Thursday, May 24, 2007

Longarm and the Bayou Treasure -- Tabor Evans

Those of you who enjoy swamp novels might like this one.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

That would be me.

Anonymous said...

Wait a minute, James. You mean "Tabor Evans" isn't a real guy? Next thing you'll be telling me is that The Shadow didn't actually exist.

Depressed in Ioway,

Ed Gorman

Anonymous said...

Could you tell me a little bit more about the Longarm western and the house name Tabor Evans, I like to read western and maybe i should try them, I read some excerpt's on the net.
They are called adult western so i suppose there is some sex in them, right?

James Reasoner said...

Yes, there are sex scenes in the Longarm novels, although the percentage of the book devoted to them is usually pretty small. Since Longarm is a deputy United States marshal, nearly all the books have a crime plot of some sort, and many of them are actually well-plotted mysteries. Behind the Tabor Evans house-name are numerous Western authors who have published extensively under their own names, won Spur Awards, served as president of the Western Writers of America, etc. I'm biased, of course, having been involved with the series myself, but it's my favorite of all the Adult Western series, and I say that as someone who was a reader and fan of the series for many years before I ever wrote one. Next year will be the 30th anniversary for Longarm, making it the second-longest running Adult Western series, behind only the Slocum books by "Jake Logan".

Anonymous said...

Hi there,
I am collecting all of the longarm books that my dad doesn't have yet. I've found all except one. Longarm Giant # 11. I can't even find the title of it. I searched every which way. Can you help me? Maybe with the title I could find it.

My e-mail is supergirlsport@yahoo.com Thanks!

James Reasoner said...

Jennifer,

The reason you can't find Longarm Giant #11 is because there isn't one! There was a mistake in the numbering and no #11 was ever published.

Anonymous said...

Ohh. Well that explains it. Thanks very much. So now I only need 66 more :)

Anonymous said...

Who is the hunk that is the model on the cover of the Longarm series of books!?

James Reasoner said...

I'm afraid I have no idea who the model is. I never see the covers until the books come out and don't have anything to do with them. Most of them are pretty good, though.

Anonymous said...

I have #11 and it is " Longarm and the Texas Rangers " Jove 1979, right after "Molly McGuires" and before "In Lincoln County"... Hope this helps.

Suresh Ramasubramanian said...

Very old post - but I'm kind of a fan of the longarm series (got several dozen with me at last count).

The style difference is considerable.. the earliest longarm being a guy who uses cheap maryland rye for mouthwash and takes whore baths with what's left in the bottle, doesn't speak spanish and rides a horse with difficulty if at all .. shoots far better, and yes, the tobbaco tweed frock coat and cross draw double action colt are there .. as are fairly characteristic bits of dialog - "old boys", "this child" etc. Was that Lou Cameron's work? I heard he wrote the earliest ones.

Very similar dialog in a bunch more of the novels around #200 - but this longarm is a lot smoother, speaks fluent spanish, is on great terms with various indian tribes with his saltu ka saltu title (well, sure - after longarm and the wendigo early on..) and a walking encyclopedia on everything under the sun from bacteria to photography, thanks to reading scientific american if he's alone in a hotel room instead of pronging a willing woman ..

Then there are some strange longarms in the mid 200s that feel stiff and artificial - where he doesn't know too much about guns (though he does use them a lot) - like one very sadly artificial scene where he doesnt have a winchester and picks a much repaired but straight shooting ole yellowboy henry instead of several fancier and brighter decorated alternatives, can hardly ride a horse .. and suddenly loses all his memory of spanish.

Oh - and "tuna pie" - candied cactus fruit as some kind soul points out painstakingly in several previous books - suddenly becomes "fish pie". Sigh.

The sex in these "artificial"books is even more contrived .. and often recycled, with just the woman's name changed. One where a lonely old but still horny woman meets longarm and a wounded buddy, nurses the buddy back to health and screws longarm while the guy is sleeping .. lifted wholesale down to the dialog, names changed and setting changed (a played out mine in one where he's running from some vigilantes, and i forgot what - a ramshackle farm in another?)

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