Arroyo de la Muerte - Frank Leslie (Peter Brandvold)

ARROYO DE LA MUERTE, which translates as “Canyon of Death”, is the fourth and final novel in the Bloody Arizona Quartet, a series of four books by Frank Leslie, who in real life, of course, is my old friend and very popular Western author Peter Brandvold. This series features Yakima Henry, a half-breed lawman and one of several characters created by ol’ Mean Pete under the Frank Leslie name. During the course of the series, Yakima has served as the marshal of Apache Springs and gotten involved in a romantic triangle with the two beautiful daughters of local mining tycoon Hugh Kosgrove: Julia Taggart, the widow of the town’s previous marshal and now the proprietor of a hotel and whorehouse in Apache Springs; and Emma Kosgrove, Julia’s younger sister, a wild, tomboyish blonde who like to roam around the wilderness and in the course of her roaming discovered an old Spanish church full of golden treasure that’s been cursed by an Apache witch.

Got all that? Good, because all those plotlines come to a head in ARROYO DE LA MUERTE, which finds Yakima quitting his marshal’s job and turning the badge over his deputy, an old reformed outlaw known as the Rio Grande Kid. The novel opens with a murder which sets Yakima on the trail of the two killers, then goes on to involve several threats to the hidden treasure, which Emma has sworn to protect because of the curse on it.

As always in Brandvold’s work, there are great action scenes galore in this book, and he keeps the story moving along at a very brisk pace, but without sacrificing characterization. Yakima’s struggles in trying to decide between the two Kosgrove sisters are very well done. I wouldn’t want to be in the position of having to make that choice! Everything builds up to a satisfying conclusion, and while the Bloody Arizona Quartet may be over, I have a hunch we haven’t seen the last of Yakima Henry. I hope not, because I really enjoy reading about his adventures. ARROYO DE LA MUERTE gets a high recommendation from me.

Bloody Arizona #3: Chiricahua Blues - Frank Leslie (Peter Brandvold)

Half-breed lawman Yakima Henry and the rest of his friends and enemies in the town of Apache Springs are back in CHIRICAHUA BLUES, the third book of Peter Brandvold's epic four-part series BLOODY ARIZONA. In this novel, Brandvold (writing under his familiar pen-name Frank Leslie) follows two storylines. In Apache Springs, Marshal Yakima Henry deals with the arrival of the long-awaited spur railroad line, as well a new threat to the mysterious old Spanish mission filled with gold that's played a part in the previous books. At the same time, Yakima's deputy, the reformed outlaw known as the Rio Grande Kid, is trying to deliver a prisoner by stagecoach, only to have the coach attacked and pursued by vengeful Apaches out to kill the Kid's prisoner and anybody who gets in their way.

As always in Brandvold's work, action abounds, and nobody in the business today writes better action. Also, Yakima and the Kid are both very likable characters, and the on-going romantic triangle involving Yakima and the Kosgrove sisters, Julia and Emma, is as intriguing as ever. These are great stories told in a distinctive voice, and I really enjoy them. CHIRICAHUA BLUES gets a high recommendation from me.

Wildcat of the Sierra Estrada - Frank Leslie (Peter Brandvold)

A couple of years have passed since the events that took place in BLOODY ARIZONA, the first of a quartet of related novels featuring Yakima Henry, the popular Western adventure character created by Frank Leslie (who we all know is really our old friend Mean Pete Brandvold). The town of Apache Springs has been rebuilt after much of it was burned down by outlaws, and in fact the settlement is booming. Yakima has settled into the marshal's job, and his deputy is still the old outlaw known as the Rio Grande Kid. He's also settled into a relationship with Julia Taggart, the beautiful widow of the former marshal and the daughter of mining magnate Hugh Kosgrove.

Julia isn't Kosgrove's only daughter, however. Julia has a younger sister, Emma (the wildcat of the title), who has also been romantically involved with Yakima in the past and clearly would like to be again. She plays a part in it when Yakima discovers an ancient mission hidden in the badlands that contains a treasure which may be cursed. There's also a potential robbery complicating things, as well as various shootouts and domestic problems.

Yakima Henry is a fine protagonist, and once again Brandvold's gritty, superlative action sequences dominate the book. There's just nobody better at it in the business today. Fast-paced and highly entertaining, WILDCAT OF THE SIERRA ESTRADA is another winner and gets a definite recommendation from me.

The Revenger #2: Death and the Saloon Girl - Frank Leslie (Peter Brandvold)

I have to get caught up on this top-notch Western series from Frank Leslie, a.k.a. Mean Pete Brandvold. Mike Sartain, the Revenger, roams the West righting wrongs and getting vengeance for people who aren't able to settle the scores themselves. The plot twists come fast and furious in this one, as Sartain is lured into an apparent death trap, only to wind up helping the daughter of a sheriff find out what happened to her father and the missing gold shipment he was supposed to deliver. Bounty hunters, shadowy bushwhackers, and several beautiful women complicate things as Brandvold keeps the action and the twists racing along all the way to the end. This is fine stuff, highly recommended, and luckily Pete is writing them on a regular basis so I won't run out of them to read any time soon.

