Book picks similar to
South by Southwest: A Western Story by Johnny D. Boggs
westerns
fiction
western
revenge
Ketcham's Land
Douglas Hirt - 2002
After a card game with Benny Gellerman, a man good with a gun, but bad with cards, Ketcham decides it is time to head out again. He finds a place to bed down on a lonely New Mexico farm run by old Corely Mattlin and his widowed daughter-in-law, Margaret. Ketcham has his eye on pretty Margaret, but he'd better keep his eyes open wide for trouble. A local rancher named Jeb Ollfinger is trying to run the Mattlins off their land, and he is not above using violence, even murder, to get what he wants. Margaret is sure her husband's killer was one of Ollfinger's men, a gunman named Gellerman. If Ketcham knew what was good for him, he would head out again. But this time he has a job to do first.
Trail of the Gunman
R. Cameron Cooke - 2017
Cameron Cooke... Elijah Jones is a man with a violent past ... Setting out for the Arizona Territory, Jones seeks to escape his past and live a quieter, gentler life in the vast wilderness of the Mogollon Rim. But men who once made their living with the gun cannot simply walk away. In an untamed land teeming with Apaches and desperadoes, Jones finds himself unwittingly embroiled in a territorial war pitting him against new foes - and old ones... Through showdowns on dusty streets to savage gunfights in the wild, Jones is dogged by the demons of his former life, and realizes he must face them if he ever hopes to leave the trail of the gunman far behind...
Hangtown Creek: A tale of the California gold rush
John Rose Putnam - 2011
The majestic landscapes of Brett Harte's California unite with Larry McMurtry's epic old west realism in an explosion of love, lust, murder and betrayal that comes to a powerful climax along a beautiful stream, home to the largest strike in the mines, where a burning barn ignites the passion of a gold rush boomtown and, in one dark night of revenge, earns that stream the name it bears to this day—HANGTOWN CREEK.
Outrage at Blanco
Bill Crider - 1998
Before the sun went down, the livery stable was torched, an outlaw gang robbed the bank, two men were killed, and young newlywed Ellie Taine was raped. One of the dead was the man who planned the robbery - the son of dying, legendary Texas Ranger Jonathan Crossland - the other was Ellie's husband, an innocent bystander. The dead don't know fear. Ellie is dead inside. She takes a gun and rides out after the desperadoes, cold-blooded and fearless, determined to kill the men who ruined her life. She's joined by Jonathan Crossland, who only has days left to live... but would rather die in his saddle making amends for his son than rot in his bed. Together, Ellie and Jonathan set out on a mission of vengeance and justice, one that neither of them expects nor hopes to survive. "In the hands of Bill Crider, noir seems as atmospheric and doomful as ever," Publisher's Weekly "Bill Crider is one of the most unpretentious and versatile pure entertainers in the mystery field." Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
You're in Command Now, Mr. Fog (A Dusty Fog's Civil War Western Book 2)
J.T. Edson - 1973
FOG The Yankee sharpshooter turned out to be a lousy judge of character. He had three officers in his sights, a captain and two lieutenants. If he killed the right one, the Union Army’s victory at the Battle of Martin’s Hill would be guaranteed. So he made his choice and killed the Rebel cavalry’s commanding officer, Captain von Hartz. Big mistake. He should have concentrated on the small, insignificant-looking first lieutenant instead. Because the death of Captain von Hertz put Dusty Fog in command of the Texas Light Cavalry’s hard-riding, harder-hitting Company ‘C’. And with Dusty at their head, there was going to be hell to pay for the Bluebellies. ABOUT THE AUTHOR John Thomas Edson was born at Worksop, Nottinghamshire, on February 17 1928, the son of a miner who was killed in an accident when John was nine. He left Shirebrook Selective Central School at 14 to work in a stone quarry and joined the Army four years later. As a sergeant in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Edson served in Kenya during the Emergency, on one occasion killing five Mau Mau on patrol. He started writing in Hong Kong, and when he won a large cash prize in a tombola he invested in a typewriter. On coming out of the Army after 12 years with a wife and children to support, Edson learned his craft while running a fish-and-chip shop and working on the production line at a local pet food factory. His efforts paid off when Trail Boss (1961) won second prize in a competition with a promise of publication and an outright payment of £50. The publishers offered £25 more for each subsequent book, and with the addition of earnings from serial-writing for the comic Victor, Edson was able to settle down to professional authorship. When the comic's owners decided that nobody read cowboy stories any more, he was forced to get a job as a postman (the job had the by-product of enabling him to lose six stone in weight from his original 18). Edson's prospects improved when Corgi Books took over his publisher, encouraged him to produce seven books a year and promised him royalties for the first time. In 1974 he made his first visit to the United States, to which he was to return regularly in search of reference books. He declared that he had no desire to live in the Wild West, adding: "I've never even been on a horse. I've seen those things, and they look highly dangerous at both ends and bloody uncomfortable in the middle. My only contact was to shoot them for dog meat." His heroes were often based on his favourite film stars, so that Dusty Fog resembled Audie Murphy, and the Ysabel Kid was an amalgam of Elvis Presley in Flaming Star and Jack Buetel in The Outlaw. Before becoming a recluse in his last years, JT's favourite boast was that Melton Mowbray was famous for three things: "The pie, Stilton cheese and myself but not necessarily in that order."
