Jake Scudder is just a drifting, peace-loving cowboy. So why does he find himself in jail, convicted of the murder of an old-timer he had befriended and sentenced to hang for that crime he didn't commit? Jake gets a chance to clear his name when the train taking him to the gallows crashes, but was that wreck an accident? Who's the real ringleader of the gang of vicious outlaws known as the Marauders? Jake Scudder has to dodge not only the law but also a cunning murderer as he attempts to save his own life and that of a beautiful young woman. A ROPE FOR SCUDDER is another classic, action-packed Western from bestselling author Clay More and the Western Fictioneers Library.
REVIEW:
The drifting cowboy who finds himself neck-deep in trouble is a classic Western plot, and Clay More (Keith Souter) does a fine job with it in A ROPE FOR SCUDDER. Jake Scudder is literally up to his neck in trouble, because he's sentenced to hang for the murder of rancher Hank Lassiter, an old-timer Scudder has befriended only a day before the killing. A sudden burst of violence frees Scudder, but only temporarily, and he knows he'll have to find out who really killed Lassiter and why if he wants to clear his name. At the same time, a gang of outlaws have kidnapped old Hank's niece, and Scudder sets out to free her.
It's a complex plot enlivened by Souter's fine hardboiled prose and plenty of action. Trains crash, dynamite blows up, guns roar, and fists fly. The story rockets along to a very satisfying ending that includes some surprising plot twists. A ROPE FOR SCUDDER is great fun, and I'm glad The Western Fictioneers Library has made it available again and given me the chance to read it.
--James Reasoner
More stories to add to the ever growing list of reading material. Sigh and happy smile.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Doris. I appreciate it!
DeleteI thank Livia for another speedy release and a for a great cover that catches the spirit of the story.
ReplyDeleteKeith, this is one I'm going to have to get for sure, too! We had a mix up on the scheduling for today, so I put yours up a day early and will put it up again tomorrow. This looks like a great book!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cheryl. I hope you enjoy it. Things may not be quite what they seem in this one.
ReplyDeleteI'm geared up for another Clay More great read. Congrats, Keith! And kudos to Livia.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jacquie. Hope you enjoy it, and indeed, mucho kudos to Livia.
DeleteSounds good Keith. Looking forward to reading.
ReplyDeleteJerry
guns and train wrecks... what more can you ask for? Looking forward to reading this one.
ReplyDeleteJim Griffin
Thanks Jerry and Jim. You are gentlemen!
ReplyDeleteKeith, I was happy to help get this book back in print. Love having the chance to read so many great books, and be able to call it work.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Livia. I agree, working in such a fantastic genre makes work such a pleasure.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, looks great! Gosh, my TBR pile just gets bigger and bigger. :-D
ReplyDeleteThanks, Meg. I know what you mean. Every WF post makes me reach for my Amazon account. I am a fast reader, but I still need to speed up to deal with the pile of old fashioned actual books by my bedside, to say nothing of the cyber-pile on my Kindle!
ReplyDeleteKeith