Book picks similar to
The Lonely Breed by Frank Leslie


western
westerns
enjoyable
novels-westerns

Ride the Man Down


Luke Short - 1942
    Phil Evarts is dead, and the Hatchet Range is up for grabs. That’s 70,000 acres of prime turf just waiting for the man rich enough to buy it . . . or the gunman crazy enough to kill for it. Every schemer in town has his eyes on Hatchet, and Bide Mariner leads the charge. An unscrupulous rancher who’ll stop at nothing for cash, Mariner has the money and the guns to take whatever he wants. Only Will Ballard stands in his way—and that means Ballard is marked for death.   The foreman at Hatchet Range, Ballard is an honest man who’ll do anything to keep the ranch from falling into Mariner’s hands. In a town so rotten with greed that even the sheriff is against him, Ballard must stand alone to save this little piece of the American West.   Voted one of the top twenty-five westerns of all time by the Western Writers of America and made into a 1952 Republic film starring Rod Cameron, Ride the Man Down showcases award-winning author Luke Short at the height of his writing powers.

The Bank Robber


Robert Broomall - 1985
    While he was away at the War, his parents had their land stolen by the railroad, and they died in poverty. After that, Swede went bad. John Kirby was Swede's boyhood friend, now he's a Texas Ranger famous for bringing his men in dead. He's vowed to put an end to Swede's depredations. He also married the girl Swede loved. When Swede robs the bank is Temperance, Kirby leads the posse after him. In his flight, Swede encounters a girl named Rosie, a prostitute, the only survivor of an Indian raid. If Swede leaves her, she'll die, so he takes her with him, even though that means the posse will catch him . . .

The Long Shooters


Daniel C. Chamberlain - 2011
    Ballou perfected the art of the judicious killer. His ability with his cherished Stephens target rifle is legendary, making a nearly miraculous shot that no one else – North or South – could accomplish. After the war, he disappears… Samuel Roark is a small-time rancher and part-time lawyer. One personal tragedy after another leaves Samuel gripped by periodic bouts of depression. When a hidden marksman of uncommon skill murders his son, the death leaves Samuel on the brink of total madness.Roark’s wife Sarah, a woman of strength, grace and startling beauty is now both emotionally and physically exhausted by the tragic circumstances that have beset her family. After discovering her husband’s quest for revenge, she does everything in her power to prevent what she fears will ultimately destroy him.Matthew Shaw is a known manhunter and soldier of fortune that people call on when they’re willing to pay someone else to deal with obstacles in their lives. When required, Shaw reluctantly uses his considerable marksmanship to achieve those ends. Now Shaw finds himself caught between a job he truly believes in, and a very good reason to walk away when he realizes he’s falling in love with Sarah, the wife of the man who hired him.

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

Bloody Season


Loren D. Estleman - 1987
    Corral is the ultimate Western adventure--and Estleman's novel is the definitive account* Estleman is the author of This Old Bill, Journey of the Dead, Billy Gashade, and City of Widows "High Drama... Estleman's account of events following the O.K. Corral gunfight is the best one I've ever read, by far."--Elmore Leonard

Fargo


John Benteen - 1969
    Fargo lives with a gun in his fist. Guns and killing are all he knows. And Fargo likes what he knows. Want to start a revolution? Want to stop one? Send for Fargo. Want to blow a bridge, stage a prison break, rob a bank? Fargo's your man. The Army taught Fargo how to kill with pistol, rifle, machine gun. He became an expert with knives, shotguns and women on his own time. Fargo hates the quiet life. He knows he's going to get it sooner or later. He hopes it won't be too much later because he wouldn't know how to be old and comfortable. So while it lasts, Fargo plans to grab the world by the throat and take what he wants. If the world doesn't like that, it can try to stop him ... if it can.

Apache Ambush


Chet Cunningham - 2015
    As a boy, he had seen his Indian mother gunned down by the hated bluecoats during an attack on his village. Now, years later, here he was, Wade Chisholm, scout for the U.S. Cavalry, alone in Apache country, asked to locate the hostiles - his people - then decide if he had the stomach to lead soldiers in the massacre of another village. But "Longknife" knew the Apaches had already filled the desolate desert. The Apache death chant. Chisholm was as good as dead!

JL Tate, Texas Ranger


Lou Bradshaw - 2015
    A short time later we find him up to his chin in the embrace of a lovely lady outlaw. He’s able to get himself untangle, only to come face to face with nearly a half ton of stolen Civil War gold, which the great State of Texas has placed a claim on. JL and his Ranger partner, Spade Carson, become involved with the gang seeking to recover the gold and a rival gang seeking to take it, by whatever means necessary. A sweet young lass is right in the middle of the fray, and Tate is of course, in no way immune to the charms of Eve. From Odessa to El Paso, there is no safety for Tate and Carson. Ambushes, night raids, and lust for the yellow gold, keep the two Rangers living on the raw gritty edge. But they must keep going forward because there’s no going back.

Moment of Vengeance and Other Stories


Elmore Leonard - 2006
    . . and trust as essential to survival as it is hard-earned.Trust was rare and precious in the wide-open towns that sprung up like weeds on America's frontier—with hustlers and hucksters arriving in droves by horse, coach, wagon, and rail, and gunmen working both sides of the law, all too eager to end a man's life with a well-placed bullet. In these classic tales that span more than five decades—including the first story he ever published, “The Trail of the Apache”—Elmore Leonard once again demonstrates the superb talent for language and gripping narrative that have made him one of the most acclaimed and influential writers of our time.

Bowdrie Rides a Coyote Trail (Louis L'Amour)


Louis L'Amour - 2004
    With the dead man's horse in tow, Bowdrie ambles into the middle of a dispute between the H&H ranch and the Darcy spread. Seems some H&H hired guns are giving Jack Darcy a hard time . . . and leading the troublemakers is ranch owner Rack Herman, strangely in the middle of many a run-in. But with the help of some friendly locals, Bowdrie pieces together a puzzle of murder, corruption, and the shady dealings of a power hungry rancher. Will Bowdrie travel far to track down Dyson . . . or is this killer closer than he thinks?

Trouble at the Redstone (Leisure Western)


John D. Nesbitt - 2008
    Will Dryden followed the trail of a missing man to the Redstone Ranch, where he will have to find the truth about three other murdered men.

The Lost Manuscript of Martin Taylor Harrison


Stephen Bly - 1995
    But the real challenge is the cowboy who's guiding her to it.

Cole


C.J. Petit - 2017
    It was supposed to be a time of relaxation after having spent a few days moving those cattle to market. Any thought of quiet time vanished when he opened the door to his brother’s house.

A Long Way To Texas


Dave Sebeslav - 2018
    On the way, he makes friends and enemies. Once there, he finds danger and the love of his life.

King of the Mountain


David Robbins - 1990
    The epic story of an unforgettable mountain man and his struggle to survive in the untamed wilderness of America.