FFB Review: The Lawyer: Six Guns At Sundown by Eric Beetner

 

From the archive...

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.

  

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dFNFxB

 

I picked this up by way of funds in my Amazon Associate Account in late February 2016.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016, 2026

FFB Review: The Texas Capitol Murders by Bill Crider

 

From the archive…. 

 

The Texas Capitol Murders features romance, murder, a Texas Ranger, a governor afraid of his own shadow, strident anti-abortionists, at least one pervert (depending on your personal definition of “pervert” there could be a couple more), and other unique human beings. In other words, the read easily could be nonfiction, but author Bill Crider is offering this read featuring a cast of characters as a fictional mystery. Originally published in 1992 by St. Martin’s Press, the book has recently been released again in an e-book version with a much better cover than the original. The setting of the late eighties may be twenty plus years old, but the story itself is not dated and could easily be happening right now considering how things work at the state capitol.

 

Nearly everyone involved in this story is trying to use their job at the state capitol to move up to better things. The usual worst point of the day for many is when “Wayne the Wagger” comes out in view of tourists and staff and the drug addicted homeless man does what comes naturally. That does not ever go over well and the usual response by capitol police is to kick him out of the building for the day.

 

While they may tolerate Wayne inside the building when he does his thing when he goes outside and decides to use one of the small cannons flanking the entrance – cannons that may or may not have been used in both the Texas Revolution and the Civil War – as a public urinal, it gets him arrested. Too bad Wayne can’t remember witnessing the murder of a woman in the capitol building the night before because the police could really use his help. They don’t even yet know there is a dead woman in the building.

 

Shifting through a large cast of characters, Texas author Bill Crider weaves a story of romance, greed, lust, and political agendas run amok. Likeable and respectable characters are few in this wild tale where idiots (certified and otherwise) abound. Far different than his Sheriff Rhodes series where Sheriff Dan Rhodes is the main focus while investigating the latest murder, here author Bill Crider puts a number of characters into motion and unleashes chaos as those involved randomly collide and ricochet off each other while going through their day-to-day activities.

 

Occasionally a little raunchy, sometimes sarcastic, The Texas Capitol Murders is an entertaining tale that is quirky and funny while delivering a topflight mystery to its fitting dangerous end at the top of the capitol dome. Like the floor below, nearly everyone is cracked in this story that is well worth your time.

 

 Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4mqMqon

 

With the print copy unavailable at my local library, the material was purchased via a gift card by this reviewer for use in an objective review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013, 2021, 2026