The Night Horseman by Max Brand

Don't remember what attracted me to Max Brand save that he is another author of stories of the American West. The book in question imbues the reader with a sense of foreboding and unknown menace heightened by the fact that it is left undefined as the book begins. As much psychological thriller as cowboy western.

There is non of the overt romantic interaction that characterizes other writers here. There are lengthy descriptions and side-plots that divert us from the story at hand. It all ends with the inevitable showdown.