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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Noble heroes with tainted pasts that sometimes need to be reminded of what they are, May 4, 2007
Guild is an ex-lawman with a terrible past. While stalking a dangerous outlaw, he saw the barrel of a shotgun and fired first. Unfortunately, it was held by a young girl who was left alone by her parents and told to protect their house. She was killed and while Guild was found not guilty by the jury, it is something that hangs heavy over him. He has now taken up bounty hunting and the story opens with him bringing in a man named Maloney.
His goal is the town of Danton, and when he arrives, both he and his prisoner are hot and tired. Being of an agreeable sort, Guild buys both of them a bucket of beer and they drink it together before he takes Maloney to the Sheriff and collects his bounty. The Sheriff turns out to be a man named Baines, they know each other, but Guild soon learns that Baines has become soft in his job and influenced by the Cord family. While essentially honest, the Cord family holds sway over the region and the power structure in the town generally answers to their call.
Annie is a young girl who is beautiful, but with a tragic past. She was sold to a brothel when she was approximately ten years old and was rescued by Earle Hammond, a circus magician. Annie became his assistant in the magic acts and now they are also in Danton. When Hammond is falsely implicated in the killing of a bank clerk, Guild becomes involved in his case, largely because he finds Annie so attractive.
This leads to a winding tale of multiple love stories that end tragically. Just as people are either finding or rediscovering love, their partners are tragically killed. This is the second Gorman novel in the Evans series that I have read and this is the way they both ended. His characters also exhibit great nobility, the Sheriff and the judge of the town both eventually demonstrate an independence of character that helps Guild.
While Gorman's heroes are truly that in the traditional sense, the story ends in a very negative way. Just when people seem to be overcoming their terrible past, events lead to their deaths. If you demand happy endings, then this book is not for you. However, if sad endings are acceptable as long as the journey is well written, then this book will please you.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
GUILD by Ed Gorman, August 3, 2009
GUILD is Ed Gorman's first Western. It was published in 1987, and reissued by Leisure Books this past April. The protagonist is a former lawman turned bounty hunter with a past--one terrible incident--that haunts him. He shot and killed a young girl and can't forgive himself. He now resides on society's fringes and survives by his wit and strength.
The novel opens with Guild dragging a bounty into the town of Danton. The man's name is Maloney and he is friendly and likable. He is so likable he convinces Guild to purchase a bucket of beer to share before they hit the Sheriff's office and jail. Once Maloney has been safely turned over and Guild has the chit in his pocket he decides to find a place to stay. He chooses a boarding house in town where he meets an angry young man that has a much larger affect on Guild's life than expected.
Shortly thereafter, the young man is charged with a bank heist and his partner--a beautiful young woman that Guild becomes very protective of--drags Guild into the fray. It turns out Danton isn't the town it seems to be on the surface. The law is crooked, and the town's founding family will do anything to keep their power and wealth. And Guild quickly finds the center of everything.
The Leo Guild novels are my favorite Ed Gorman Westerns--the protagonist is a dark and melancholy figure who is equal parts brawn and brain. He is a tough and violent man, but he is also self-aware. He understands human nature and while his view of the world is dark, his cynicism is never quite proven out and the blackness is never allowed to overtake him. He always finds something to admire about humanity, whether it is the beauty of a sincere woman or the hard fought integrity of a man taking the correct action no matter the consequences.
GUILD, like all of Mr Gorman's Westerns, is a hybrid--it is as much hardboiled noir as it is Western. The mystery is the centerpiece of the story, and the setting--the old West atmosphere and its dusty and wild towns--are the playground where it takes place. The true power of this novel is the sturdy portrait Mr Gorman paints of the past. He creates believable characters that behave very much as our own generation--they are tired, scared, lonely, naïve, brutal, horny, indifferent, kind and courageous; sometimes all at once. Which is most likely exactly how our ancestors behaved.
-Gravetapping
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I thought, March 17, 2011
After reading this I was disappointed. This was not really a western. Just one of Ed Gorman`s mysteries wrapped up to pass it`s self off as a western. Time to saddle up and find real westerns by Charles West, Ralph Cotton or Elmore Leonard. These gentleman know what westerns are all about.
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