Free (Kindle) Gentle City by John Burke [Newcomer Town Secrets Investigation Western]

[ATDrake]

Gentle City by the late English author John Burke (ISFDB, Wikipedia) is a vintage standalone western historical action adventure novel, this one with investigative thriller elements, starring a mild-mannered newcomer storekeep whose behaviour is viewed suspiciously by the locals, having an obvious gunslinging past and stirring up trouble looking into whatever happened to the apparently vanished Jacksons, a mystery whose solution might have a deadly cost, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press' Pioneering imprint.

This was originally published in 1955 by Panther Books using the pseudonym Russ Ames.

Currently free @ Amazon (available to Canadians and in the UK and pretty much everywhere else they sell worldwide, since this is being done via their KDP Select exclusive-or-else program)

Description
Grant has been viewed with great suspicion by the residents of Gentle City since the day he arrived.

They say he didn’t look the sort of man to look after a quaint store in a small town. The job just doesn’t quite fit him.

For he’s got gunman’s eyes, steely and sharp, and is quick as a shot.

Of course, it didn’t help matters when he nailed the taboo name of ‘Jackson’ above his door.

He claims he came to Gentle City to settle down.

It’s not a complete lie. After his rowdy past, he was looking forward to the quiet life.

But he’s interested in the Jacksons.

Too interested.

He wants to find out what happened to them. That’s all: just find out.

But if Grant thinks he can return to his new peaceful life in Gentle City after this, he’s got another thing coming.

As the mystery starts to unravel, things start to get rough.

The old feud is not dead.

And then there’s Molly Maclear…

The further tangled up in the town’s troubles – and his own – he gets, it becomes clearer there’s no going back.

So he does what any good hero does.

He goes ahead.