JACK SLADE was a house name for various authors.
But for the purpose of this book, the original writer was Willis Todhunter Ballard aka W.T. Ballard. He has been credited as the creator of the LASSITER series and the author of the first four novels. #1 LASSITER Ballard had initially titled RAFFERTY (as by Parker Bonner), #2 BANDIDO (which Ballard called LASSITER AND THE WILD BUNCH), #3 THE MAN FROM YUMA LASSITER AND THE RIVER PIRATES) and #4 THE MAN FROM CHEYENNE (LASSITER AND THE WILD WOMEN).
Willis Todhunter Ballard (December 14, 1903 – December 27, 1980) was a prolific pulp writer, most notably for the legendary mystery magazine Black Mask under the name W.T. Ballard. He also authored several mystery and crime novels under that name. Ballard wrote western novels as Todhunter Ballard and the following pseudonyms: P.D. Ballard, Neil MacNeil, Jack Slade, Hunter D'Allard, Clay Turner, John Hunter, Sam Bowie, Parker Bonner, Brian Fox, and Clint Reno. Amongst Westerns, Ballard wrote thousands of magazine stories and over fifty television scripts.