Customer Reviews

Black Hats

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A sequel to Randisi's WHITE HATS anthology, BLACK HATS dishes up 14 gunfighter stories starring such real-life Westerners as Butch Cassidy, Sam Bass, Jack Slade, Tom Horn and George Custer. With contributions from authors as Ed Gorman, Matt Braun and Donald Hamilton, BLACK HATS is an entertaining mix of stories sure to appeal to Wild West fans.

The stories in BLACK HATS cover the spectrum. In Ed Gorman's 'A Good Start,' bank robber Henry Starr finds he's bitten off more than he can chew when he rides into Pruett City, Oklahoma in his Model T; a vehicle the actual Starr really used in his Oklahoma robberies. Donald Hamilton's 'The Guns of William Longley' follows the fortunes of a young cowpoke who wins the guns worn by an infamous gunfighter in a card game. In Barbara Barton's 'The Outlaw and the School Marm,' Butch Cassidy confirms that even 'bad men' possess honor. The sad life of Dave Rudabaugh, a member of Billy the Kid's gang, is the subject of 'On the Square' by Marcus Pelegrimas. And, lastly, 'A Cold Day in Boise' by Ken Hodgson reveals the ice-cold heart of Harry Orchard, a for-hire killer involved in the Colorado Labor Wars.

Of all the stories, Hodgson's 'Cold Day in Boise' takes the catbird seat. His Harry Orchard character - real name: Albert Horsley - is evil incarnate, a remorseless, murderous psychopath rivalling Ted Bundy.

Though it was published in 2003, Western fans should track down a copy of BLACK HATS. All the stories are first-rate entertainment. Recommended.