Bibliography

Novels

Blaze! Red Rock Rampage (February, 2017 / Rough Edges Press), is the fifteenth title in the Blaze! Adult Western series. An action western, with a little spice (look out for the rated R content in chapter 9), about husband and wife gunfighters J.D. and Kate Blaze. J.D. is a hard man with an eye only for his alluring Kate. A woman who knows what she wants and is also a fine hand with the iron herself.

Synopsis:

“J.D. and Kate Blaze ride into the settlement of Small Basin, Utah, on the trail of train robbers but soon discover that the town and the surrounding area are ruled by the iron fist of a renegade Mormon patriarch—and he has his eye on two beautiful young women he intends to make unwilling brides. Hired killers, corrupt lawmen, and brutal kidnappers mean a heap of trouble for the Old West's only husband-and-wife gunfighters. Forced to split up, Kate and J.D. have to battle their way back to each other to survive!”

Praise:

This was my first novel, and it was well-received by many. Bill Crider, author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery novels, wrote:

“…a fine debut for Ben Boulden, with sharp action and well-observed descriptions.  I expect his name will become much more familiar to readers as he extends his writing career.”

Western Fiction Review, a popular blog covering the modern western genre, wrote:

“[The] descriptive writing puts you right there in the thick of the action and [the] characterization of both good and bad is very well drawn, enabling you to share their emotions…. [T]his fast moving tale that ought to please all fans of westerns.”

Blaze! Red Rock Rampage is available as a Kindle book and a trade paperback.

Blaze! Spanish Gold (October, 2017 / Rough Edges Press), is the eighteenth title in the Blaze! Adult Western series. An action western, with a little spice (look out for the rated R content in chapter 13), about husband and wife gunfighters J.D. and Kate Blaze.

Synopsis:

“The only thing Kate and J.D. Blaze had in mind when they rode into the settlement of Unity, Utah, was celebrating their wedding anniversary. But then J.D. is forced to kill a corrupt deputy in order to save a woman’s life, and suddenly the Old West’s only husband-and-wife gunfighters are plunged into a deadly mystery involving a sinister albino, missing men, and a lost treasure in Spanish gold.”

Praise:

Western Fiction Review wrote:

“[A] very readable style, never letting up on the rapid pace that leads to a gripping final gunfight that answers all the questions that have risen before this deadly confrontation. Once again I’m left looking forward to Ben Boulden’s next entry in this series.”

Blaze! Spanish Gold is available as a Kindle book and a trade paperback.

Short Stories

“Reprobate” (March, 2019 / Gravetapping), is a 600 word western short story with a sharp twist and a little humor.

“Reprobate” is available to read for free at Gravetapping.

“A Calculated Risk” (December, 2017 / Down & Out: The Magazine, Vol 1, Iss. 2), is 3,000 word crime noir—bleak and disturbing (perhaps)—with a flavor of revenge and true justice.

“A Calculated Risk” is available to read in Down & Out: The Magazine as an ebook or as a trade paperback.

“Merrick” (September, 2017 / .45-70 Press), is a 7,000 word short story about a professional criminal roaming the desert Southwest looking for his next job.

Synopsis:

“When he’s called in as a late-replacement for a payroll heist Merrick’s first inclination is greed. His second is hesitation, since anyone who claims a job is easy is a liar, but this job has been planned by an old partner, Clarence Tilley, who has masterminded more than a few successful heists.”

Praise:

“Merrick” was well-received when it was originally released. Bob Deis, editor of The Men’s Adventure Magazines blog, wrote:

“Boulden’s writing style is crisp and cinematic. His characters are colorful [the] action scenes are vivid. [T]he story had more of the flavor of a Spaghetti Western than a standard Western novel — a flavor I liked a lot.”

Paperback Warrior wrote:

“The old-west universe…is as fascinating as the propulsive plot… It’s an old-west we haven’t seen before… and it re-writes the rules in the same way the John Wick movies did with contemporary organized crime.”

Andrew McBride, author of The Peacemaker, wrote:

“The prose memorably terse ‘The sun a blister in the western sky’ and blackly poetic - the eyes of a dying man ‘stared into a darkness Merrick could only imagine.’ And crackling with wit: Someone ‘whittled a crooked stick into a smaller crooked stick.’”

“Merrick” is available as a Kindle ebook.