What It All Comes Down To
Duane Boehm - 2018
He's a loner - his job is his life. The one creed Jude lives by is to only take work from those being persecuted by the corrupt men of the world. When Eli, an old friend from the war, needs help with a ruthless rancher, he hurries to his aid. As Jude attempts to protect Eli and the ranch, he's forced to face his past, all while Eli's family and a spitfire of a saloon girl disrupts his way of life.Will Jude and Eli survive and save the ranch, and if Jude lives, will he ride away, back into his old way of life, and leave behind all the good things that have come his way?Duane Boehm has written another western novel with enough humor, heartbreak, love, and outlaws to keep you turning the page.
Give-a-Damn Jones
Bill Pronzini - 2018
And they certainly weren’t all heroes.Give-a-Damn Jones, a free-spirited itinerant typographer, hates his nickname almost as much as the rumors spread about him. He’s a kind soul who keeps finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.That’s what happened in Box Elder, a small Montana town. Tensions are running high, and anything (or anyone) could be the fuse to ignite them: a recently released convict trying to prove his innocence, a prominent cattleman who craves respect at any cost, a wily traveling dentist at odds with a violent local blacksmith, or a firebrand of an editor who is determined to unlock the town’s secrets.Jones walks into the middle of it all, and this time, he may be the hero that this town needs.
Sweetwater Springs Scrooge
Debra Holland - 2014
Then Elias meets the young grandson of his former betrothed, Marian Williams, and everything changes for him. Can Elias reemerge into civilization, overcome the mistakes of his past, and win back Marian's love? Sweetwater Springs Scrooge takes place at the same time as Sweetwater Springs Christmas: A Montana Sky Series Short Story Collection. The Montana Sky Series in Chronological Order: 1880s Beneath Montana's Sky Mail-Order Brides of the West: Trudy Mail-Order Brides of the West: Lina Mail-Order Brides of the West: Darcy 1890s Wild Montana Sky Starry Montana Sky Stormy Montana Sky Montana Sky Christmas Glorious Montana Sky Sweetwater Springs Scrooge Sweetwater Springs Christmas
Deadly Deadly
M. Vigna - 2013
Due to a technical glitch you must include the author name to search this book. Title only will not bring it up.<br><br>Deadly Deadly is an exciting, larger than life epic that takes place during the growth of our nation westward that details the hardship encountered on a very special trail drive in the 1800s. Don’t let the cover fool you; this is a story for the more mature reader. This exciting novel tells a truly original story among a backdrop of harsh and extreme conditions. Crafted with an enormous passion, this amazing story pits an eclectic cast of characters against the unforgiving elements and the evils of men. A one-of-a-kind story, readers cannot afford to pass up.<br><br> Get lost in this western epic of adversity, despair, and triumph. This story revolves around the deep bond that is established after a young man, alone in the world, discovers a newborn Texas Longhorn bull and rescues him from deaths grip. The bull calf eventually captures his heart and an inseparable bond is formed. As the bull matures, due to his lethal seven-foot horn spread, he eventually becomes know as Deadly. Their unique relationship also grows into a working partnership and together they become an indomitable force, which will be a blessing for a beautiful ranch owner who ultimately depends on them as her only hope for survival after she hires them to drive her extremely valuable and “new” to the America, Herefords, from California to Texas. With the fate of her ranch in their hands, they set forth on a dangerous journey full of extreme wilderness, nature’s wrath, injuries, and illness in order to get these prized cattle to their distant destination.<br><br> With a Texan Longhorn bull as one of its main characters and events unfolding at a thrilling pace, Deadly Deadly stands out against the homogenous backdrop of today’s fiction with a character-driven story that is as gripping as it is heartfelt, and sure to hook readers within the first few pages. Whether it’s the loveable characters, unique relationships, budding romance, or facing challenging hazards both natural and manmade, this novel possesses something for everyone. This engrossing narrative uses a mesmerizing story to pepper in useful survival skills and actual training techniques used with herd animals.
