ANDREW McBRIDE INTERVIEWED BY PAUL BISHOP ON THE SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST

 I was honoured to be the guest on the much-praised SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST.

 Two acclaimed western novelists, PAUL BISHOP and RICHARD PROSCH, have been running the SIX GUN JUSTICE podcast for a while, where the co-hosts look at most things western: western history and fiction, TV, film, radio and books (including interviews with authors, publishers etc.) So far they’ve freewheeled through a wide range of topics from how icons like Buffalo Bill and Custer have been depicted on screen and in books, to TV western shows well-known and obscure (‘Rawhide’ ‘Lancer’) western-themed comics and memorabilia, western songs (‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’) to ‘shooting the breeze’ with authors both new and established, from JAMES REASONER to WAYNE D. DUNDEE.  

Here’s the SIX GUN JUSTICE website: https://www.sixgunjustice.com/p/podcast.html 

Here you can find a list of episodes: https://sixgunjustice.buzzsprout.com/

I was interviewed for 25 minutes by PAUL BISHOP for the SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST episode 210, broadcast on November 14^th 2022, titled THE WORLDWIDE WEST TOUR: ENGLAND – PART 2

Paul was a police detective with the Los Angeles Police Department for 35 years and was twice selected as LAPD's Detective of the Year. This served him well in his police procedural and mystery novels, including his series about female detective Fey Croaker. He’s also written screenplays.

 I’ve done AUTHOR FAVOURITES BLOGS for two of Paul’s novels:

LIE CATCHERS:

 Some reviews of LIE CATCHERS:

‘"Lie Catchers" is something else. This is a book which goes way beyond the typical police story. … into psychological aspects rarely used in a "cop" book… Rarely will you find the kind of insight that Bishop demonstrates in this truly 5-star book.’

 ‘Wonderfully well-crafted police procedural with two main characters who leap off the page… unique, suspenseful, surprising, insightful, psychologically complex and wonderfully written.’

 Blog here: https://andrewmcbrideauthor.blogspot.com/2018/09/author-favourites-lie-catchers-by-paul.html

and HOT PURSUIT

Reviews for HOT PURSUIT:

 ‘Could hardly be better.’

 ‘The most exciting caper you're likely to find in print this year.’

 ‘A masterpiece.’

 ‘A spellbinding story.’

Blog here: https://andrewmcbrideauthor.blogspot.com/2018/09/author-favourites-hot-pursuit-by-paul.html 

I had great fun chatting with Paul. He was able to make me less nervous than I usually am doing these things. We talked about my critically-acclaimed new western novel CIMARRÓN,

THE HIGH CHAPARRAL,

The ground-breaking western novel BLOOD BROTHER by ELLIOTT ARNOLD

English western writer MATT CHISHOLM, (real name PETER WATTS) author of the highly successful McALLISTER series among others

Another best-selling western author born in England, J.T. EDSON,

LOUIS L’AMOUR,

my writing process,

whether gunfights ever happened as Hollywood depicts them

and British attempts to ‘do’ westerns on film and TV, including the episode ‘Living in Harmony’ of the cult British TV series ‘THE PRISONER.’ 

PATRICK McGOOHAN in ‘THE PRISONER’ episode ‘Living in Harmony’

 I also name-check two fine English authors, PHILIP CAVENEY (author of thrillers and children’s books) and western writer DEREK RUTHERFORD.

Why not LISTEN IN HERE? https://sixgunjustice.buzzsprout.com/795466/10984559-six-gun-justice-podcast-episode-210-the-worldwide-west-tour-england-part-2?t=0 

PETER BRANDVOLD, acclaimed, award-winning and best-selling western author on THE SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST:

‘…Simply the best western podcast going. Paul and Rich know their stuff, and the deep dives into the genre along with conversations with today’s top-of-the-line western professionals make the show a weekly must-listen.’

