Friday, January 18, 2013

Forgotten Books: Buffalo Hunter: Hellhole -- Ralph Hayes

I picked this up the other day and thought I'd give it a try, never having read any of this series before.  It turned out to be an ultra-violent western with a rape, shootings, fights, gun battles, beatings, torture, and just about anything else you can think of.  

The Buffalo Hunter's name is O'Brien, and he's arrested and brutally beaten for a crime he didn't commit.  He's sent to Bradenville, Texas' toughest prison, where the prisoners work in a big copper mine.  The warden and the guards are brutal, and so are the prisoners.  O'Brien's idea is to escape and get revenge on the men who really committed the crime he's accused of, along with the sheriff who sent him to prison.  As you've probably guessed, he does.

That's it for the story, and I'll have to give Hayes credit.  This is one book in which the action truly never stops.  You're never more than a page or two away from another gunfight, beating, knifing, whatever, all described in loving detail.  However, no buffalo are harmed.

3 comments:

James Reasoner said...

Ralph Hayes was a busy guy for a couple of decades, writing series and house-name books in several different genres. I've read a few of them and thought they were okay. Like you say, lots of action.

Evan Lewis said...

Good to know the author had a social conscience. Sounds like he had to work overtime to keep his hero too busy to shoot buffalo.

Unknown said...

At least in this one. I haven't read any of the others.