Goodbye, Enorma
John Locke - 2013
Enorma, coveted by every man within 100 miles of Dodge City -- and every Indian Tribe -- is a handful in every sense of the word.
Hammer of God
Philip McCormac - 2015
On this occasion, the men in question are vicious thugs and killers. They don't give in easy. And mostly he brings them in slung over a saddle. But after tracking and killing a group of merciless bandits, he realises the bloodshed is too much for him. He resigns his badge and rides south to Mexico where he hangs up his guns. The peaceful life Joe is seeking is wrecked when the notorious bandit Gomez Farias guns down his friends. The Hammer of God is roused. The blood that flowed in his former life as lawman was but a trickle compared to the flood unleashed when Joe rides out on the vengeance trail… Hammer of God is a thrilling and classic adventure story set in the Wild West. Praise for Philip McCormac 'You can taste the dust and blood of the Old West on every page.' - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of Trade Off. Philip McCormac lives in the East Midlands, England, is married with two grown-up children and five grandchildren. He is the author of fourteen Western novels including Son of a Gun and Vengeance Unbound. He is also the author of detective thriller Tone Death.
Where Eagles Dance: A Saga of Early California
Marian Sepulveda - 2015
The wagon trains, Indian attacks, a lone survivor, and her tale of life among the Kumeyaay. Parts of this story are factual: the trail blazing Butterfield Overland Mail, the unfolding conflicts in California over the issue of slavery, and the looming Civil War. Woven into this historical fabric are the stories of Abby, a young girl raised by Indians; John Jay Butterfield, scion of the founder of the Overland Mail; Waterman Ormsby, reporter for the New York Herald; and many other compelling personages drawn from fact and fiction. Join author Marian Sepulveda as she guides you through this unique chapter in early California lore.
They Called Him Cav: Reloaded
William Coury - 2014
He has long since passed away, but his book remains, gathering dust on my shelf when it should have been entertaining good folks like you. So here it is at last: a western with heart written on an old manual typewriter. The story takes place in the badlands of West Texas (where he lived), and is chock-full of all the sprawling drama, heartache, triumph, tragedy, and gun-slinging grit one could desire. The cover of the book is adapted from an oil painting brushed by our father back in 77—one of many. I remember it hanging on the wall when I was a kid. I believe it was his favorite, so thought it only fitting that it be the cover. Now, finally, after all these years, our dad will get the recognition he deserves for both his writing and his painting. I sure hope he can see what's going on down here, 'cause I know it would make him smile. So take a deep breath, and let the troubles of the modern world slip away as you journey back to a simpler time (two simpler times, actually), the old west, and the 1940's....
Texas John Slaughter
William W. Johnstone - 2014
Trail driver. Cattleman. Texas Ranger. The story of John Horton Slaughter is the story of the America West itself. Now bestselling authors William and J.A. Johnstone bring this legendary figure to life--in the blazing saga of the first sheriff in U.S. history who could tame a town like Tombstone, Arizona. A WESTERN LEGEND. AN AMERICAN HERO. It's been barely a decade since the notorious gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Rustlers and outlaws still terrorize the land, and the good citizens of Tombstone are at the end of their ropes. Enter Texas John Slaughter--the new sheriff of Cochise County and the toughest lawman west of the Rio Grande. With a backbone of steel to match the iron law of his badge, Texas John is determined to bring peace to this parched desert hell even if it kills him. Which it just might. When word gets out about an untapped vein of silver in the Dragoon Mountains, every man in town heads for the hills. The streets of Tombstone are an easy target for raiders, looters--and one gang of outlaws foolish enough to kidnap Slaughter's young, pretty wife.Forget keeping the peace. This is war. Also Available in Audiobook
Falling Forward: A Woman's Journey West
Pat Benedict Jurgens - 2021
Louisa, the spirited eldest daughter of Herzig and Clara Steinbacher, has her whole life ahead of her. She is seventeen, and dreams of the "outside world" beyond her doorstep. But when Clara dies in childbirth, Louisa is suddenly thrust into adulthood-with the burden of her mother's responsibilities...and the care of her younger siblings. The only world she has ever known closes around her.Then Herzig, an elder in their strict Mennonite community, hires young, handsome Thomas to help on the farm. Thomas is hardworking, honest...and not of the Faith. But Louisa can't hide her growing feelings for him. Her choices set in motion a transformation she never expected. But at what cost?