ANDREW McBRIDE’S REVIEW of SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES

 A diverse collection of tightly-focussed western tales.

Two acclaimed western novelists, PAUL BISHOP and RICHARD PROSCH, have been running a podcast called SIX GUN JUSTICE for a while, where the co-hosts look at most things western: western history and fiction, TV, film, radio and books (including interviews with authors, publishers etc.) So far they’ve freewheeled through a wide range of topics from how icons like Buffalo Bill and Custer have been depicted on screen and in books, to TV western shows well-known and obscure (‘Rawhide’ ‘Lancer’) western-themed comics and memorabilia, western songs (‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’) to ‘shooting the breeze’ with authors both new and established, from JAMES REASONER to WAYNE D. DUNDEE.  

Here’s the SIX GUN JUSTICE website: https://www.sixgunjustice.com/p/podcast.html 

They’ve now branched out into publishing fiction, and their first effort is SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES, an anthology of 13 western short stories by MICHAEL RITT, JEFFREY J. MARIOTTE, WAYNE D. DUNDEE, JACKSON LOWRY, EASY JACKSON, SCOTT DENNIS PARKER, JOHN D. NESBITT, RICHARD PROSCH, STEVE HOCKENSMITH, JACQUIE ROGERS, CHERYL PIERSON, BILL BOULDEN and VONN MCKEE. It’s edited by Richard Prosch, and Paul Bishop writes the introduction.

Simply on grounds of length, I’m not going to review every story in the anthology, so apologies to anyone left out. And MERRICK by BEN BOULDEN has already appeared as an independent novella, which I’ve given a four star review to (‘Razor-sharp western noir’) here on Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Merrick-Ben-Boulden-ebook/dp/B075JN7Y21/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&qid=1635517158&refinements=p_27%3ABen+Boulden&s=books&sr=1-1

and Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36226257-merrick

The stories in this excellent collection show an under-appreciated aspect of the western: the variety and diversity inside the genre. The book kicks off with:

THREE DAYS TO PINE RIVER by MICHAEL RITT

This tells of a lawman bringing in a prisoner through the Colorado Mountains. The morality play underlying this not-what-it-seems tale, and Ritt’s effective, cinematic prose made me think of a ‘conventional’ 50s western movie, which is no criticism, as I’m a great admirer of the best 50s western movies. It brought to mind the lean economy of those tough outdoor adventures featuring Jimmy Stewart directed by Anthony Mann, or Randolph Scott directed by Bud Boetticher – which often centred on a journey of some kind.

JAMES STEWART in 'The Naked Spur' (1953)

In contrast DULCIE’S REWARD by EASY JACKSON has a young woman as the central character, attempting to survive in a man’s world by organising a cattle drive in post-Civil War Texas. Jackson writes a pacy, first-person narrative in a very readable, colloquial style.

NIGHT HORSE by JOHN D. NESBITT, concerning doings on and around a small Wyoming ranch, has elements of murder mystery, and a back story of thieves falling out, told sparely and effectively. Unusual and interesting.

HIRED GUNS: MULE’S GOLD by STEVE HOCKENSMITH is a stark outdoors tale of prospectors searching the harsh Sonora desert for an abandoned gold mine. Meanwhile, they’re being stalked by hidden enemies. Again this features terse, cinematic prose, with some laconic humour. It reads like the gritty first chapter of a novel (or a series) which I would be very happy to read.

Prospectors in the Old West

HEADWATERS by VONN MCKEE is an interesting, expertly-written character study about professional gambler Lex Tucker. Fiddle-footed Lex is always looking for ‘one more river to cross.’ He sets out to find and make peace with his cruel, abusive father, and perhaps end his years of wanderlust.

My two favourite stories in the anthology are in marked contrast to each other, showing the wide range inside the genre.

HOLLIE JOLLY COURTSHIP by JACQUIE ROGERS is a beautifully-written western romance about Idaho farmer Jack Wade’s quest for a bride. A warm and funny tale that Jacquie found inspiration for in her own family history.

