BLOOD, SWEAT & GOLD

One of the early books in the Raider and Doc series, published by Playboy Press. 

Don’t remember too much about this one, really, since I initially read it nearly 30 years ago.  I do recall, though, that it’s pretty randy and that it came (ahem) during the heyday of the so-called “Adult Western”.

I believe the late Alan Riefe wrote this one.  He created the series for Playboy and wrote the first several books.

SLOCUM AND THE WIDOW KATE

The Widow Kate in this story is not some old, wrinkly woman as Slocum first suspects when he takes the job of escorting her, sight unseen.  She winds up having to use her wiles to “distract” him to keep secret the real purpose of Slocum’s employment. 

Someone once told me that they thought that Martin Cruz Smith, well-known author of “Gorky Park” had written this one but they couldn’t be 100% certain.

FACE DOWN IN A COFFIN

Another “Adult Western” series, one which came on the heels of Playboy Press’s “Slocum” series. 

Raider (“just ‘Raider’”) and Doc Weatherbee work for the Pinkerton Detective Agency and are sent on “Wild, Wild West” type of adventures all over the country (and once to England, as well). 

The late Alan Riefe created this series and told me once that he’d intentionally set it up to feature over-the-top, larger-than-life plot scenarios.  It’s true; the first 20 or  books in the series - in addition to having the best cover art – were outrageous comedies of sorts. 

Sometimes the shoot’em up action in the stories are put in “time out” so that either Raider or Doc can enjoy a dalliance or two with some obliging feminine company. 

The J. D. Hardin books lasted for a good, long run until it was decided to have Doc retire to make way for Raider to have his own series.  It was called, oddly enough, “Raider” and went on for 42 books; it concluded with the fitting title, “End of The Trail”. 

And just when you thought you’d seen the last of Raider (and especially Doc), they both show up in a giant LONGARM novel called “The Golden Eagle Shootout”. 

If you can find FACE DOWN IN A COFFIN, or any of the other early ones, you’ll probably enjoy them.  That is, if you don’t mind bawdy entertainment. 

BLAZING GUNS

The man who wrote this book, as "Jake Logan", told me that he absolutely HATED the title "Blazing Guns".  Apparently Playboy Press changed titles at their whim and didn't bother to tell their authors about it ahead of time.  So goes the publishing biz, I suppose.

ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE

Another classic in Jake Logan's pioneering Western series.  The woman in the book is absolutely unloveable. 

HANGING JUSTICE

Here's probably the first series of "Adult Westerns" ever to hit the Market.  The John Slocum series started out at Playboy Press and then to Berkely back in the day.