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The Shopkeeper (A Steve Dancy Tale Book 1) Kindle Edition

by James D. Best (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,830 ratings
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In 1879, Steve Dancy sells his New York shop and ventures west to explore and write a journal about his adventures. Though he's not looking for trouble, Dancy's infatuation with another man's wife soon embroils him in a deadly feud with Sean Washburn, a Nevada silver baron. Infuriated by the outrages of two hired thugs, the shopkeeper kills both men in an impulsive street fight. Dancy believes this barbarian act has closed the episode. He is wrong. He has interfered with Washburn's ambitions, and this is something the mining tycoon will not allow. Pinkertons, hired assassins, and aggrieved bystanders escalate the feud until it pulls in all the moneyed interests and power brokers in Nevada.

Is a New York City shopkeeper tough enough to survive the Wild West?
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  1. Book 1 of 8
    A Steve Dancy Tale
  2. Print length
    243 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    November 21, 2007
  6. File size
    643 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

The Shopkeeper, A Steve Dancy Tale (Book 1)

Colt Army revolver

Pickhandle Gulch Nevada circa 1880

Pickhandle Gulch Nevada today

The Shopkeeper

Honest westerns filled with dishonest characters.

Pickhandle Gulch circa 1880

The Shopkeeper, the first Steve Dancy Tale, starts in Pickhandle Gulch, Nevada. Pickhandle Gulch was actually a suburb of Caldelaria (okay, a side street), but I liked the name and used it in my story.

Pickhandle Gulch today

I visited southern Nevada ghost towns researching the book. I took this photo in 2007. The town is far off the beaten path, but if you're a ghost town enthusiast, I would highly recommend a trip to Candelaria

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The James Best books...are about the best new Western series to come along since Larry McMurtry." True West, Larry Winget

"You'll find yourself lost in the book--the fast pace keeps it interesting." Woman'sDay, Maritza Barone

"Western books as a whole are not generally speaking my favorite genre. Occasionally though, one is released that breaks the mold and genuinely stands out as a great work of fiction. I put The Shopkeeper in that lofty position. A great book." Blogger News Network, Simon Barrett

"The Shopkeeper is quick and fun to read, perfect for a vacation escape." Nashville Examiner, Diane Scearce

"This is a fast paced tale with an interesting hero. In structure, with short chapters, crisp dialogue, and lots of movement, it's reminiscent of a thriller." Roundup Magazine, Western Writers of America

From the Author

Honest westerns filled with dishonest characters.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000ZVSCK4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Queen Beach (November 21, 2007)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 21, 2007
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 643 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 243 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,830 ratings

About the author

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James D. Best

James D. Best

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James Best is the author of the bestselling Steve Dancy Tales, including The Shopkeeper, Leadville, Murder at Thumb Butte, The Return, Jenny's Revenge, Crossing the Animas, No Peace, and Old Haunts. His contemporary Best Thrillers include The Shut Mouth Society, Deluge, and The Templar Reprisals. Tempest at Dawn is a classic novelization of the Constitutional Convention. Principled Action, Best Commentaries, and The Digital Organization are nonfiction. James has ghost written three books, authored two regular magazine columns, and published numerous journal articles.

As a conference speaker, he has made presentations throughout North America and Europe. He is a member of Western Writers of America, Western Literature Association, and the Pacific Beach Surf Club. James enjoys writing, film, surfing, skiing, and watching his grandchildren play sports and cavort.

His contact information can be found at http://jamesdbest.blogspot.com/

James and his wife Diane live in Omaha and Scottsdale.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
2,830 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

jdkinman
5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Best shatters the mold for western novels.
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2016
Verified Purchase
This book came up on a subscribers' list I'm on, and am I glad it did. I have now purchased the entire series and read all but the last book.

The story begins with a young, affluent Easterner from New York who was yearning to see the "real" West and gleam experiences worthy of publication. Rather than beginning the story in a typical locale such as Dodge City or Tombstone or Prescott, the author places young Steve Dancy and us, the reader, square in the middle of a little no-name mining town in Nevada where dust is more prevalent than water and any spare timber is used to support the mines rather than adding to the small town's buildings and structures.

As was typical during that era and locale, the golden rule was in effect--he who had the gold made the rules. In this instance, it was the largest mining operation in the western area of Nevada that owned the sheriff and mayor of the small town. The bad guy in The Shopkeeper had his own brand of intellect and sophistication, but found himself on equal footing with the newcomer from "back east."

This is a western unlike any I've ever read. The scenery and description of the towns, trails, people and the trails they travel is exquisite and historically accurate. The plot, however, could be applied to many "swindler" schemes we see today. While this may seem awkward or hard to fathom in a western, Mr. Best writes it in such a way that not only is it feasible, but by the time you've finished the story, it is entirely believable.

A thoroughly enjoyable read!
4 people found this helpful
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Cheryl M. Todd
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Old West Tale
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2012
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I inadvertently came across the James Best novels because I live in Prescott, Arizona and I recognized the name of our city's prominent landmark, Thumb Butte, in the title of his third book in the series. I'm on the city's historic preservation commission so after reading the reviews I couldn't wait to start this book. I decided I would start with the first in the series so I purchased all three; Shopkeeper, Leadville and Murder at Thumb Butte. First, let me explain why I rated this book as four stars instead of five. The novels are all quite short, about 230 pages each. Normally, I'm critical of novels that are too long. It's almost as if most authors find a need to provide extraneous details as filler that doesn't enhance a storyline. Mr. Best's excellent novels are just the opposite. They're too short! He has a wonderful writing style, great characters, good plot lines and intrigue with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. But, I think he could easily add 100 pages to each novel and spend more time building on the character development of the people in his novels and giving a little more history of areas where the books take place. The Old West is so fascinating I think these novels would have been off-the-chart great if he took advantage of the history available. The author's style is simple and straightforward and perfect for a quick and entertaining read on a long plane ride or a day at the beach or on vacation. You don't have to think too hard...just enjoy. All three are hard to put down because each chapter ends with some suspense and you're eager to find out what happens next.