Blood Trail of the Horsetooth Widow - Frank Leslie (Peter Brandvold)

Peter  Brandvold's half-breed Western adventurer Yakima Henry returns in the latest release from Mean Pete Press, BLOOD TRAIL OF THE HORSETOOTH WIDOW, a sequel of sorts to the first book in the series, THE LONELY BREED. Written under the Frank Leslie pseudonym, this novel finds Yakima teaming up with the beautiful but deadly Paloma Collado to recover a stolen army payroll after Yakima is forced to shoot Paloma's husband. He doesn't feel particularly guilty about that—the hombre was trying to shoot him, after all—and even less so when it quickly becomes obvious that Paloma isn't mourning her late spouse.

Naturally this quest through Arizona Territory's Chiricahua Mountains and on down into Mexico puts Yakima and Paloma in considerable danger. They have to deal with renegade Apaches, ruthless bandidos, and a deputy U.S. marshal who may or may not have turned outlaw himself. Throw in Paloma's frequent attempts to double-cross just about everybody she meets, and Yakima will be doing good just to get out of this mess alive, let alone get his hands on the hundred grand in hidden loot.

As always in a Brandvold novel, the action scenes are gritty and very well done, the pace seldom lets up, and the setting is rendered vividly. Yakima Henry is a fine hero, plenty tough but with an honorable streak, haunted at times by his past, and a bad man to have for an enemy. There's an unexpected and very effective plot twist late in the book, always a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Brandvold is one of the top Western writers in the business, and BLOOD TRAIL OF THE HORSETOOTH WIDOW just adds to that reputation.

BLOOD TRAIL OF THE HORSETOOTH WIDOW on Amazon.

The Canyon - Frank Leslie (Peter Brandvold)

Since today is Halloween, what better to talk about than a ghost story? THE CANYON is a new novella from Peter Brandvold writing under his Frank Leslie pseudonym, featuring Yakima Henry, the hero of half a dozen Leslie novels. In this one, Yakima is on the run from a trio of bounty hunters who want to bring him in for a crime for which he's wrongly accused. While heading for Mexico, his route takes him to Skull Canyon, where he meets a beautiful woman who warns him not to continue on that path. But does Yakima heed that advice? You know he doesn't . . .

This story doesn't have quite as much action as a Brandvold yarn usually does, but it's got plenty of sinister atmosphere and Pete does a great job on that, too. He's one of the best writers in the Western field today and never disappoints. He has a sure touch with the Weird Western as well, as this story and his novel DUST OF THE DAMNED prove. If you want to read an excellent spooky story tonight while you're waiting for the trick-or-treaters, I highly recommend that you check out THE CANYON.

The Bells of El Diablo - Frank Leslie (Peter Brandvold)

I've said many times before that you can't go wrong with a Western by Peter Brandvold, whether he's writing under his own name or his pseudonym Frank Leslie. THE BELLS OF EL DIABLO, his most recent novel under the Leslie name, is further proof of that.

In the closing days of the Civil War, Confederate guerrilla James Dunn, haunted by a battlefield tragedy, deserts the cause and heads west with Crosseye Reeves, a former mountain man who was a sharecropper on the plantation owned by James's father. James is on a mission that he hopes will redeem him, a quest to find the former fiancé of his late brother. He catches up to her in Denver City, but that's just the start of an adventure that carries the three of them deep into the dangerous heart of Mexico in search of three bells cast of solid gold . . . the Bells of El Diablo, so called because they're supposed to be cursed and will bring death – or worse – to anyone who seeks them.

This is the stuff of which epic novels are made, and Brandvold does a great job with it. James and Crosseye are fine characters, as is the beautiful Vienna McAllister, the catalyst for their perilous journey into Mexico. As usual, there's plenty of well-written action as the protagonists encounter outlaws, corrupt Rurales, and savage Yaqui and Apache Indians. Also as usual, Brandvold paints the settings with an uncanny vividness that puts the reader right in the middle of that action. The plot barrels along to a nasty but very effective twist at the end that left me eager to read more about these characters.

You won't find a gritty, hardboiled action Western that's better than THE BELLS OF EL DIABLO. I thoroughly enjoyed it and give it a high recommendation.

Old Gun Wolf - Frank Leslie (Peter Brandvold)

There are a couple of wolves in this story, a real one and Wilbur Calhoun,  former outlaw and gunman who just wants to live out his life in peace on his isolated ranch. But one winter day a rider shows up bringing trouble – and some secrets from the past – with him.

Frank Leslie is really Peter Brandvold, of course, so that means this short story is fast, brutal, and very well-written. Definitely a one-sitting read. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if you want to read a fine Western yarn, I highly recommend "Old Gun Wolf".