Rio Desperado by Gordon Shirreffs

Rio Desperado (1962) by Gordon Shirreffs

As Rio Desperado opens, gunslinger Burke Dane cuts down the lynched body of his half-brother on the outskirts of a town where the young family man had gone to buy cattle. Dane’s only clue is the unique style of braided rawhide reata that was used to hang his brother. Armed with basic knowledge of the town and the power-hungry cattle baron who runs it, Dane sets out to find those responsible and exact justice. He also intends to retrieve the $5,000 in poker winnings that was stolen from his brother’s corpse so he can give it to his brother’s widow and children. 

This basic set-up is all that is necessary in the hands of a pro like Shirreffs, who wrote over 70 novels in his day. There is a depth of character and a literary flair to this book that belies its pulp roots. Dane saves the life of Jesse, a hot-headed young hired gun working for the town’s dictator-like boss. A friendship slowly develops between these two in spite of the fact that evidence would appear to point a potential finger of guilt at Jesse, who is trying to find his special reata that is missing. 

The central mystery is sufficiently intriguing and it’s all punctuated by some excellent action sequences. Everything climaxes with a protracted chase and gunfight through the canyons during heavy thunderstorms as floods threaten to wash out the only bridge to freedom while a small army of cutthroats closes in. 

The best endorsement I can give Rio Desperado is that it made me want to read more by Gordon Shirreffs.

Reviewed by Steve Carroll