Gunman

by Lauran Paine

Ray Kelly, using the knowledge he garnered from the toughest, meanest, and wiliest outlaws of the land while he was in prison, sets out to exact revenge on the men who put him away. Reissue.

Genres: Westerns

230 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

aka John Armour, Reg Batchelor, Kenneth Bedford, Frank Bosworth, Mark Carrel, Claude Cassady, Richard Clarke, Richard Dana, J F Drexler, Troy Howard, Jared Ingersol, John Kilgore, Hunter Liggett, J K Lucas, John Morgan (many more).

Lauran Bosworth Paine (born February 25, 1916 in Duluth, Minnesota – 2003 in California) was an American writer of Western fiction. Paine wrote over 900 books, including hundreds of Westerns as well as romance, science fiction, and mystery novels. He also wrote a number of non-fiction books on the Old West, military history, witchcraft, and other subjects.

His apprenticeship as a Western writer came about through the years he spent in the livestock trade, rodeos, and even motion pictures where he served as an extra because of his expert horsemanship.

Reviews

[David]

Excellent action and mystery.

[D. E.]

An LP. Triple Western (1. War at Broken Bow) (2. Gunman) (3. Taos. Man)

LP. has penned three western adventures. (1. War at Broken Bow - A small ranch. A stage coach robbery nearby. A woman on the run from two robbers. The ranch owner save the woman and kills the robbers.) (2. Taos Man - A rider passes through his old home town, but doesn't stop. He continued West and helps a small wagon train with a beautiful woman.) (3. Gunman - An Unknown gunman arrived in town and the attitudes of the townspeople wonder whom the target is. The gunman determines who he is after Fred visiting the area and prepares to do the job, he a woman crosses his path and everything changes. This is three excellent reads for the genre.....DEHS

[David S]

good read

Enjoyed this story. Lauren Paine explores what prison can do to a young man. In all, a fine western story.

[Kellyt]

Would rate the first short story, “ War at Broken Bow” 2 stars. “Taos Man”, the second story 2.7 stars. And the main story, “Gunman”, 3.4 stars.

[Jeff Tankersley]

Gunman, Lauran Paine (western)
Jeff Book Review #258

"Gunman" is about a cowboy who had been sentenced to five years in prison on a trumped-up cattle rustling charge and returns to the town that put him away so he can settle it with the man responsible.

Verdict: A good, short western with smart themes and suspenseful sequences. The protagonist Ray Kelly is a fun western character and Paine's immersive language works well.

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

[Anne Patkau]

1 War at Broken Bow. Cyn James loses hanky in stage robbery. Strange plot setup. 2 Taos Man. Beauty, first angry at innocent fast draw, wins his heart.3 Gunman. Ray out of jail after 5 years wrongly accused for rustling. Shootouts until girl gets guy.

[John Scott]

Not one of the best of Paine, but still an entertaining read.