In the 1880s Old American West, after befriending a little girl, a legendary outlaw trains to take on a band of miscreants who don’t exactly buy into his mystique, save the little girl, and become a real hero.

Hammerin’ Hank Haywood Posey is the greatest outlaw to ever live, but every great story eventually comes to an end. The year is 1885 and an old foe challenges Hank’s title and a showdown in an innocent, small-town flare-up. However, along the way, Hank befriends a young girl who admires the outlaw way of life, he falls in love with an escort, and a quaint small town, which leaves Hank fighting for more than just himself for the first time in his life.

Theme:
It doesn’t matter how good you are, you can’t do it all alone. The greatest strength in this world is the knowledge and comfort of relying on others.

Setting:
1885 in the Old West

Main Characters:
Hank Posey: The greatest, most dangerous outlaw the west has ever seen.
Clementine: a vicious young girl with a heart of gold and a fascination for the outlaw life.
Bandit: Hank’s horse. Has a lot of personality and is the only person in the world Hank truly trusts.
Johnnie Rowan: Hank’s replacement in The Wild Ones Outlaw Gang. Johnnie is always fighting to be just like Hank, despite having none of his qualities.
Angus Earle Denver: The Grandsire of the Wild Ones Outlaw Gang. Angus killed Hank’s father back in the day and Hank has been seeking revenge ever since.
Daisy: A whore turned escort, Daisy catches feelings for Hank and the feelings are mutual. After the showdown, Daisy and Hank have plans of settling down together.

Amazon

Review

If you are like me, you have probably heard the term Spaghetti Western but really didn’t know what it meant other than it was a cheesy western film. Well, I have looked it up for you and here is the official definition/meaning:

“Spaghetti” Westerns are a subgenre of Westerns whose name references the circumstances and location of their filming. Generally, a Spaghetti Western is a low-budget film produced by Italian directors (hence the “spaghetti” connection) and filmed in Europe, primarily in Almería and the Tabernas Desert.

Who knew, right? Think The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, and Dhjango to name a few. Surprisingly, Blazing Saddles is not a spaghetti western.

I am not sure I have laughed so much reading a book in some time. All of the characters seem to be unredeemable, but they have spunk. Even the outlaw, Hank Posey, isn’t as tough as he might seem. Maybe because he is getting a little long in the tooth and isn’t quite as fierce as he used to be. Although, he does seem to kill people at random. I think most of the time it was a mistake, but who knows what was going through Hank’s head.

One character that stole the book, at least for me, is Clementine. She is a precocious child and seems to have Hank befuddled, so much that he feels that he needs to protect her, if from herself if nothing else. Of course, there is also Bandit, Hank’s horse. I think if he could talk, oh the stories he could tell.

You would think that outlaws would have a mind of their own and do whatever they want, but there does seem to be some code of honor among thieves/outlaws.

Despite the menacing outlaws, this story has a lot of heart and is a change for Hank. Perhaps he will follow a new path? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

This was quite a fun book to read with the quick wit, zany zingers, and craziness that ensues.

We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

Steve Hanisch is a comedy screenwriter and self-published author with several film festival and screenplay competition wins from his work.

His screenplay festival awards include being the Winner of the 22nd LA Comedy Film Festival Screenplay Competition, the 6th Northeast Film Festival, Horror-Comedy Feature Screenplay Competition from the 9th International Horror Hotel, and The Green Light Award for Comedy Excellence from Die Laughing Film Festival. He also has a slew of other honorable mentions, runner-ups, finalists, semi-finalists, etc., from various film festivals over the years, on multiple scripts.

This book is based on the original screenplay of the same name, also written by Steve.

Steve lives in New Jersey with his wife, Kerry, and his loyal canine companion, Sadie.

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