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The Ranch Cat
aka Straight from Boot Hill
Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
6 people want to read
About the author
William Hopson
109 books3 followersWilliam Lee Hopson (1907 - 1975) was primarily a Western author. He was sometimes published under the name William L. Hopson and used a pseudonym, John Sims, for at least four Western novels.
After joining the U.S. Marines, Hopson served as a weapons instructor during World War II. Afterwards, he had various jobs as a coyote hunter and trick flyer. At the same time, he wrote crime novels and Western stories for pulp magazines between 1938 and 1958, as well as several novels, some of which were reworkings of previous short stories.
At a presentation in a newspaper in 1954, Hopson said he began by determining the background and reading in on time and place, and then sketching out his main character to give him a problem to solve. When this was done, he believed that the book was basically writing itself. Hopson's publishers wanted nine books a year, but Hopson got it down to six and was happy if it was four or five annually.
After living family life in Arizona for eight years in the 1950s, Hopson moved to California, where he lived until his death in 1975.
After joining the U.S. Marines, Hopson served as a weapons instructor during World War II. Afterwards, he had various jobs as a coyote hunter and trick flyer. At the same time, he wrote crime novels and Western stories for pulp magazines between 1938 and 1958, as well as several novels, some of which were reworkings of previous short stories.
At a presentation in a newspaper in 1954, Hopson said he began by determining the background and reading in on time and place, and then sketching out his main character to give him a problem to solve. When this was done, he believed that the book was basically writing itself. Hopson's publishers wanted nine books a year, but Hopson got it down to six and was happy if it was four or five annually.
After living family life in Arizona for eight years in the 1950s, Hopson moved to California, where he lived until his death in 1975.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 15, 2018
An excellent older (copyright 1947) western concerning the life of a young man on a cattle ranch in Montana. His mother has died, his father has gone to drink and gambling, his sister is a hot blooded gal who likes to play one man against another, and he must try to keep everything together. With the aid of a Chinese friend he helps track down and capture a killer, while imposing his own type of justice to various miscreants. A classic, they just don't write them this good anymore. This is why I favor older westerns. They are better written and more believable.
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