As for each book in the series I think it's a must to read the Shopkeeper first. Most of the main characters carry forward into the subsequent novels and while he gives you a brief description of the people in each book the first book does the best job in giving you an understanding of the history and character development of the players. Shopkeeper was fast paced and provided a good introduction to Steve Dancy, Jeff Sharp and Captain Joseph McAllen, the main characters in all three books. Their relationship to each other is critical to enjoying the other two books in the series. I think Shopkeeper and Murder at Thumb Butte were both better stories than Leadville. Murder at Thumb Butte was the most compelling and complex storyline of the three books and because I am familiar with the history of Prescott I can vouch for the fact that Mr. Best did a fine job researching many of our local historical facts and places. I enjoyed Leadville but I thought the other two books were better stories and both had more satisfying conclusions. If you read Shopkeeper first you could skip Leadville and go into Thumb Butte without missing a beat but I would still recommend reading all three.

These aren't history books but I would highly recommend them for a fun and entertaining read and hope there's more to come.
One person found this helpful
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William L. Driscoll
5.0 out of 5 stars love this series
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2023
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These books have compelling characters, fun plots, and are quick reads. No sex or over the top violence- great beach or airplane reads.
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Tom McGee
5.0 out of 5 stars A Spellbinding Tale With Interesting and Well Developed Characters! Enjoy!
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is my first exposure to this author, James Best, but will not be my last. I enjoyed The Shopkeeper so much that I have already purchased the second book in this series.

This author knows how to tell a good western tale. This one starts in 1879 in a small Nevada silver mining town, Pickhandle Gulch, where a wealthy gun shop keeper from New York , Steve Dancy, travels on the first leg of his journey to experience the wild west, take notes, and write a book..

At his first restaurant meal there Dancy is accosted by a couple ruthless thugs, the Cutler brothers who work for silver baron, Sean Washburn. The Cutlers are killers who help kill or scare minors so that Washburn can steal their claims.

Jeff Sharp, Washburn's competitor tells Dancy to beware of Washburn and his thugs and eventually his friends after Sean Washburn sends his thugs to ambush Sharp and Dancy kills the Cutler brothers.

From their the story continues to escalate with Washburn hiring an assassin to kill a political rival and Mr. Darcy. In turn Darcy hires a Pinkerton crew for protection as he rapidly begins turning the screws on Washburn's wealth and assets.

I really enjoyed this tale from beginning to end and recommend it to family, friends and others who like a terrific old western tale with well developed characters and an interesting spellbinding tale.

Enjoy!
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
I’m not sure how I picked this book up, it is not my typical read. And I was hesitant as I started. I quickly adjusted to the writing style and was glad I did. Intrigue, humor, Wild West. Good combo for reading.
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Top reviews from other countries

Raj Muraura
4.0 out of 5 stars A Western with a difference
Reviewed in India on January 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is truly a Western with a difference. The hero is born and has grown up not in the wild west but in New York. He is a wealthy man in his own right but does not like the staid society and therefore goes off to the west for some adventure. And what an adventure he has! With this book the author has created an absolutely riveting character and has embarked on a series of westerns with a difference.
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DANIEL L.
5.0 out of 5 stars The Shopkeeper
Reviewed in Canada on December 27, 2015
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This city slicker knows guns and is turning into a real cowboy. Like the story and can't wait to start second book in the series.
One person found this helpful
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BlackBrigand
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story of western intrigue and action
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2013
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THE SHOPKEEPER (A STEVE DANCY TALE) James D Best

I have always been a great fan of western novels since I started reading them as a boy in the early fifties and over the years have amassed a large collection of over 2000 mainly paperback copies some of which I am now replacing with Kindle Editions. This re-organisation has also given me the chance to revisit books that I have not read for a while and try out some new authors that have previously escaped my attention or have not been widely published in the UK. James D Best was one of the latter. This was the first of his novels that I have read thus far.

In 1879, Steve Dancy bored with city life and business sells his New York shop and travels to Nevada to explore and write a journal about his adventures. Dancy's infatuation with another man's wife soon draws him into conflict with a wealthy silver mine owner and finds that life in the west is a lot faster and more violent than in New York. Dancy is drawn into a gunfight with two hired gunfighters and the situation escalates into a feud between himself and his opponent Sean Washburn.

The story is well very told and paints a vivid picture of the violence and dangers of the life in the Nevada mining camps and the towns that service the silver mining industry. The characters are well drawn and there is plenty of action, and a lot of historical interest. This is not just another tale of cowboys and gunfighters, the characters are less romantic and more true to real life, real people with real backgrounds who have come west, shopkeepers and bankers and clerks whose lifestyles have changed to meet the needs of the frontier of 1879. More than that it paints a realistic picture of the corruption and intrigue of frontier government which is seldom touched upon in most novels of the genre.

I have already downloaded the Steve Dancy sequel and I shall certainly look for more offerings from this author

The Kindle Edition is well formatted with a very minimum of errors 5/5
5 people found this helpful
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Anthony Millman
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Australia on January 5, 2016
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An excellent read
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Stephen and Yvonne Peszel
4.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly enjoyable read. More please.
Reviewed in Canada on December 26, 2017
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This was not my usual reading fare. Now it is. A good tale. Not too unbelievable. Good character development and a believable dialogue.
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