Hanging Fire (A Joe Noose Western)
Bess Sugarland is Marshal of Jackson Hole, Wyoming in 1888. In her jail is outlaw and gang leader Bonnie Kate Valance, found guilty and sentenced to hang in Victor, Idaho, located about 16 miles across the Talon Pass. Because Bess is suffering from a gunshot wound, her friend and bounty hunter, Joe Noose, volunteers to take the prisoner to Victor. Noose is soon followed across the Pass by Sheriff Bojack and his five deputies. They want to take Valance from Noose and return to Arizona and try the woman for another murder. Unbeknownst to Noose, gunfighter Johnny Cisco is waiting to ambush Noose in the Pass and rescue Valance. Then there is Bill Tuggle and his gang, awaiting Noose’s arrival in Victor. The gang will stop at nothing to free Valance.
This is an edge-of-your-seat novel with plenty of action from start to finish. You wonder how Noose will escape each trial he is faced. It’s well-written, with great characterization throughout. This book is a Western lover’s dream read. Even though it’s a sequel to Noose, I just had to go out and purchase the first book. A writer of several blockbuster films, Eric Red is a welcome addition to the Western genre.
