Top Man with a Gun

by Lewis B. Patten

Clay knew that on the muddy street of this little town he would face the test he'd spent years preparing for - gunning down the only man he'd ever really wanted to kill. There was revenge in his heart and a price on his head. By now there were many notches on his gun - notches Clay had never wanted to put there. But each gunfight had proved the terrible speed of his draw; each death had brought him closer to his quarry. The trail was very warm now.

Genres: Westerns

Mass Market Paperback

Published February 12, 1981

About the author

aka Lewis Ford, Len Leighton, Joseph Wayne (with Wayne D. Overholser)

Lewis Byford Patten was a prolific author of American Western Novels, born in Denver, Colorado. Often published under the names Lewis Ford, Len Leighto and, Joseph Wayne.

Reviews

[Still]

Five star Western novel.
This one isn't the type of Western I prefer.
It isn't a Western Noir.
Still, I enjoyed this for the various adventures the lead character experiences and the studies
of the various other characters who populate the novel.

Motivation for the main character is the famous raid on Lawrence, Kansas by Quantrill's Raiders.
His father, a prominent abolitionist, is murdered, the main character is shot and clubbed almost to death, and his sister kills herself rather than fall into the hands of Quantrill's men.
He dedicates the rest of his youth to hunting down one man in particular he remembers from the day of the raid.

There's a lot of story in this 144 page novel and much more action than I'd expected.
Although I've read much praise for Lewis B. Patten, this is the first time I've read one of his novels.
Very impressive storyteller.
Recommended to newcomers to Westerns.

[Steve Hockensmith]

I started to read this book with no idea there was a Civil War connection. The title gives you no clue. The cover gives you no clue. (It features a standard cowboy-type dismounting from a horse under the words “There was revenge in his heart and a price on his head.”) Even the synopsis on the back gives no clue. Then you open the book and whoa — it’s about the Lawrence Massacre! When Confederate “raiders” under William Quantrill rode into a pro-Union Kansas town and murdered more than 150 unarmed civilians. By the end of chapter two, the teenage hero, Clay Fox, has lost his father and sister to the carnage and is vowing to make the men responsible pay.

Oh, boy! A Civil War revenge/coming-of-age tale! Which “Top Man with a Gun” proceeds to be…for 66 pages. Then Clay crosses paths with a cattle baron and his foreman, and — record scratch — for the next 66 pages we’re in a melodramatic ranching Western, complete with the obligatory spoiled son and femme fatale. (Usually the femme fatale is the cattle baron’s much-younger wife. This time it’s his daughter. But she’s bad news for everyone because she seems to — gasp — like sex.) Round about page 120 the book remembers its original reason for being and tries (awkwardly) to mash its two plots together. (The “yellow-eyed” rebel who killed Clay’s father also happens to be the brother of a rustler kingpin Clay kills. So not only has Clay sworn vengeance on ol’ Yellow Eyes, ol’ Yellow Eyes has sworn vengeance on him. Convenient for everyone.) We seem to be getting the action-filled climax only to have Clay get hit from behind by something — weirdly, it's never specified with what or by whom — and when he wakes up Yellow Eyes is gone. We then have to forge on through a few more chapters before reaching an entirely different showdown, in which the villain cunningly hides for page after page because he knows Clay will become so frustrated he’ll get drunk and won’t be able to shoot straight. This would be Machiavellian if it weren’t so dumb. My theory: Patten realized he was coming in 10 pages short, so he dragged things out By Any Means Necessary. In fact, the whole second half of the book feels slapdash and cliched, like Patten ran out of juice with his (much more interesting) Civil War story but had to keep cranking out the words because deadlines are deadlines.

My rating: four stars for the first half, two stars for the second half, leading to a (charitable, I think) three stars overall. I know some people here like Patten, but sorry — IMHO “Top Man with a Gun” is not a top novel.

[Dartharagorn]

This was such a fun and fast read. A great revenge story. With all your classic tropes. With gun fights, cattle drives, a love interest. And of course the revenge angle. This is my second Patten book and I really love his style. If you enjoy Westerns and get a chance you should really pick this one up!

[P.S. Watson]

Not quite what I was expecting. Very short read, lots of action, I could sort of guess the ending but there were some twists and turns. Little surprise at the end.

[John Grace]

Never pass up a Lewis B. Patten paperback novel. They are always a worthy afternoon read.