Author Eric Beetner continues the
excellent The Lawyer series published by Beat to a Pulp with his entry Six Guns
At Sundown. The Lawyer, who used to go by the name of J. D.
Miller, is on a quest to find those responsible for the brutal murders of his
entire family. He now delivers justice by way of the gun and no longer relies
on the courts to provide justice to those wronged.
He moves from place to place on his mare,
Redemption, as he follows the trail of those responsible. He is currently pursuing
a man known far and wide as “Big Jim Kimbrough.” The trail seems to be leading
him to the decrypt town of Sundown where every building seems to lean a
different way as if the entire town was created by drunks. At least he can find
a place for his horse and roof for the night. The Westward Railroad might be
coming there to build not only the rail line and their headquarters, but for
now the place is clearly in a bad way.
So is the man dragged in on a rope
behind a horse early the next morning. The Lawyer had planned to move on until
the unfolding spectacle put his plans on hold. According to a Mr. Buchanan who
dragged the unfortunate man by way of a rope tied to his horse he is to be
lynched. The black man’s crime was that was that he ate a piece of cherry pie
Buchanan’s wife made right out of the pan and using Buchanan’s own silverware.
Not that dragging the hogtied man on the ground behind the horse the entire way
from the ranch to town wasn’t enough Buchanan intends to hang him as fast as
possible.
The lawyer hates bullies and won’t
stand for them. He also believes in the rule of law and wants to know the full
details of the situation. Not only is what the man did not a hanging offense in
this period after the Civil War, Buchanan’s attitude seems to be illustrative
of a town attitude that needs to change. The hunt for Big Jim Kimbrough will have to
wait as the lawyer is going to prevent a hanging in Six Guns At Sundown.
Picking up the mantle laid down by
Wayne D. Dundee in The
Lawyer: Stay Of
Execution followed by The
Lawyer: The Retributioners author Eric Beetner has
crafted a very good western tale. The Lawyer: Six Guns At Sundown is a western
tale of mystery and racism that resonates strongly with events of today. The
read does not preach as the storyline moves over a couple days period in the Old
West. The result is another excellent tale in the series and yet another very good
read from Beat to a Pulp.
I picked this up by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account to read and review
back in late February.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016
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2 comments:
Nice review. The story sounds interesting, especially with the racial stuff. The West had their share of Negro haters because of the influx of southerners in the westward migration, I suppose.
It is a mighty good read and a great series.
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