The Bloody Spur
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4.6 • 18 Ratings
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
The murder of a New Mexico rancher sets off this explosive Western thriller by the New York Times bestselling authors of The Big Showdown.
Rancher George Cullen doesn’t like the Santa Fe Railroad’s plan to drive a spur through his town. He intends to put up a fight—even though everyone else in Trinidad, New Mexico, including his own daughter, stands on the side of the railroad . . .
Sheriff Caleb York rides out to the Bar-O to reason with his old friend. But Cullen’s ex-partner, Burt O’Malley, is back in town after a twenty-year stint in the pen. And hired gun Alver Hollis, aka the Preacherman, has shown up with two cronies, claiming they’re in town for a big poker game. With the whole town on the verge of a shootout, Caleb keeps a firm grip on his Colt .44. Soon enough, he’ll take dead aim to keep the peace . . .
Shortly before his death, legendary crime writer Mickey Spillane asked that his friend and protégé Max Allan Collins—himself an acclaimed writer—complete his unfinished works. Among them was an unproduced screenplay featuring Sheriff Caleb York, which sparked the action-packed, truly gritty Caleb York Western series.
Praise for Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
“Collins displays his mastery of Spillane’s distinctive two-fisted prose.” —Publishers Weekly
“Spillane is a pioneer of tough-guy ethics.” —Washington Post
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Spillane and Collins's well-crafted third Caleb York western (after 2016's The Big Showdown) finds the former Wells Fargo detective now sheriff of Trinidad, N.Mex. enjoying the peaceful benefits of being believed dead, but he soon has trouble on his hands. Ranch owner George Cullen is under pressure to let the Santa Fe Railway lay tracks through his land to link Trinidad with other towns, enriching all. Despite Caleb's advice, George stubbornly refuses to make any deal. Meanwhile, contract killer Alver Hollis (aka the Preacherman) shows up, ostensibly to play in a poker tournament but, when George is found outside of town murdered, Caleb wonders whether it was the work of the Preacherman. And might he have another victim in his sights? Regardless, the appealing Caleb level-headed, wry, and tough when he needs to be intends to honor his promise to George's lovely daughter, Willa, to avenge his old friend. This posthumous collaboration is great fun, but fans of the early Spillane won't find much evidence of his trademark style.