A farmer and wife in the Old West

THE FOX AND THE SNAKE by JEFFREY J. MARIOTTE tells of Fox Caldwell, an old widower living alone in the Arizona wilderness c. 1915, who was once an outlaw. But then the past comes calling: a daughter he hasn’t seen for years, and a posse serving an old warrant led by a lawman wanting personal revenge. Mariotte wastes not a word in this taut, superbly-written tale. Once more, the cinematic qualities of the writing brought movies to mind, perhaps a Sam Peckinpah-directed end-of-the-west elegy with a script by Elmore Leonard.

SAM PECKINPAH's end-of-the-west elegy 'The Wild Bunch' (1969)

Overall, a diverse and surprising collection I can highly recommend.

I’ve done a four star review of SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES (an edited-down version of this blog) for Goodreads and Amazon.co.uk, which you can find here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Gun-Justice-Western-Stories-ebook/dp/B09CMV5GMH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1E1ICV8QNKABI&dchild=1&keywords=six+gun+justice+western+stories&qid=1635790037&sprefix=six+gun+justice+western+stories+%2Caps%2C71&sr=8-1

and here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58941209-six-gun-justice?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=OH1Xwa10LY&rank=5

‘The Six-Gun Justice podcast is simply the best western podcast going. Paul and Rich know their stuff, and the deep dives into the genre along with conversations with today’s top-of-the-line western professionals make the show a weekly must-listen.’ PETER BRANDVOLD, acclaimed, award-winning and best-selling western author.

Find SIX GUN JUSTICE PODCAST WESTERN STORIES here: https://www.amazon.com/Six-Gun-Justice-Western-Stories-ebook/dp/B09CMV5GMH and here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Gun-Justice-Western-Stories-ebook/dp/B09CMV5GMH/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=… …

My review of 52 TV WESTERNS edited by SCOTT HARRIS, PAUL BISHOP and ROB WORD

My 4 star review of 52 TV WESTERNS edited by SCOTT HARRIS, PAUL BISHOP and ROB WORD

Fun mix of the fondly-remembered, the quirky and the surprising

Acclaimed authors SCOTT HARRIS and PAUL BISHOP and TV writer/producer ROB WORD have put together reviews of 52 TV Western shows/ TV movies, drawing upon some other writers to help. I’m in here, reviewing one series.

Although the heyday of TV Westerns was 1955-1975 this compendium takes us from early shows like ‘The Range Rider’

Jock Mahoney was THE RANGE RIDER

through long-running staples like ‘Gunsmoke’

James Arness as Matt Dillon in GUNSMOKE

and ‘Bonanza,’ 

one-season wonders like ‘The Westerner’

Brian Keith as THE WESTERNER

right up to date with ‘Godless.’

Michelle Dockery in the woman-centric western series GODLESS

It isn’t intended to be a complete, exhaustive list which would run far beyond 52 series but a look at 52 examples of a form that has managed to be surprisingly diverse.

So there’s spy-western hybrids (‘The Wild Wild West’)

Robert Conrad and Ross Martin in THE WILD WILD WEST

 tongue-in-cheek westerns with anti-hero leads (‘Maverick’)

James Garner in MAVERICK

‘intellectual’ westerns like ‘The Loner’, 

Lloyd Bridges in THE LONER

family westerns (‘Little House on the Prairie’)

and series aiming for gritty authenticity (‘The High Chaparral.’)

What unites the articles is the love the authors have for these shows and their pleasure in describing what makes them different and memorable.

I was pleasantly surprised that this compendium doesn’t lean too much on the well-known but highlights a number of interesting and quirky series I wasn’t familiar with (‘Legend’ ‘The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.’ etc.,)

Richard Dean Anderson in LEGEND

Bruce Campbell portrayed Brisco County Jr. (a person not a place) in THE ADVENTURES OF...

setting me the task of checking them out.

