Outcast's Doom Patrol - L.P. Holmes

This short novel appeared originally in the March/April 1937 issue of BIG-BOOK WESTERN MAGAZINE, was reprinted as “Doom Patrol” in DOOM PATROL: A WESTERN DUO (Five Star, 2013), and exists on-line as a PDF of the original pulp appearance, which is how I read it. In recent years L.P. Holmes has become one of my favorite Western authors, so when I needed a quick break between other things, “Outcast’s Doom Patrol” seemed well-nigh perfect. As it turns out, that was an excellent choice.

This yarn begins where it might seem more likely to end: with rancher Buck Comstock found guilty of murder for gunning down another rancher and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Since it quickly becomes obvious that Buck is the hero of this tale, you might suspect there’s more to the story. And you’d be right, because only a few pages later, we discover that Leek Jaeger and Frank Cutts, owners of another ranch in the area, have paid off the jury to convict Buck. Buck committed the killing, all right, but it was self-defense, not murder, because Jaeger and Cutts set up the shooting by framing Buck for rustling. Buck escapes from jail and sets out to prove what really happened and who’s behind it.

That proves to be complicated, because the new owner of the dead man’s ranch is his beautiful niece, and Buck falls for her as soon as he encounters her, vowing to protect her ranch from Jaeger and Cutts, who have their eyes on that spread, too. Buck not only has to dodge the sheriff and his posse, but also a deadly, snake-blooded gunman brought in by his two enemies to make sure he doesn’t survive to expose them.

As you can tell from that plot, “Outcast’s Doom Patrol” is about as traditional a Western as you’re going to find, but that’s typical of L.P. Holmes, who seldom if ever broke any new ground in his plots. But he was among the very best at working within those plots and elevating them with his smooth, vivid prose and his excellent character development. That’s evident in this story from the complicated, realistic relationship between Buck and Jean Harper. They’re both drawn to each other, but the undeniable fact that Buck killed her uncle stands between them, despite the circumstances of the shooting.

“Outcast’s Doom Patrol” has plenty of what I love about the pulp Westerns going for it: a likable, stalwart hero; a strong heroine who’s not whiny or clingy; some colorful sidekicks; not just one but three despicable villains; and numerous scenes full of well-described, breakneck action. The final battle is excellent. Maybe things go on just a tad bit too long after the gunsmoke clears, but I’ll cut Holmes some slack on that because of how entertaining the story is overall. I raced through this one and had a great time reading it. If you’re a fan of traditional Westerns, I give it a high recommendation.