What would I do without Kevin Tipple’s posts for Kevin’s Corner Annex? Today, my sister and I are driving home after a concert last night. Here’s Kevin’s review of Ben Boulden’s Blaze! Spanish Gold, a western that came out in 2018. Thank you, Kevin.

Unity, Utah, is where Kate and J.D. Blaze were planning to celebrate their wedding
anniversary. The badlands that surround the town are home to numerous silver and
gold mines. Those mines are responsible for most of the males in the town of Unity.
Some of those miners and few others are in the saloon known as Petey’s Bucket of
Blood as is Kate Blaze. That is until a nearby gunshot draws her and numerous others
out to the dark streets like moths to a flame.

That pull leads Katie Blaze and numerous members of the local populace to a nearby
alley where they find Sheriff Gentry holding a man at gunpoint. That man facing the
deadly blast from a shotgun should he do anything at all is her husband, J.D. Blaze. If
that wasn’t bad enough, Deputy Haskins is dead nearby and J.D. did kill him. Why he
did it is not clear and most folks don’t care and want Sheriff Gentry to mete out justice
with his shotgun. Fortunately for J. D. and his wife, Sheriff Gentry is not ready to shoot
J.D. unless he has no other choice.

Why J. D. Blaze killed Deputy Haskins and what that had to do with the missing Spanish
gold, missing men, and an albino who seems to have nefarious purposes in mind, are
just some of the factors at work in Blaze! Spanish Gold. This is the eighteenth
installment in the adult western series started by author Stephen Mertz. Like others in
the series, including author Ben Boulden’s recent installment entry, Blaze! Red Rock
Rampage, this is a standalone entry chronicling the exploits of the married gunfighter
duo.

Those exploits happen on the trail, in town, and are often violent in nature against those
who mean to do them harm. Those exploits are also detailed when they are in the form
of a passionate nature as a married couple. These books are billed “adult westerns” and
that means there is a high level of detail regarding intimate moments that one rarely
sees in a western.

Blaze! Spanish Gold is another solidly good western tale with a few good guys, plenty
of black hats, and a lot more innocents that can’t escape the evil that has Utah, Unity, in
its grasp. The mystery and romantic elements add color to a fine western tale. A fast
and fun read that is well worth your time.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024