The Outlaw Breed

William Byron Mowery (1899-1957) was one of the most prolific writers of early adventure pulp stories, amassing a robust catalog of nearly 400 short stories. He earned degrees from both Ohio State University and the University of Illinois and taught English at the University of Texas. His “north woods” stories can be found in magazines like Argosy, Adventure, Ace-High, and Blue Book. Several of his novels and stories were adapted into films like The Mysterious Pilot and Heart of the North. Cutting Edge Books has made a concentrated effort to feature Mowery's novels in new digital and physical formats, including his 1936 novel Outlaw Breed. The book is available in a stand-alone edition as well as a bonus novel in the publisher's unique digital collection, Canadian Westerns: Four Full Novels. 

In Outlaw Breed, Noel, a former Inspector of the Canadian Mounted Police, becomes embroiled in a murder mystery that reaches into the dense, rugged landscape of Canada's Manitoba region. When a young man named Jimmy is shot to death at Noel's apartment, the former policeman begins an investigation into the murder. Noel's torn between his former allegiance to Canada's law-enforcement authorities, specifically his ex-boss, and his stand-alone determination to chase his own form of justice for Jimmy.

When Noel flies into the rural areas of the Canadian interior, he is immediately assaulted by a gang of hired men. Eventually, Noel finds solace and cooperation from his least likely ally, a sharpshooting woman named Alice who has a close tie to Jimmy. The two combine their resources and track down the heart of the mystery, gold deposits on land owned by a tribe of Indigenous people. 

Mowery's effective use of a pandemic affecting this tribe, and the chaotic pursuit of hired guns trailing both Noel and Alice, make for a plot propulsive narrative that captures some of modern western's most inspiring tropes – a hardened hero, majestic locales, and a rich storytelling experience that showcases culture and tradition among the land's inhabitants. Outlaw Breed is top-notch! Get the book HERE.