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Trouble Rides Tall (LIN)
- GenresWesterns
Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
18 people want to read
About the author
Harry Whittington
179 books42 followersHe also wrote under the names Ashley Carter, Harriet Kathryn Myers, and Blaine Stevens, Curt Colman, John Dexter, Tabor Evans, Whit Harrison, Kel Holland, Suzanne Stephens, Clay Stuart, Hondo Wells, Harry White, Hallam Whitney, Henri Whittier, J.X. Williams.
Harry Whittington (February 4, 1915–June 11, 1989) was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel. Born in Ocala, Florida, he worked in government jobs before becoming a writer.
His reputation as a prolific writer of pulp fiction novels is supported by his writing of 85 novels in a span of twelve years (as many as seven in a single month) mostly in the crime, suspense, and noir fiction genres. In total, he published over 200 novels. Seven of his writings were produced for the screen, including the television series Lawman. His reputation for being known as 'The King of the Pulps' is shared with author H. Bedford-Jones. Only a handful of Whittington's novels are in print today.
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Harry Whittington (February 4, 1915–June 11, 1989) was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel. Born in Ocala, Florida, he worked in government jobs before becoming a writer.
His reputation as a prolific writer of pulp fiction novels is supported by his writing of 85 novels in a span of twelve years (as many as seven in a single month) mostly in the crime, suspense, and noir fiction genres. In total, he published over 200 novels. Seven of his writings were produced for the screen, including the television series Lawman. His reputation for being known as 'The King of the Pulps' is shared with author H. Bedford-Jones. Only a handful of Whittington's novels are in print today.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 26, 2023
Bullheaded and stoic marshal Bryant Shafter is an imposing man, a force to reckon with. He's a "trouble" marshal, hired by the town's rich and influential founders to impose order and free the town from the grip of outlaws. The story takes place all in the course of a single day. It starts with the murder of a prostitute and events continue to snowball, ratcheting up the tension until the town comes to a boil around Shafter. He's got trouble from all sides, including tensions with his own ambitious deputy and a dawning realization that he's no longer wanted as marshal. It seems the founders want the town clean, but not so clean that it harms their bottom lines. So they've decided it's time for Shafter to go, one way or another.
Whittington's writing is superb, lean yet immersive, keenly and poignantly expressing Shafter's weariness from the heavy toll of a long, hard and dangerous life, with no more taste for killing left, and a realization that he can do nothing else, live no other life.
Whittington's writing is superb, lean yet immersive, keenly and poignantly expressing Shafter's weariness from the heavy toll of a long, hard and dangerous life, with no more taste for killing left, and a realization that he can do nothing else, live no other life.
July 8, 2017
Another tightly plotted gem from Whittington. Marshall Bryant Shafter was paid good money to clean up a lawless town, now that he's succeeded he has become expendable. As the town bosses conspire to get rid of him he relentlessly pursues the killer of a saloon girl, a crime that no one seems interested in solving. The novel works well as a dark study of an aging gunslinger who tires of his role of cleaning up troubled towns, and as a whodunit mystery that keeps you guessing until the explosive ending.
April 30, 2021
A Western that--except for a few elements such as the main character getting called out to fast draw situations on two occasions--could have been set in a modern-day small town with a mildly corrupt government. It is very much a crime novel, but it works very well on that level.
The main character is the town marshal (Bry Shafter), who had been brought in two years earlier to clean up the place. He's done that, but now a young woman has been murdered. Also, though the town is now relatively quiet, there's a lot of stuff bubbling just under the surface that now makes the town leadership which the marshal would just move on.
Shafter must solve the murder and deal with a myriad of other problems in an atmosphere where he's no longer welcome (at least not by the town's top businessmen). The book has only a few instances when outright violence breaks out, but a sense of impending violence overlays the novel and adds to the tension. The resolution of the murder mystery is very satisfying.
That being said, I do think that Whittington overdoes Shafter's angst and self-flagelation as he wonders about where his life is going. Shafter is a great character and a level of angst fits both his personality and the overall atmosphere of this noir-ish story. But sometimes there's a bit too much of it. Halfway through the novel, without any previous mention or foreshadowing, we suddenly meet a woman Shafter loves who has rejected him. At this point, Shafter knows the town leaderhip wants to get rid of him, he has to catch a murderer and he knows a gunman is stalking him. Adding an out-of-the-blue romantic rejection on top of that added nothing important to the character or the story.
But overall, this was a fast and fun read. And I really did like the ending.
The main character is the town marshal (Bry Shafter), who had been brought in two years earlier to clean up the place. He's done that, but now a young woman has been murdered. Also, though the town is now relatively quiet, there's a lot of stuff bubbling just under the surface that now makes the town leadership which the marshal would just move on.
Shafter must solve the murder and deal with a myriad of other problems in an atmosphere where he's no longer welcome (at least not by the town's top businessmen). The book has only a few instances when outright violence breaks out, but a sense of impending violence overlays the novel and adds to the tension. The resolution of the murder mystery is very satisfying.
That being said, I do think that Whittington overdoes Shafter's angst and self-flagelation as he wonders about where his life is going. Shafter is a great character and a level of angst fits both his personality and the overall atmosphere of this noir-ish story. But sometimes there's a bit too much of it. Halfway through the novel, without any previous mention or foreshadowing, we suddenly meet a woman Shafter loves who has rejected him. At this point, Shafter knows the town leaderhip wants to get rid of him, he has to catch a murderer and he knows a gunman is stalking him. Adding an out-of-the-blue romantic rejection on top of that added nothing important to the character or the story.
But overall, this was a fast and fun read. And I really did like the ending.
March 31, 2020
We forgive our loved ones for felonies but condemn strangers to Hell for misdemeanors. That’s just a way of saying I could make criticisms about this book like how it keeps forgetting about the main murder mystery plot or the repetitiveness of stating the hero’s problems too often BUT they don’t really matter because I liked the damn thing so much all in all. I think the appeal of Stephen King(stay with me) is not the horror stuff on the surface but the emotional warmth of the author radiating off the page beneath the words. Steve’s a nice guy and he wants to make you happy. I feel Harry Whittington’s the same way. This was a fun story to read with a hero I was glad to meet.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews