The second entry in the long-running western series about big, amiable, but deadly Thomas Buchanan is a diverting read. The character of Buchanan doesn't come across quite so strongly in this novel as in its predecessor, The Name's Buchanan, nor as in nearly all the subsequent books in the series. But Jonas Ward's excellent storytelling skills still come through to provide an entertaining tale. Ward is the pseudonym for accomplished writer William Ard, who created Buchanan as a series character for Gold Medal/Fawcett Books in 1956. (The first story in the series was filmed as a Randolph Scott movie, Buchanan Rides Alone.) Ard wrote the first five novels in the series, and Robert Silverberg finished the sixth after Ard's death. Brian Garfield wrote the sixth, Buchanan's Gun; William R. Cox, a very talented wordsmith, ably picked up the Buchanan reins and wrote the next 16 entries in the series. Buchanan Says No isn't the best story in the series, and might not be the best place for a newcomer to start the series, but anyone who's enjoyed a Buchanan novel in the past will enjoy renewing Buchanan's acquaintance in this tale.

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