If I have a criticism it’s whether the inclusion of ‘Dead Men’ and ‘Justified’ can be – pardon the pun – justified.

Overall though, in this anthology, the reader can visit fondly-remembered old favourites, shows too ahead of their time to flourish, and newer items helping to keep this form alive. And, most importantly, thanks to the enthusiasm of the contributors and editors, have fun doing it. Recommended. 

Other review of 52 TV WESTERNS:

5 Stars - ‘If you're a fan of TV westerns, I highly recommend this book!’

Find my review on Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/52-Weeks-TV-Westerns-ebook/dp/B07V8RJJ3K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr
and Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46832785-52-weeks---52-tv-westerns

You can also find 52 TV WESTERNS here: https://www.amazon.com/52-Weeks-TV-Westerns/dp/1079314326/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=52+tv+westerns+scott+harris&qid=1564733832&s=books&sr=1-1

AUTHOR FAVOURITES: LIE CATCHERS by PAUL BISHOP

Paul Bishop was a police detective with the Los Angeles Police Department for 35 years and was twice selected as LAPD's Detective of the Year. This served him well in his police procedural and mystery novels, including his series about female detective Fey Croaker. He’s also written screenplays.

On top of that he keeps a great blog, which he describes as an ‘eclectic mix of pulps, film noir, 60s spy shows and other topics – plus the required book news, articles and promotion.’ Find his blog here: http://www.paulbishopbooks.com/

Paul tells me his favourite of his own novels is LIE CATCHERS: ‘Not only is it the best written, but I poured so much of my own experiences as an interrogator into its pages.’

Top LAPD Robbery-Homicide detective ‘Calamity’ Jane Randall (nothing like the real Old West Calamity Jane, pictured) is partnered with detective Ray Pagan in a search for two missing children.

Both detectives are scarred by past tragedies. Pagan’s speciality is interrogation and his lie catching abilities are legendary.

LIE CATCHERS takes the reader inside the dark and dangerous mind games of those for whom truth is an obsession.

Male/female duos battling crime and evil of various kinds have existed in many forms on TV and film so I wouldn’t dream of trying to list them all. Here’s a few that come to mind:

In police movies Clint Eastwood and Tyne Daly were an unlikely pair in THE ENFORCER (1976)

whilst the recent ‘modern western’ WIND RIVER (2017) featured Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen as a government operative and an FBI agent who combine forces.

And on TV male-female police teams were depicted in:

the 70s show ‘McMillan and Wife’ starring Rock Hudson and Susan St. James

and the Scandi-Noir police thriller ‘The Bridge.’

Sophia Heflin and Kim Bodnia in ‘The Bridge’

Man and women private detectives teams included ‘THE THIN MAN’ in film and ‘Hart to Hart’ (with Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner) on U.S. TV.

An (accidentally) ground-breaking TV show in this area was the 60s British ITV series ‘The Avengers.’ This show initially featured two male agents working in the world of espionage, one of whom was John Steed (played by Patrick Macnee.)  But the other actor left unexpectedly and had to be hastily replaced. A woman – Honor Blackman – was drafted in at such speed the scripts couldn’t be changed to accommodate her gender – so she became a woman who talked and acted like a man, was as intelligent and as skilled in fighting as her male counterparts, creating a confident, assertive role model for women all over the world.

Thereafter it became a mark of the series that Macnee was always partnered by a woman.

For me the series peaked when he was working with Emma Peel, (Diana Rigg.) I’d argue that this incarnation of ‘The Avengers,’ with its perfectly-cast leads and combination of style, wit and thrills added up to maybe the greatest TV adventure show ever made.

The rival British TV channel of the time – BBC – attempted its own version with ‘Adam Adamant Lives!’ where Gerald Harper was partnered by Juliet Harmer. This had a great premise – a Victorian adventurer reincarnated in the ‘swinging 60s’ and assisted by a very ‘swinging 60s' girl - but it only lasted two seasons.

