Legend of the Black Rose - A.W. Hart

LEGEND OF THE BLACK ROSE is the first book in a new series from Wolfpack Publishing under the house-name A.W. Hart. The author behind this novel is Richard Prosch, who spins an excellent yarn reminiscent of Zorro, the classic television series KUNG FU and BEARCATS, and the iconic Fargo novels by Ben Haas writing as John Benteen. In other words, this stuff is right up my alley.

Set in the years between 1910 and the beginning of the First World War, LEGEND OF THE BLACK ROSE opens with a massacre on the ranch belonging to the Rivera family, not far north of the Texas-Mexico border. The only survivor (apparently) is twenty-year-old Catalina Rivera. She seeks refuge with the nuns at the convent in the nearby settlement, not knowing that this order is one that has some secrets. Catalina sets out to discover who is to blame for wiping out her family and avenge their deaths, and in the course of that, she finds herself needing to don a disguise. With some clothes from the wardrobe trunks of a troupe of traveling actors and some Apache war paint, she transforms herself into the mysterious, deadly fighter known as the Black Rose.

See, I told you this was good stuff.

Things get complicated with Mexican revolutionaries, German secret agents, hired killers, bandidos, and a U.S. Marshal who rides a grouchy donkey. Lina’s allies are the nuns, her young cousin, and a beautiful young redhead who also proves to be a dangerous fighter. Prosch doesn’t explain all the mysteries or reveal all the back-stories of the various characters, leaving plenty of material for future books. Books that I will most certainly be reading.

Back Mask - Richard Prosch

Dan Spalding, former State Police investigator and owner of Spalding's Groove, a vintage record store he inherited from his late brother, is back in BACK MASK, the third novel in this fine mystery series by Richard Prosch. As most of Dan's cases do, this one involves a record that someone wants to get their hands on, an old gospel recording by the former pastor of the local mega-church, who has passed on but left his son, who has political ambitions, in charge of things. In trying to turn up a copy of the album, Dan is attacked, as well as an old friend of his, and he discovers that there may be some sort of sinister message embedded in the album if it's played backwards (the back-masking of the title, which is also clever because some readers . . . coughs, raises hand . . . can't help but think BLACK MASK when they look at that title, BLACK MASK, of course, being the most iconic hardboiled detective pulp of all time).

But I'm wandering off into the weeds here. BACK MASK is the best book in this series so far, with echoes of Ross Macdonald in the plot (secrets of the past affecting the present) and Robert B. Parker in the great dialogue and the characterization of Dan and his friends. Plus the setting, the tourist town of Ozark City, is always interesting. There's also a very good dog in it, always a bonus where I'm concerned. In the short space of a few books, this has become my favorite current mystery series. Reading them in order isn't absolutely necessary, but I'd certainly recommend it. I give BACK MASK and all the Dan Spalding books a very high recommendation.

Flip Side - Richard Prosch

Dan Spalding, record store owner and retired cop, takes on a private security job in FLIP SIDE, the latest thriller from Richard Prosch. Dan's client is a college professor who's been getting some mysterious and frightening threats on his life. Between working as a bodyguard for the professor and trying to find out who's responsible for the threats, he makes the acquaintance of a beautiful redhead and runs afoul of some frat boys who have formed a white supremacist group. Not surprisingly, a couple of murders wind up figuring in the plot, too, along with some local gangsters, and Dan's life is in danger more than once before he untangles everything.

I'm really enjoying this series. Dan Spalding is one of the most likeable protagonists in mystery fiction these days, and Richard Prosch's lean, fast-moving prose is a pure pleasure to read. If you're a mystery fan, you really need to check out the Dan Spalding novels. (Excellent cover on this one, as well.)

Answer Death - Richard Prosch

Dan Spalding is a former state police detective who has retired from that work to run a vintage record store he inherited from his brother in Ozark City, a picturesque tourist destination reminiscent of Branson, Missouri. Not surprisingly, though, trouble keeps popping up that requires Dan to use his detective skills.

