Westerns – neglected genre fiction

It’s surprising how many readers say they don’t read westerns. Usually, the majority who say this haven’t actually read one. If they did make the monumental decision to read a western or two, they might be surprised. On the surface – judging by the covers - these books may just appear to be shoot-em-ups, but they’re much more than that.

A good western tale is about character and morality with a historical perspective. Often there’s romance too. Take, for example, my first Robert Hale western, just out in Large Print – ‘Death at Bethesda Falls’. It begins with Jim Thorp riding into Bethesda Falls intent on finding and possibly killing a man. The man in question happens to be the brother of Anna, Jim’s girlfriend, the schoolteacher of the town. There’s every possibility of the old romance blossoming afresh, save for the vendetta against Anna’s brother. Elsewhere, Ellen’s father is dying and she’s being courted by the ranch foreman; little does she know that the foreman is hastening her father’s demise with poison. A convoluted and fast-paced plot which will end in violence and death. And maybe Jim gets his girl Anna...