About the same time U.S. TV had a few goes at the same format. ‘Honey West’ starred Anne Francis as a female P.I. aided and abetted by John Ericson. Despite a stylish performance by Ms. Francis the show never took off.

The same can be said of ‘The Girl from UNCLE’ with Stefanie Powers (again) teamed up with Noel Harrison.

The creator of the hit 90s TV show ‘The X Files,’ Chris Carter, has acknowledged a debt to ‘The Avengers.’ His show pitches two FBI agents, played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, into investigations of paranormal activity.

The premise of ‘The X Files’ is rather like the British TV show ‘Sapphire and Steel’ which ran 1979-1982, with Joanna Lumley (who was also an ‘Avengers’ girl) and David McCallum in the lead roles.

Among many rave reviews for LIE CATCHERS:

‘"Lie Catchers" is something else. This is a book which goes way beyond the typical police story. … into psychological aspects rarely used in a "cop" book… Rarely will you find the kind of insight that Bishop demonstrates in this truly 5-star book.’

‘Paul Bishop scores a home run with his latest police procedural… With two new quirky and appealing characters, LAPD Homicide Detectives "Calamity" Jane Randall and Ray Pagan.’

‘Wonderfully well-crafted police procedural with two main characters who leap off the page… unique, suspenseful, surprising, insightful, psychologically complex and wonderfully written.’

‘Written by someone who knows detective/police work so intimately that they can describe not only the action scenes, but the inner conflicts, the emotional struggles and the gut-wrenching decisions that real law enforcement men and women face every day. That is what I loved about it. I also loved the author's witty, salty writing style.’

https://www.amazon.com/Lie-Catchers-Pagan-Randall-Inquisition-ebook/dp/B07FKM8QN3/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1494684247&sr=1-1

and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lie-Catchers-Pagan-Randall-Inquisition-ebook/dp/B07FKM8QN3/ref=sr_1

AUTHOR FAVOURITES: HOT PURSUIT by PAUL BISHOP

Paul Bishop was a police detective with the Los Angeles Police Department for 35 years and was twice selected as LAPD's Detective of the Year. This served him well in his police procedural and mystery novels, including his series about female detective Fey Croaker. He’s also written screenplays.

On top of that he keeps a great blog, which he describes as an ‘eclectic mix of pulps, film noir, 60s spy shows and other topics – plus the required book news, articles and promotion.’ Find his blog here: http://www.paulbishopbooks.com/

Of his own novels, he tells me has a soft spot for ‘CITADEL RUN (now called HOT PURSUIT), as the plot is very unique to the LAPD.’

It's 1977, veteran L.A.P.D. cop ‘Calico Jack’ Walker’s last week on the job. But he isn’t going quietly: he and his rookie partner, Tina Tamiko, find themselves dealing with crime way out of their jurisdiction, in Las Vegas.

Thinking of two cop ‘buddy’ movies I naturally referenced DIRTY HARRY

Clint Eastwood and Reni Santoni in ‘Dirty Harry’ (1971)

and LETHAL WEAPON.

Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in ‘Lethal Weapon’ (1987)

But I also remembered Samuel Fuller’s movie about a Japanese/American policeman THE CRIMSON KIMONO.

James Shigeta and Glenn Corbett ‘The Crimson Kimono’ (1959)

Reviews for HOT PURSUIT:

‘Could hardly be better.’

‘The most exciting caper you're likely to find in print this year.’

‘A masterpiece.’

‘A spellbinding story.’

https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Pursuit-L-P-D-Adventure-ebook/dp/B078YZX5Q7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1494140684&sr=1-1&dpID=517UEM7T93L&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=detail  and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hot-Pursuit-L-P-D-Adventure-ebook/dp/B078YZX5Q7/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536483856&sr=1-1&keywords=hot+pursuit+paul+bishop