The Sunshine Killers (1975)

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by Wilson Young (AKA Giles Tippette)


A wounded drifter rides into Sunshine, Arizona hoping to rest and recover, only to discover that the town is hiding a conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States.


 The novel goes beyond the boundaries of a traditional Western and into something closer to a conspiracy thriller or siege story, and author Giles Tippette manages the combination well. 

Giles Tippette

One of the book’s greatest strengths is the clarity of the action writing. 


Tippette relays fairly complicated physical confrontations and shifting positions in simple, direct language that allows the scenes to play out as clearly as watching them in a well-directed film, and that clarity pays off especially well during the exciting standoff that drives the climax. 


The novel’s stripped-down prose may leave some wanting more characterization or atmosphere, but the lean style also gives the story much of its momentum. 


The violence feels abrupt, practical, and tense.


 It is easy to understand why the book was reportedly optioned by Clint Eastwood at one point. 


This is not a profound reinvention of the genre, but it is an entertaining and effective fusion of Western and political thriller elements.



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