Five Star First Edition Westerns - The Phantom Bandit: Western Stories

Frank Bonham's talent for combining picturesque historical and geographical settings with swiftly paced narratives makes him one of the premier Western writers of all time. Now, for the first time in book form, here is a collection of Frank Bonham's finest Western stories, selected and edited by Bill Pronzini. "A River Man Goes to War" is set at the beginning of the War Between the States. In "Wanted!" a former captain of the Army, Swain Barker, has been convicted of embezzling. In "Hell in Dakota" rancher Sam Randall, like everyone else on the range, has his back against the wall. In "Death Valley Silver" Jim Bayliss knows Death Valley well from his time as a cartographer with the Army.

Frank Bonham achieved excellence as a noted author for his contributions to western fiction. Bill Pronzini lives with his wife, author Marcia Muller, in Petaluma, California.

The late Bonham's career spanned five decades, encompassing young adult fiction, detective stories, mysteries, and westerns. His technique differed significantly from his peers, as noted author and editor Pronzini observes, in that the historical context and background of Bonham's stories are always in the forefront. For example, in "A River Man Goes to War," the politics of the Civil War are played out among the travelers and the crew on an Ohio River freighter. "Death Valley Silver" is a death struggle between a loose alliance of drifters looking for a lost army pay wagon and the unforgiving terrain looming between them and their dreams. "Hurry Call for Hanging Gus," an adept mix of mystery and western genres, features recurring Bonham character Marshal Gus Hobbs, who will hang any man in New Mexico for $25, provided he is convinced of the man's guilt. This very entertaining collection by an almost forgotten writer should spur demand for other Bonham westerns. Wes Lukowsky
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