The Killer Gun - Softcover

Paine, descended from Revolutionary War patriot and pamphleteer Thomas Paine, has written more than 900 books under his own name and a variety of pseudonyms, placing himself firmly in the Isaac Asimov class. Here his subject is George Washington Mars, a wounded veteran of the War of 1812 and a brilliant maker of customized guns. Like any proud artist, Mars signs his work, the best of which is in an altered Colt made to fire from a half-cocked position, giving a proficient shooter an almost two-second advantage over the man he's facing. After the customized Colt is stolen, we follow it on a tour of the West as the gun changes hands and does the only thing handguns are designed to do--make widows and orphans. Finally, Charley Long, the last shootist with the Mars Colt, dies defending a homestead, and the homesteader decides to build a museum to house it. As usual, Paine delivers what western fans want. Budd Arthur