The Gunfight

Ex-Texas Ranger John Benton was once known as the fastest gun in the West, and his legend still looms large in Kellville, Texas. Louisa Harper, in an attempt to hasten a slowly blooming romance with her nebbishy fiance Robby Coles, lies to her suitor about untoward advances made by the retired lawman. Mustering his courage, Robby approaches Benton at the local saloon to demand an apology. News of the ensuing scuffle travels fast, eventually reaching Louisa's spinster aunt Agatha, the town busybody, and Robby's control-freak father, Matthew. As eager to tarnish Benton's popularity as he is to avoid being branded the father of a coward, the elder Coles goads his son into defending his fiancee's honor in a duel. The impending conflict is further ensured by Agatha's self-righteous fury. Meanwhile, Benton, equally misguided by his own notion of honor, must clear up the misunderstanding before he is forced into a shootout which would likely result in young Coles's death. Matheson ( Journal of the Gun Years ) has crafted an engrossing account of the frequently deadly consequences of mistaking vanity for honor. (Sept.)