The Bravos by Brian Wynne (Brian Garfield)

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The Bravos (1966) by Brian Wynne (Brian Garfield)
Under the pen name of Brian Wynne, veteran author Brian Garfield (best known for Death Wish) wrote a total of 8 westerns featuring Jeremy Six, marshal of the town of Spanish Flat. Lean and mean, The Bravos sketches in the basics of Jeremy Six in its opening pages as he tracks down and captures a killer wanted for murdering a woman back in Spanish Flat. We quickly learn that Marshal Six is methodical, calculating, and deadly with any form of gun. 

He succeeds in subduing his man, but upon arrival back in town, Six is overpowered by a mob who lynch his prisoner. Six is so disgusted by this complete lack of respect for the law that he abandons his badge and Spanish Flat, embarking on a journey that ultimately is one of self-discovery and redemption as he tries to sort out his place in a world where the law has no value or respect. 

He soon finds himself traveling toward the town of Rifle Gap with 2 unwanted companions, Rafferty, a newspaperman, and Story, a recently released ex-convict with a secret backstory. Rifle Gap is in the grips of a land war between 2 powerful ranchers and the town is caught in the crosshairs as each land baron is calling in gunslingers to bolster the ranks of their personal armies. 

As tensions escalate and a personal deadly toll is exacted upon a friend of Six’s, it becomes clear that the marshal will need to rise above his disillusionment and do whatever is necessary to take control of the town away from those who would harm the innocent with no regard. This is a solid fast read at only 126 pages and is recommended, even if it offers nothing especially new to a classic formula. 

Review by Steve Carroll

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