A Wolf In the Fold (Ralph Compton Western Series) [Mass Market Paperback]

Ralph Compton (Author), David Robbins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 6, 2007

EVEN BAD MEN CAN DO GOOD.

Lucius Stark is just about the meanest mongrel in West Texas. But when Stark grows too fond of a woman he is hired to kill in a range war, his client shoots him in the back. He is saved by the very ranchers he was paid to eliminate. But when they end up slaughtered, Stark finds himself out to deliver his own brand of vengeance-free of charge.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ralph Compton stood six-foot-eight without his boots. He worked as a musician, a radio announcer, a songwriter, and a newspaper columnist. His first novel, The Goodnight Trail, was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Bearer Award for best debut novel. He was also the author of the Sundown Rider series and the Border Empire series.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Signet (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451220595
• ISBN-13: 978-0451220592
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #280,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Robbins is an American author who has had, to date, about three hundred books published, both fiction and non-fiction. He is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Horror Writers of America, and Western Writers of America. Robbins has written under nine different pen names.
Under his own name he is best known for ENDWORLD, a science fiction series with a post-apocalyptic setting. The first ENDWORLD came out in 1986, the most recent in 2009. He has also written a spin-off series called BLADE.
As David Thompson he has been writing the popular WILDERNESS series for nineteen years. Published by Leisure Books, the series is still selling strong. New books come out quarterly.
Robbins has written a number of horror books under his own name, along with THE RETURN OF THE VIRGINIAN, a sequel to Owen Wister's masterpiece, and others.
As J.D. Cameron he wrote most of the OMEGA SUB series.
As Jake McMasters, Robbins did the WHITE APACHE series.
As David Thompson again, he wrote a series on Davy Crockett.
Additionally, Robbins has had over a dozen books published under the Ralph Compton banner.
Among his non-fiction works is a history of the Druge Enforcement Agency,
entitled HEAVY TRAFFIC.
He has also contributed to both THE TRAILSMAN and THE EXECUTIONER series.
There are a number of fan sites devoted to his work. Robbins participates in one of them: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/drobbins/
For more information consult his Wikipedia entry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book ain't Wolf Bait !!, June 10, 2007

By 

J. R. Channing "madshadows" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Wolf In the Fold (Ralph Compton Western Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

A Wolf In The Fold - A Ralph Compton Book By David Robbins Genre: Western

I don't usually enjoy books written in a first person point of view but this one has changed my mind about that because it was so damn good!!. Lucius Stark is a Regulator, an assassin for hire for the princely sum of $[...] and rancher Gertrude Tanner has the dollars to hire him. His targets are the Butcher family who according to Tanner have been rustling her cattle. What follows is the tale of a ruthless killer who has a change of heart when a young girl reaches his but then tragedy hits and all hell breaks loose as Stark gains revenge. This was a terrific read with great characters, an excellent story with lots of twists, turns and suprises with loads of action, fantastic dialogue, chapters with cliffhanger endings and more. I found Stark a fascinating character even if he was so totally ruthless and in a lot of ways Gertrude Tanner was just like him, two sides of the same coin I suppose.

If you want a Western with a great story with loads of action you can't do better than this book, Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific western that's different, June 23, 2008

By 

Grey W. Satterfield Jr. (Oklahoma City, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Wolf In the Fold (Ralph Compton Western Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

I agree with the assessment of the other reviewers here that "A Wolf in the Fold" is a terrific read. Better yet, it's utterly different. The characters are multifaceted and the body count is high. Lucas Stark is a tough dude, a mostly bad man who, despite his propensity to commit murder, is true to his own code. He is twice betrayed by "clients" and finding out what happens to them is a lot of fun. Let me conclude simply by saying that Lucas is a man you don't want to cross. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific read, April 24, 2008

By 

The Western Reader "steveml" (Nottingham, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Wolf In the Fold (Ralph Compton Western Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

A hired assassin, Lucius Stark is the coldest man in Texas. If the price is right he'll kill anyone with no second thoughts. But even the hardest of men have a soft spot. When Stark grows too fond of a woman he is hired to kill, his client shows his displeasure by shooting him in the back. Now it's payback time and Stark sets out to deliver his own brand of vengeance...free of charge.

A book written in the first person isn't my usual choice of reading but this one has me convinced I must try more.

A book where the lead character can only be described as a cold-hearted killer, a man other books would have as the hero's foe. David Robbins' masterfully composed words have you wanting him to win even though you feel you shouldn't.

But is Stark the most evil character in the story, I'd say no. There's one other, a person who takes what they want with complete disregard to those in the way, they will be walked over, or killed, without a second thought. Yes Stark kills without feeling too but he only kills if paid to or his life is threatened.

David Robbins also allows a moment of feeling to crack the hardness of Stark, a fleeting moment of humanity that almost gets Stark killed, a moment in which Stark's desire for vengeance is born and then for those who like violent and action packed books it becomes one long killing spree.

A story that will confuse your emotions into how you should feel about a killer, touch your emotions due to the fate of innocents and rouse your emotions in wanting to see justice done. All this achieved by superb storytelling that makes this one of the best books written by David Robbins.

Very highly recommended.