Western Fictioneers—an
organization formed in 2010 by professional Western writers to preserve, honor,
and promote traditional Western writing in the 21st century—recently announced the
annual Peacemaker (named for the iconic Colt revolver) Awards. My book, Hanging
Man: The Hunting of Man Book 1, was a Finalist for Best Western Novel.
Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and
those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for
anything else thereafter.”
That quotation seemed a good description for a bounty hunter, and Matt Crowder
was born. A middle-aged former Deputy United States Marshal turned bounty
hunter, Crowder is relentless in his pursuit of justice—although, at his age, he
would rather not sleep on the ground anymore if he can help it.
In Hanging
Man, Crowder comes upon a man hanging from a tree in an isolated area
and pursues the mystery of who he is, why he died, and who killed him. He chases
the two men he believes responsible, and along the way discovers graft and corruption
involving the US Army, and in a chance encounter captures another wanted man.
In Running
Man: The Hunting of Man Book 2, and Hiding
Man: The Hunting of Man Book 3, Matt Crowder’s adventures lead him
across the Old West on the trail of other outlaws.
