Recently, while working on my review
of the Adventures
of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles Volume II, I realized I had never
read the first book of the series. I have no idea how that happened. It was
clear that I needed to read the original book, Adventures of Cash Laramie and
Gideon Miles and do so immediately.
After a short introduction by Chris
F. Holm, it is on to stories starting with “The Wind Scorpion.” The plan had
been to escort a prisoner by the name of Black Jack Larson to Cheyenne, Wyoming
to stand trial for the murder of a circuit judge. Instead, the plan now is to
somehow stay alive as Black Jack, with the help of two of his men, have beaten
the heck out of Marshal Cash Laramie and left him to die while making good on
their escape.
“Kid Eddie” features a young man
being held in jail in Vermillion for various heinous crimes. It is about a year
after events in “Wind Scorpion” and Cash is well aware that duplicity can come
in many forms. Cash doesn’t want to go anywhere Vermillion but when Chief
Deputy U.S. Marshal Devon Penn tells him to bring “Kid Eddie” aka Eddie Morash back
Cash saddles up and goes because he has a job to do.
“Miles To Go” unites Cash Laramie
and his friend and fellow Marshal, Gideon Miles, in the hunt for Van Jones.
Though it does not look that way as this complicated story begins with Miles
hitting the trail alone. Both lawmen know that van Jones is heading for his
hideout near the owl Creek Mountains. Once there he will have his gang backing him
while Cash has to stay in town and testify in court regarding another matter.
People keep dying at the McAllister
family plot. Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles are in Twin Falls trying to figure
out what is going on in “The Bone Orchard Mystery.”
Child abuse didn’t just start in the
last few decades despite what some of the media claims these days. It is the
subject of the powerfully moving story “Melanie” where Cash Laramie intervenes
to make things a bit better for the young girl.
“Under the Sun” with Sandra Seamans
comes next where the window Delilah Murphy does not want the assistance of Cash
Laramie and Gideon Miles. Her Uncle Charlie thought their help would be a good
idea, but she has her reasons for not wanting their help. They don’t have time
to press the issue as they are searching for a man known as “Brave Coyote.”
They are not only ones looking for him as the father of a boy Brave
Coyote killed is also on the hunt.
“The Outlaw Marshall” opens with a
poker game. Cash Laramie is the subject, among others, as the men play cards. Because
it soon becomes clear that at least one of the players is a card cheat one
knows gunfire is sure to soon erupt.
A body is on a bank of a Louisiana
bayou and the spilling blood is attracting an alligator looking to do what
comes naturally. The man who is known to many as “The Lawyer” is fine with that
as he wants a few more questions answered. He isn’t the only one with questions
in this tale as Marshall Cash Laramie will soon be involved.
The eight western tales in the Adventures
of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles are all good ones. Cash and Gideon are
bonded by friendship as well as the fact that neither one is accepted as he is
by many people. That bond also extends to their code of justice which requires
each one to do what is right as opposed what the law says in some cases. Each tale is more than just a story of men on
horseback getting the bad guy or bad guys. Each tale is complicated with plenty
of interesting characters, a mystery or two, and plenty of action to keep the reader
turning the pages. Whether the Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles is
your first exposure to cash and Gideon or one you come to after many other books
in the series, these reads are all good ones well worth your time.
Adventures Of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles
Edward A. Grainger (David Cranmer)
Beat To A Pulp
June 2011
ASIN# B005RTV86E
E-Book (also available in print)
144 Pages (Estimated)
$0.99
This is one of those cases where I am not sure if the author
sent it to me or I bought it using funds in my Amazon associate account. Either
is possible, but I suspect the author sent in my way for my use in an objective
review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
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