New publisher has promising start with 'Gospel of the Gun'

"Gospel of the Gun” (Branded Black Publishing, $15.95) introduces the reader to Jeremiah Irons (aka Judas of the Disciple Gang), a self-proclaimed outlaw who roams the countryside with a good horse and his inscribed pistols, Heaven and Hell.

Life for Jeremiah seems to be good until he becomes hunted by other members of the Disciple Gang, who accuse him of stealing money from them. The gang finds Jeremiah in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, and tries to kill him. He fights back and shoots gang leader Lucif Shadows during a fierce gunbattle.

Presuming that Shadows is dead, Jeremiah takes off on an adventure that ends in the town of Wewoka, Indian Territory. It is there that Jeremiah sees the error of his ways as he assumes the identity of a preacher.

Through the friendship of the Wewoka townspeople, Jeremiah begins to see that he can make a fresh start. But his good fortune only serves him for so long, because the Disciple Gang eventually learns of his whereabouts.

When gang members show up to exact revenge upon him, Jeremiah is faced with the decision to take up his old life as an outlaw or continue the life that he built in doing good.

With religious overtones and Oklahoma connections, Chandler's novel could open the avenue for other local authors to pursue the Western frontier for future book offerings. In the meantime, hopefully there is much more to come from the Disciple Gang and the adventures of outlaw Jeremiah Irons.

— Natasha Mitchell