This is the first book in the Carson Stone Western series but not the first book about Carsen stone so if you read dead man’s trail then you know he is faster than most and although at one time they installed the wrong side of the law he now wants a quiet life and his own ranch but he can’t have that as long as he’s wanted for killing a sheriff. The only thing wrong with him being captured is that he didn’t do it it was done by big Bob McGraw ruthless beast of a man in this book Carson wants to set the record straight but he can only do that like Katering him alive but it wouldn’t be entertaining if he caught him in the beginning and it is a journey and although he almost captures his man more than once and he almost gets killed more than once it all makes for an entertaining story I would love to give a great summary and write entertaining pros in my review but that’s not the kind of mind I have so what I will say is you have to read this book it has the best showdown in the middle of laundry lines full of sheets and it was just brilliant. Four years I have only read westerns by the Johnstones but with the riders like Nate Morgan and one other western rider it seems the good old west stories are coming back and I am down for it. Oh yes I haven’t mentioned Nate has more women troubles in this book and OMG does she become a problem! I love this book and highly recommend it if you love good westerns then you’ll definitely love A Short Rope For A Tall Man I certainly did and think it is a five star read in a book I highly recommend. I received this book from NetGalley and Kensington books but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A different type of western story. Some of the plot lines are similar to the more common Western stories but not all. Of course there are bad people and good people (white and black hats). In this story is hard to always distinguish between the two. Maybe some are shades of gray?

The main protagonist is Carson Stone. Stone has not always been the most upstanding person but there have been extenuating circumstances that have caused his to run afoul of the legal system. He wants to clear his name but to do so he often comes in contact with criminals and bounty hunters.

Stone wants to clear his name but in so doing is going to have to track various gang members across the west. He teams up with several bounty hunters but since he also has a price on his head, they may find him too enticing to pass up. The old "bird-in-the-hand" idea!

The drama builds and finally there is a time of reckoning. A good story that is well told. Readers enjoying Western genre novels will likely find this one as interesting as I did.