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Ghost Town
Bryce Lamont gets his share of the money that made his partners in crime rich and landed him in jail when he finds them in Wyatt, Wisconsin, but he also finds himself fighting off a malaria outbreak and tracking down outlaws who murdered the woman he loved.
- GenresWesterns
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2001
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Ed Gorman
469 books121 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 4, 2018
Another great mystery from Gorman...with twists and surprises until the very last page. He's a master.
September 15, 2008
Very good. Rather brutally sad in places but it really leaves a lingering feeling in you.
March 26, 2019
This book carries my highest recommendation. Mislabeled a western, it's really a historical crime story set in a small Wisconsin city sometime around the year 1900. Our narrator was double-crossed by his criminal pals years earlier and now that he's out of prison he seeks to collect his share of the loot. That's only how the story starts out, though. The author takes an unexpected course, veering away from the shiny familiar promises of genre to the darker territory of more serious literature. Or, to put it less pretentiously, character triumphs over plot in this novel. You'll feel like you know a bit more about real life after you've finished reading it, not less. If all this sounds a little vague, that's only because I wouldn't want to spoil anything for you. I love the book too much to ruin it for anyone else.
May 15, 2021
First off, this book really isn't a Western, despite what the cover art and spine label would have you believe. It's really more of a hard-boiled mystery.
Once you figure out what genre you're in, though, it's an entertaining (although bleak), fast-moving story with some good twists.
Once you figure out what genre you're in, though, it's an entertaining (although bleak), fast-moving story with some good twists.
April 22, 2011
Bryce Lamont had served time in prison, the only member of the gang that had robbed the bank to get caught. Now he'd come looking for his share of the loot. Wyatt, Wisconsin is where he finds them, living the straight and narrow, well to do these days.
His share is easier to get than he'd thought.
But something else has the town in a grip. Malaria and Bryce's kid brother has it. A lot of folks had died, but his brother seemed to be recovering.
Then a gang robs the bank and in the ensuing clamor, one is wounded and one gets trapped in town. During the search, the man kills Bryce's brother before he's shot to death.
Angered, Bryce goes looking for the rest of the gang, the beginnings of malaria running through him at the same time. When he finds them, hiding in a ghost town and kills the pair of survivors, only half the money is recovered. He learns the gang came down from Canada to hit the bank.
Why?
Should be plenty of banks up there and where is the rest of the money?
His former partner, so eager to pay him off and get him out of town, is the President of the local bank, having inherited the job after his brother was killed by a jealous suitor.
Something's not adding up and Bryce needs to prove it. Unfortunately, his ex-partner is the brother-in-law of the Sheriff.
His share is easier to get than he'd thought.
But something else has the town in a grip. Malaria and Bryce's kid brother has it. A lot of folks had died, but his brother seemed to be recovering.
Then a gang robs the bank and in the ensuing clamor, one is wounded and one gets trapped in town. During the search, the man kills Bryce's brother before he's shot to death.
Angered, Bryce goes looking for the rest of the gang, the beginnings of malaria running through him at the same time. When he finds them, hiding in a ghost town and kills the pair of survivors, only half the money is recovered. He learns the gang came down from Canada to hit the bank.
Why?
Should be plenty of banks up there and where is the rest of the money?
His former partner, so eager to pay him off and get him out of town, is the President of the local bank, having inherited the job after his brother was killed by a jealous suitor.
Something's not adding up and Bryce needs to prove it. Unfortunately, his ex-partner is the brother-in-law of the Sheriff.
October 14, 2021
Interesting story, with lots of characters, some characters not very well detailed, some rather interesting anyway.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews