. That could well be a matter of 'horses for courses' and personal taste though.
As an indie author myself it made me feel a little better about my own efforts to read the typo on page 149 which succeeded in slipping by the editors/proofreaders of this 'professionally produced' novel.
It can go back on the shelf - maybe to make an appearance once again in the future.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world's best western writer published this little tome in 1969 when he was not yet well known. The book is fine, but very short (150 pages). It is not a classic. Old man is harassed by an old enemy and must defend his ranch against the bad guy and a shyster lawyer. Kelton's character are more three dimensional than most western writers and that shows here. Recommended to fans of westerns.

[Lowell Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed reading this one, as others by Kelton.

[Rodney Haydon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from the greatest Western Writer of All Time.
This book was originally published in 1969 by Paperback Library as Shotgun Settlement by Alex Hawk, a pseudonym of Elmer Kelton.

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Shotgun" (1969) starts when a rancher in Texas named Blair Bishop hears that an outlaw named Macy Modock is back in town after serving out his ten-year prison sentence. Modock wants revenge on Bishop for witnessing against him in court but doesn't want it to be a quick revenge; he wants to make life painful for the man who took ten years of his life and Modock has money and a plan to make it happen. Bishop's sons Allan and Billy, the neighboring lazy rancher and his daughter, a former outlaw working for Bishop, and a local sheriff all see parts of the puzzle and try to figure out how to best protect themselves from whatever dastardly scheme Modock is cooking up without breaking any laws themselves.

Verdict: An easy, short western mystery, perfect pacing and interesting characters.

Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG

[Jim Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Western story from one of the best

Elmer Melton was one of the greatest Western writers of all time. He wrote about flawed people who somehow persevered and eventually prevailed. He was also a fine gentleman, humble, dignified and self-effacing. It was a pleasure to read another great Elmer Melton story.

[Mike H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, but I have a feeling that I read the same story recently. Maybe it was a Kelton compilation, but my gut tells me it was a Matt Jensen novel by William Johnstone. I don't know. Maybe it's the genre or maybe it's my aging mind.

[Clara Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book deals with arthritis in an older person and the coming of age of the young. How does one confront the fact that they can no longer do what they did when they were younger. Now the young must have free range to make their own choices.

[Backoff51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really bad guy returns to the area after finishing his prison sentence. He has a long list of folks that are deserving of payback. He sets out to get even. Several folks are about to die.

The person who stands up to him is a bit of a surprise.

Another top notch western from Elmer Kelton.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not subtle, not groundbreaking, but short and tough. Bad guy Macy Modok is a complete moustache twirler, though.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

1969 stand-alone Western.

[DocHolidavid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elmer Kelton does a fine job with westerns. This is a little above his average work.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll always enjoy a good western.
This was one of 'em.

[Phil Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good to the last page.

[Kraig Kinnamon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for the CD Audio version from Recorded Books.

Another enjoyable Elmer Kelton Western. Not my favorite of his but solid!