Dead man's money

Jim Wyatt has been let out of prison after serving time for a crime he didn't commit. Almost immediately, Jim chances upon a stagecoach that was just robbed by the nasty Bodine Gang, who are holding one of the passengers, a pretty young woman, captive. He could just ignore it and keep moving on, but Jim is an honorable fellow. He rescues the girl. Trouble is, being honorable can get you dead, and soon Jim is on the run from the vengeful Bodines, not to mention March Newton, the man who had put Jim behind bars in the first place. This is a solidly written western, full of the usual genre characters and dialogue if it were a movie, it would be a Saturday matinee oater from the 1940s, with clearly delineated heroes and villains, a simple good-versus-evil story, and a protagonist who finds redemption through putting his life on the line for another. Sure, it's a formula, but it still works for many readers.--Pitt, David Copyright 2009 Booklist

The Meszaros sisters, Valerie and Susan, prove themselves to be skilled western authors in this action-packed hayburner (after Lone Survivor). Jim Wyatt is an ex-con, just released from prison for a crime he didn't commit. En route to his ranch in 1870s Wyoming, he stumbles into a stagecoach robbery, rescuing the sole survivor and the money from Lyle Bodine and his gang of murderous thieves. The survivor, Julie Carter, isn't sure if she is any safer with Wyatt, but she has no other choice, as the outlaws are after them. Meanwhile, back home, rancher March Newton, who framed Wyatt for murder, has stolen Wyatt's fiancee, is scheming to take Wyatt's land and has a posse tracking Wyatt. Wyatt and Julie are joined by some unlikely allies and together they whittle down the outlaws and the posse with some fancy Winchester and pistol work, blasting dozens of owlhoots into celestial pastures. Add greed, gunmen, gunsmoke and a surprise ending, and the result is fast-paced, bloody and exciting. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved