"Vengeance Valley" by Luke Short

I don't believe I've ever read anything by Luke Short before.  I picked up a copy of this on a whim at a used book store because a) it was a vintage paperback and I have a weakness for those, b) I liked the alliteration in the title, and c) I happen to know that Luke Short was the name of a real gunfighter in the old west that rubbed shoulders with people like Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp.

Well, according to the internet, it's unclear if the author, whose real name was Frederick Dilley Gladden, knew that there was actually a gunfighter named Luke Short once upon a time, or if he just thought the name had a good punch to it.  But either way, it did its job of grabbing my attention.

Anyway, the story was a solid one.  An unwed mother's older brothers come to town, looking to either avenge her stolen innocence or force her baby's father to marry her.  They're unsavory sorts who aren't too particular over which of those outcomes they bring about.

Owen Daybright is the foreman of a big outfit, the Acorn.  He's kind to the young mother, Lily Fasken, as are a few other people in town, while others despise and shun her.  Lily refuses to tell anyone who fathered her baby, not even her brothers.  Because Owen has been helping her, the brothers assume he's the father, or else know who is, if he's not.

Lots of trouble ensues, including a pretty cool ambush scene at the end that gave me several surprises.  I will definitely give Luke Short another try if I find one of his books again.  His writing may not be up to the standard of L'Amour or Grey, but he's still got a snappy way with words and plots, and I quite liked his characters.  His women were interesting and distinctive, as well as his men, which can be hard to find in vintage westerns sometimes.

Lots of Luke Short's westerns got made into movies, including Vengeance Valley.  In fact, it got made into a movie starring Burt Lancaster, a favorite of mine, so I'm going to have to see if I can track it down and watch it!

Particularly Good Bits:

Besides, there was no use meeting trouble halfway, because if it wanted you it found you anyway, whether you ran from it, sat waiting for it, or went out to meet it (p. 17).

"Isn't that why you marry, so you can live with someone who's like you, so you can be what you are, so you aren't watching yourself or them" (p. 80).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for some mild cussing, western violence, and genteel discussions of unwed motherhood.

This has been my 25th book read from my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2022.