The first book in the Renegade series, originally published in 1979, opens with Lieutenant Richard Walker in an Army jail somewhere in the desert southwest, not far from the Mexico border, awaiting the hangman’s noose. His crime was one of compassion for some prisoners that were getting a raw deal so he let them escape. Walker also manages to escape, putting him on the run and leading him into one adventure after another as he makes his way down to Mexico and earning the moniker, “Captain Gringo”. We also meet Gaston Verrier, an ex-French Foreign Legionnaire who is now a soldier of fortune and a heavy influence on Walker’s choices. Indeed, he will be a continuing co-character throughout the series, providing much of the humor along the way.
These books are often marketed as “westerns” but most of the series takes place in Central America and are basically mercenary stories. They do, however, earn the “adult” western notation due to graphic sex scenes mixed in along with a heap-load of violent action. I will be reading more…