This might actually be the first western I've ever read, and I only read it to tick off Task 7 of BookRiot's 2018 Read Harder Challenge. And you know what, I'm glad I did. Leonard's writing is pacy and (at its height) compulsively readable, and for most of these seven stories I was genuinely interested. However, given that it's a short story collection I found, as is often the case, that I liked some stories more than others. For example "The Captives" was really excellent, the high point here I think, but I can't say I cared much for "Under the Friar's Ledge". On the whole, though, the quality was pretty high. I finish this task not entirely convinced that I'm going to be a western convert from here on out, but thinking that I'd definitely like to read more of this particular author.