Benedict and Brazos #1: Aces Wild!:

by E. Jefferson Clay

Overview

Destiny brought together the iron-fisted Hank Brazos, ex-Confederate sergeant, and gun-slinging ex-Union captain Duke Benedict. They met on the blazing battlefield of Pea Ridge as enemies, but ended up fighting shoulder-to-shoulder against Bo Rangle, outlaw leader of a guerilla force.
Benedict and Brazos never forgot that day, or each other. When their trails cross again after the War, they'll both make a play for $200,000 in stolen Confederate gold — and an opportunity to even the score with Rangle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798823113939
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	01/21/2021
Series:	Benedict and Brazos , #1
Pages:	124
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.29(d)

About the Author

E. Jefferson Clay was just one of many pseudonyms used by New South Wales-born Paul Wheelahan (1930-2018). Starting off as a comic-book writer/illustrator, Paul created The Panther and The Raven before moving on to a long and distinguished career as a western writer. Under the names Emerson Dodge, Brett McKinley, E. Jefferson Clay, Ben Jefferson and others, he penned more than 800 westerns and could, at his height, turn out a full-length western in just four days.
The son of a mounted policeman, Paul initially worked as a powder monkey on the Oaky River Dam project. By 1955, however, he was drawing Davy Crockett—Frontier Scout. In 1963 he began his long association with Australian publisher Cleveland Pty. Co. Ltd. As prolific as he was as a western writer, however, he also managed to write for TV, creating shows like Runaways and contributing scripts to perennial favorites like A Country Practice.
At the time of his death, in December 2018, he was writing his autobiography, Never Ride Back … which was also the title of his very first western.

Editorial Reviews

Wheelahan provides a number of narratives that entwine and capture the reader's attention ... It's clear that the author had plenty of irons in the fire with a busy narrative that has a little something for everyone. The through story originates with the missing gold and Benedict and Brazos deciding to ride off into the next books searching for Rangle and the treasure. That's the series premise and it's probably enough for readers to stick around to learn more.

http://www.paperbackwarrior.com/search?q=benedict+and+brazos - Eric Compton

Like most non-American writers of pulp westerns, Wheelahan's prose is purple as a summer twilight, rife with twangy cowboy slang, larger than life characters bordering on the cartoonish and yet still managing to deliver solid adult action. The pacing is as fast as a longhorn stampede from first page to last.

https://pulpfictionreviews.blogspot.com/2021/03/benedict-brazos-1-aces-wild.html - Ron Fortier

The story races along in fine fashion, with plenty of action and interesting twists as Benedict and Brazos not only work together when they have to but also plot against each other when it suits them.
ACES WILD is a really entertaining traditional Western with a pair of likable protagonists, and I'm glad that the books are readily available again. I'll be reading more of them, you can count on that. Recommended.

https://jamesreasoner.blogspot.com/2021/01/benedict-and-brazos-1-aces-wild-e.html - James Reasoner