ANSWER DEATH is the first novel in this series by Richard Prosch, and it’s a good one. Dan’s problems start when a couple of shoplifters make off with a signed album by a signer who has a theater in Ozark City, as well as kind of a sleazy reputation. Dan’s efforts to recover the record lead him to discover a murder, and then the notorious singer winds up dead, too, leaving Dan with two murders to solve. Unfortunately, his efforts put everything he cares about at risk.

Modern technology plays an important part in the story, but the plot, the pacing, and the slightly melancholy first-person narration in this novel remind me very much of some of the great private eye series of the Seventies, such as Arthur Lyons’ Jacob Asch books. Dan Spalding isn’t officially a PI, but he functions much like one. He’s a fine character and makes for a very likable protagonist. Prosch’s writing is lean and effective. This is an excellent novel and the beginning of what looks like it will be a very good series. I give it a high recommendation.

Spalding's Groove - Richard Prosch

I already knew that Richard Prosch is a fine Western writer. Turns out he’s pretty darned good with contemporary crime fiction, too. SPALDING’S GROOVE is a collection of two short stories and the intro to a series that continues in a later novel. The title story finds ex-cop Dan Spalding running a vintage record store that he inherited from his late brother. It’s located in Ozark Lake, a town with a big tourist industry that seems to be based on Branson, Missouri. The former child star of a popular TV show from the Eighties brings in several boxes of old records to sell, and that’s the start of a yarn that involves gangs, Russians, tragedy, and a dangerous shootout. Dan Spalding is an excellent character, just hardboiled enough, with his cop instincts still intact, to know when trouble’s about to strike. I’m looking forward to reading his next adventure.

The second story, “Cinderella Makes Good”, is a non-series tale set in Nebraska during the Eighties that’s a fine example of semi-rural noir involving street racing, a fatal crash, and vengeance. Prosch’s style is really evocative in this one. I grew up in Texas in the Sixties, rather than Nebraska in the Eighties, but some things are universal. Both of these stories are well worth reading, and if you’re a fan of top-notch crime fiction, I recommend you do so.

Now Available: Best of the West

Grab a cup of coffee and settle down into your easy chair to ride the range with some of the most exciting tales of the Old West you’ll find anywhere! This collection is called BEST OF THE WEST for a very good reason—IT IS!

These fourteen stories will have you standing beside lawmen and outlaws as the bullets fly, saddling up some of the best horseflesh to be found West of the Mississippi, and wagering your livelihood on the turn of a card. Tales that include savvy swindles, gunfights, loves lost (and found!), the making of an outlaw and the secret protection of a president will draw you in and hang on tight.

This anthology is bustin’ with acclaimed Western authors such as James Reasoner, Livia J. Washburn, Jackson Lowry, Kit Prate, Charlie Steel, Richard Prosch, Big Jim Williams, Cheryl Pierson, J.L. Guin, Clay More, and David Amendola.

What are you waitin’ for, pardner? You’re burnin’ daylight! Happy trails!

(I think my contribution to this anthology, "The Way to Cheyenne", is my favorite of all the short stories I've written, and it's been out of print for years. This is a really good collection of Western yarns from some top authors. I'd urge all of you to check it out.)

The Wrap Up

READING

I read 127 books this year, a small increase from last year's 116. 77 of them were e-books, so while that makes up the majority of my reading, I still read quite a few print books, too, and I expect that rough split to continue. 33 of the 127 were review copies. I wasn't able to review all the books that were sent to me, but I read and blogged about as many of them as I could and I'm sure some of the others will show up on the blog in the future. 21 of the 127 were books that I edited and published. In looking through the list, I noticed that I didn't read any books published in 2015 by the so-called Big Five. The only new books I read from traditional publishers came from Kensington and Baen, companies that have distribution deals with the Big Five but are independently owned, and there were only a few of those. Everything else I read was either small press, self-published, or decades old. This wasn't intentional. I'm certainly not boycotting the Big Five. But it's an unavoidable fact that they're publishing less and less that I want to take the time to read these days, while there's so much good stuff coming out from those other sources that I couldn't even hope to keep up with it. The important thing to me is that I don't think I'll ever run out of good books to read.

