Larry D. Sweazy

Larry Sweazy's done it again with this collection of eleven stories that run the gamut of Western life. Normally in any short story anthology, there are one or two stories that are weaker than the rest, but there are none of those to be found in this collection.

These stories teach as well as entertain. I learned that cattle ranching was a big part of life in Florida just as it has been in more well-known places like Texas. I'd also never heard of the Indiana Territorial Rangers, an organization that accepted women, so "The Buffalo Trace" was of particular interest to me.

Other stories show Texas Rangers in relentless pursuit of outlaws, an ex-con wanting a quiet life, what happened to some of the children packed aboard the Orphan Trains, a shoot-out with Bonnie and Clyde, and more.

There are stories about Native Americans, about Southerners whose lives were ruined during the Civil War, even one with a rather vampirical edge. They are narrated by both men and women. These stories are tough and tender and so Western that you can hear spurs jingling, cattle bawling, and the click of a hammer being pulled back on a pistol.

This is a collection that should be read by everyone with an interest, not only in the Western United States but in well-drawn characters and fine storytelling. If you find yourself wanting to read more by this author-- and I think you will-- I highly recommend his Marjorie Trumaine mysteries set in 1960s North Dakota as well as his Sonny Burton mysteries set in Depression Era Texas.… (mais)

It is in the small town of Kosoma, a small town in the SE part of the Indian Territory (Oklahoma now), as Lost Mountain Pass by Larry Sweazy begins. It is May 1988 and the hanging has been done by the order of the Eastern District of Arkansas Judge Gordon Hadesworth. Accompanied by U.S. Deputy Marshall Sam “Trusty” Dawson for security and protection, the plan is to get out of town fast now that the three Darby brothers, Cleatus, Horace, and Rascal, are swinging slowly from the gallows and are most assuredly dead.

The Darby’s reign of terror is finally over and that should be a good thig for everyone. But both men are nervous about what comes next as some folks might take offense to the deaths. The plan is to get out of town as fast as possible, do some misdirection, and hide out in the nearly lost mountain pass where they can see trouble coming before it arrives on horseback.

Assuming all that works, the two men will then journey on to Muskogee and get the good judge safely home.

That was the plan and it was a good plan.

It just didn’t work.

There are certain authors who just cannot write a bad book. The legendary Bill Crider was one. Wayne Dundee is one. This is also true of Larry Sweazy. While I am partial to his westerns, anything he writes is always a good read.

Such is the case here with his new series that starts with Lost Mountain Pass: Trusty Dawson, U.S. Deputy Marshall. A complicated read full of plenty of twists and turns, action and double crosses, this is a western tale that runs on all levels. Simply put, it is a mighty good read and well worth your time.

According to the mighty zon, I purchased this as an eBook back in August 2021. Probably when the publisher, Pinnacle Books, heavily discounted it as my local library was not getting it at that time. The local library system does have it now. Dallas Public Library System also now has book two, The Broken Bow, only in paperback, and I have a copy here from the library.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2022… (mais)

I'm finding that I'm in the midst of another mini-reading binge of books set in the American West, and one of the best authors to read is Spur Award-winning Larry D. Sweazy. This first Trusty Dawson book, Lost Mountain Pass, takes us from 1860s St. Louis and Trusty's youth to 1880s Indian Territory where U.S. Marshall Sam Dawson has earned the nickname everyone calls him by being utterly trustworthy and dependable.

Sweazy's setting has you slapping off the trail dust, hearing the jingle of spurs, and knowing that your life may very well depend on how observant you are of people and your surroundings. There's more going on than a simple manhunt to put Trusty's life in danger, and as his backstory is woven into the story, the danger he's in becomes palpable. There are two very dangerous men after Dawson, and the shadowy Michael Darby with his reluctance to talk makes you wonder if there's a third. And as far as characters are concerned, Sweazy introduces a female Apache scout named Woman's Clothes that I definitely would love to see more of.

With its fast pace, authentic setting, very real sense of danger, and amusing turns of phrase ("...took to wearing suits like a lizard dancing on ice" and "...face that looked like it had been used to rake gravel"), Lost Mountain Pass is an extremely satisfying read. In the next book in the series, Trusty will be heading to North Dakota, and I think I'll just mosey right along with him.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)… (mais)