When most people think of western novels the first person that comes to mind is Louis L'Amour. I enjoy L'Amour's work and have read quite a few of his books. As good as L'Amour's writing tends to be, I think Gordon D. Shirreffs is my favorite western author. They both have similar writing styles in the sense that they give detailed descriptions about the land, the culture and the people. They also know how to write good action-packed stories that capture the feel of the old west. They were both prolific writers in where they were constantly pumping out books frequently. I just feel that Shirreffs' work isn't as redundant as L'Amours and the story lines are always different. His characters seem a bit more fleshed out and the stories have a more rugged feel to them.
Arizona Justice (1958) is about Ex-Army officer turned U.S. Marshall Rowan Locke that comes to a small town in Arizona to find the killer of his cousin. The town has two ranches that are feuding and Locke is thrust in the middle of them. This story becomes a mystery as Locke is trying to route out his cousin's killer while trying to stay out of trouble between the two ranches. All in all it is a pretty typical western setup - small town, two big ranches that can't stand each other, rustled cattle, etc. Despite that the story itself is very good and compelling. His characters are fleshed out and believable and you actually get to know them on a personal level. The story is only 160 pages long and has more character development, action and suspense than most books that are over 300 pages.
Even though it has a mystery element it still has plenty of gunfights and fistfights along with it. Shirreffs definitely knows how to write an action scene whether it be with guns or fists. His action scenes can be very brutal at times and not for the feint of heart. His writing does not have a lot of cursing or explicit sex but you can tell he loves action sequences.
Personally, I prefer westerns where the story takes place out in the open country or the mountains rather than a small town. It seems more interesting when the protagonist has to chase his quarry through rough terrain and harsh conditions.
Regardless of the settings, this is a very good story and I only wish Shirreff's work was republished. Some of his books have been published as e-books but most them are only available at used bookstores. It's a shame that only L'Amours work fills the shelves at bookstores and not Shirreffs. I guess it could be that L'Amours aren't as brutal and appeal to a wider audience. If you ever decide to get into reading westerns then I highly advise you to check out Gordan D. Shirreffs. You won't be disappointed.