Which brings us to my top ten favorites of the books I read this year, in alphabetical order by author:

LIE CATCHERS, Paul Bishop

THE CRIME OF OUR LIVES, Lawrence Block

THE SHOTGUN RIDER, Peter Brandvold

TARZAN THE TERRIBLE, Edgar Rice Burroughs

THE BIG DRIFT, Patrick Dearen

101 ESSENTIAL TEXAS BOOKS, Glenn Dromgoole and Carlton Stowers

FIRE WITH FIRE, Charles E. Gannon

TURN ON THE HEAT, A.A. Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner)

RIVER RANGE, L.P. Holmes

WAITING FOR A COMET, Richard Prosch

My short list had 17 books on it, and I could have added another dozen or more that were pretty close. So it wasn't easy getting this list down to 10, but there they are, for what it's worth.

WRITING

As those of you who have read yesterday's post are aware, I wrote just over a million words this year, the 11^th consecutive year I've reached that mark. That breaks down to 12 novels and 7 shorter pieces of fiction, most of them novelette or novella length. Right now my plan is write at least that much in 2016. I'll need to if I'm going to keep up with the projects I've committed to do. It's a lot of hard work, but I'm still having fun so I don't see any reason to stop now.

PUBLISHING

Rough Edges Press continues to occupy a significant portion of my time. With plenty of invaluable technical help from Livia, along with some great covers, REP brought out 9 books in the Blaze! Adult Western series, along with a number of reprints and originals from Stephen Mertz, Ed Gorman, John Hegenberger, James J. Griffin, and David Hardy. We published three original anthologies, the two WEIRD MENACE volumes and the Alternate History anthology TALES FROM THE OTHERVERSE. The Blaze! series will continue in 2016, along with a full slate of original and reprint novels and collections, and we'll also have a big science fiction anthology next summer, if all goes according to plan. More details on that later. UPDATE: I added a picture of all the books REP published in 2015 to the top of the post.

So you can see there's plenty going on to keep me busy. I guess I stay out of trouble that way. Many thanks to those of you who have stuck with the blog for another year. I'll be around.

Now Available: Tales From the Otherverse

Other times, other places, other stories than the ones we know...These are the Tales From the Otherverse, where anything is possible and things never work out quite the way you'd expect. Some of today's top talents in popular fiction turn their hands to tales of alternate history. Featuring new stories by bestselling, award-winning authors Bill Crider, Lou Antonelli, Scott A. Cupp, Robert E. Vardeman, James Reasoner, and more. Explore the Otherverse and see what might have been! (Amazon links are below. Also available from Smashwords for all platforms.)

Now Available for Pre-Order: Fabulous Five: Five Novels for Middle Grade Readers

Five novels about the American West that will entertain ages nine and up. 

The Phantom Ranger and the Skateboard Gang—Livia And James Reasoner 
Codi Jackson has started a new school—again. Will she ever be able to settle down in one place and make friends? It seems unlikely, especially now that she has the ghost of her great-great-great grandfather appearing at the most inconvenient times! How can she explain him to her history project partner—and her own father? But Codi is determined to come to her dad’s rescue when he corrals a gang of young thieves on skateboards at a nearby mall—and they get some very unlikely help! 

