The shadow shooter

The shadow shooter by W. C. Tuttle is a Western novel written in the early 20th century. Set in the boom-bent cow-town of Chongo, it blends wisecracking range humor with a slow-burn mystery about a murdered cowhand and suspicious cattle dealings. The cast centers on good-natured AH punchers like Soapy Weed and Cling Heffner, the proud LeClere family, a hard-driving saloon-and-ranch boss, and the famed drifter-sleuth duo Hashknife Hartley and Sleepy Stevens. Expect a lively mix of dances, saloons, and saddle work that turns into a hunt for the truth. The opening of the story follows Soapy’s comic struggle into his best clothes for a town dance that sours when hotheaded Joe LeClere flattens Kid O’Neil, who is later found shot from behind near the IS ranch. Trying to keep blame off the LeCleres, Soapy bungles an attempt to move the body and ends up arrested, while an inquest stirs up bad blood among ranch crews and spotlights Chongo’s boomtime powerbroker. Into this tension ride Hashknife and Sleepy, who stumble on Joe fixing to alter Box 88 brands, wing him in the leg, then shield him with a cover story at the ranch. Hints of an earlier unsolved killing, frayed loyalties, and the sheriff’s doubts set the stage for a broader investigation across the Silver River Valley.

Summary written by Project Gutenberg, by machine.