September 30, 2013
Max Brand is the pseudonym of Frederick Faust (1892–1944), who wrote more than 300 westerns. Five Star has republished 66 of Brand’s westerns, including this excellent novel, which first appeared as a three-part magazine serial in 1925. Sammy Gregg is a tenderfoot from New York City on the frontier to make his fortune. He has a fearless determination to succeed no matter the cost, and that makes Sammy a formidable adversary to horse thieves, robbers, and killers. Sammy’s first business is stealing horses in Mexico, driving them north to the mining camps, and selling the herds for a tidy profit. A gang of horse thieves, however, spoil his plans, but Sammy is not deterred. His next business is a risky stagecoach line that is plagued by robberies. The owlhoot responsible for stealing horses and robbing stages is a smooth-talking, cold-blooded gentleman named Chester Ormonde Furness. After the particularly grisly torture and robbery of an old man, Sammy finally decides to put an end to Furness and his raids, and he comes up with a clever plan to trap and wipe out the outlaws. And, of course, when the lead starts flying, it turns out Sammy has a lot more grit than folks thought. Brand adds one final touch to this story that softens even the toughest men, especially the outlaw leader.