Waiting For a Comet (Jo Harper Book 1)—Richard Prosch 
Racing a Dog Star (Jo Harper Book 2)—Richard Prosch 
Twelve-year-old Jo Harper is fascinated by what people are saying about the return of Halley’s Comet. The year is 1910, and her little Wyoming town is full of speculation. In the first two stories of this series, Jo and her best friend, Frog, unravel some puzzling mysteries that even the adults can’t solve. Join Jo and Frog as they help the new constable, Abby Drake, take on taming what’s left of the Wild West in Willowby, Wyoming! 

The Apache and the Pale Face Soldiers (The Saga of Indian Em’ly Book 1)-Sara Barnard 
On the Colorado Trail (The Saga of Indian Em’ly Book 2)-Sara Barnard 
Wind That Knocks Down Lodges and his little sister, Cactus Flower, must learn to survive among the Pale Faces who have taken them prisoner after their parents are killed. But how can a twelve-year-old boy protect himself and his sister from the Pale Face army men who are taking them away from their familiar surroundings into the unknown? Come along with Knocks Down and Cactus on their incredible journey that begins in the first two segments of the Indian Em’ly Saga, included in this collection.

(Great price on some fine novels. Check 'em out!)

Free For a Limited Time (and a Review): Waiting for a Comet - Richard Prosch

If you haven't tried Richard Prosch's Jo Harper series yet, the first book, WAITING FOR A COMET, is free for the Kindle for a limited time, and I highly recommend it.

Because, you see, I'm late to the party myself and just read this one, and without a doubt, it's one of the best things I've read so far this year. The protagonist is young Jo Harper, the 12-year-old daughter of the local newspaper publisher in the eastern Wyoming town of Willowby. Set in 1910, the West is still just wild enough for these stories to fit firmly in the Western genre. Jo's best friend is Frog Carpenter, who's a couple of years younger than her, and although Prosch doesn't really say so, to me he looks and sounds like George "Foghorn" Winslow, a favorite child actor for many of us.

In the course of this tale, Jo also befriends Willowby's new constable, the rugged old female gunfighter and town tamer Abigail Drake, and gets mixed up with rustlers, all while waiting for Halley's Comet to arrive and kill everybody with cyanide gas when it passes by Earth, as the rumor goes is about to happen.

Prosch spins this yarn in lean, wonderfully entertaining prose that harkens back to the days of Fred Gipson, Jim Kjellgaard, and other authors who wrote "juveniles" that were actually great stories for readers of all ages. This is exactly the sort of thing many of us would have bought from the Weekly Reader or Scholastic Book Clubs at school, and Walt Disney would have made a live-action movie out of it.

In other words, WAITING FOR A COMET is the sort of book you thought they didn't write anymore. But Richard Prosch has, and it's great. Do yourself a favor, grab it while it's free, and if you enjoy it as much as I did, you'll be getting the others in the series. I plan to read them just as soon as I can.

Now Available: Holt County Justice - Richard Prosch

Lines are being drawn in the unorganized territory west of Holt County, but deputy sheriff Whit Branham is still the law, still the man they called to clean up after a killing. But are the remains hanging from a tree in the middle of the Niobrara River the result of vigilante justice –or murder? And who, in the remote village of Slocum is a friend and who’s a deadly enemy? In order to uncover the secrets of the dead, Branham might just have to join them!

Branham's Due - Richard Prosch

Richard Prosch knows Westerns, knows his native Nebraska, and is a fine writer, all of which is evident in BRANHAM'S DUE, his new ebook short story. Deputy Sheriff Whit Branham, armed with a 10-gauge shotgun along with intelligence and experience, is on the trail of a horse thief and killer who is hiding out in Branham's bailiwick of Holt County. Branham tracks down his quarry and arrests him seemingly without much trouble, but that's hardly the end of the story as Prosch still has several very nice twists to spring on the reader.

This is an excellent story, and I really enjoyed reading it. The ebook edition includes of a preview of the next Whit Branham story, a novella called HOLT COUNTY LAW that will be out soon. I'm looking forward to it, and in the meantime if you like a good Western yarn I highly recommend BRANHAM'S DUE.