And then a mysterious gunfighter wanders into the middle of things, bringing with him a new brand of justice. A story of love and vengeance, and the sometimes painful path of self-discovery. By the author of THE LONG TRAIL. and ONE MAN'S SHADOW. Also, following the story is a preview of the sequel, WARDTOWN, coming soon.

    When a freak early-winter storm finds Linc wounded and sheltered in the cabin of a recently widowed homesteader and her young son, all should be fine…if he wasn’t on the run from the law. Now, Bama, a black mule skinner; Twodogs, a Crow tracker; and Dolan, find themselves an unlikely gang. Damned by decent folk, hunted by the law, and pursued by Montana’s most deadly man-hunters, they all three are wronged and seek bloody revenge.

    When a greedy rancher and his hired killers murdered Lucius Dodge’s father and brother, he swore an oath of vengeance and rode out to settle the score. Then a chance meeting with Boz Tatum brought Lucius into the ranks of the Texas Rangers—and gave him a badge to back up his quest for justice.Now, with the legal means to right the ultimate wrong and bring down the men who killed his family, Lucius won’t be stopped. Because a loss like his will sear a man’s soul and leave him hell-bent on revenge . . .“J. Lee Butts keeps his readers on the edge of their seats.” —True West About the Author:J. Lee Butts is the author of 22 published books and numerous magazine articles and short works. His book Brotherhood of Blood was runner-up for the Western Writers of America Spur Award in 2005. He’s worn many hats over the years (teacher, administrator, pool manager, IBM supervisor, and western author), and he and his late wife lived everywhere from Los Angeles to Dallas. Currently he’s hanging those hats back in White Hall, Arkansas.

    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...

    Claiming the reward, however, turns out to be considerably more difficult. First there is Veronica Fairburn, the beautiful woman who has her own business in Socorro and insists on sticking with Kendrick when he sets out to return there with his prisoner … Then there's the gang of tough ranch hands dead set on relieving him of the prisoner in order to dish out their own brand of personal revenge … Plus the Mexican desperado stalking the woman … Not to mention the band of renegade Apaches raiding throughout the region … It all makes for Kendrick having his work cut out for him. Complicating matters even more are the feelings developing between Kendrick and Veronica. But the greatest challenge of all may come from the daring passage they must attempt over the Jornada del Muerto—the Journey of the Dead, awaiting them in the merciless White Sands desert. Peacemaker Award-winning author Wayne D. Dundee is at the top of his form in this gritty, action-packed tale of desperate, determined people fighting each other and the elements in order not only to achieve their goals but also to simply survive.

    But, as bad as the gunfight had been, the visitor to his office to file a complaint for something that wasn’t even a crime turned out to be much more significant and life-changing.

    Hunt is the Sheriff in a small Tennessee town run and controlled by a ruthless Mayor that virtually owns the town. Hunt turns bounty hunter after he is fired for punching the Mayor in the nose and arresting the Mayor's son. Hunt tracks a man across the plains to the Missouri River and returns with a criminal that is on the run from the law. Hunt meets a U.S. Deputy Marshal during his journey and is recruited into the U.S. Marshal Service.

    Now famed U.S. Deputy Marshal Matt Bannister is coming home to reconcile with is family. He prayed he wouldn't see his ex-best friend Tom Smith nor the only girl he ever loved, Tom's wife, Elizabeth. However, old feuds unsettled never die and spark a powder keg of action as the quiet town of Willow Falls trembles in fear when the desperate Moskin Gang kidnaps Elizabeth and leaves a murderous trail for the sheriff Tom Smith to follow. In anguish, he turns to his despised ex-friend Matt Bannister to help him get the woman they both love back alive, if they can. Sometimes God's greatest blessing is unanswered prayers.

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

    The two men are former Texas Rangers. Along with Sutton's daughter, the former Rangers ride into the Bradshaws with outlaws on their trail, who know that Sutton has a map to buried gold. Sutton's brother years before had buried the gold before being killed by Yavapai Indians, who considered the Bradshaws sacred territory. Kilcannon marries Sutton's daughter, who is then kidnapped by the outlaws, who kill her father. Kilcannon rescues his wife and the two of them find ways to get the gold back to Prescott, the capital of Arizona Territory. Outlaws kidnap Kilcannon's wife again, but she's armed and dangerous. She kills Buster Oldham, leader of the gang of outlaws, with her pocket pistol, and Kilcannon rescues her and kills the last of the outlaws. It's another classic western with a bit of romance by R. O. Lane.

    A lesser man might just give it up; but Ezekiel Hawthorne isn’t a quitter. While thousands head to the California gold fields in wagons, Ezekiel loads his mule and embarks on an amazing venture across the continent alone, bound for the good soils and abundant waters of Oregon. Savages, tornadoes, and a lack of knowledge don’t slow the man down a bit. It’s a beautiful half-Shoshone woman who has the biggest impact on Ezekiel’s new life.

    Until he meets the beautiful prostitute Addie Heller. But Guthrie can’t avoid trouble, not with his background. Tensions mount as a corrupt mayor and his gun-totin’ henchmen aim to take over the town, including the fancy bordello owned by friendly, helpful Ma Snow, and Guthrie is called on to use his skills. But just as Guthrie is making headway in calming the town, the past returns in the form of Luke Taggart. And the violence explodes as Guthrie faces off with Taggart and his vicious gun pals.

    He’s been successful thus far in putting his wild years and the death of his wife behind him. Then he gets news of his granddaughter losing cattle to rustlers. So, in the beginning of a winter that promises to be extra cold, Yancey quits his good winter job on the ranch and sets off for New Mexico to help Cassie, his granddaughter. The old ways come back to Yancey, including the feeling that someone’s following him. That someone is Laredo Dodson, a bounty hunter. Armed with an old wanted dodger, Dodson tries to catch up to Yancey and capture him. Unless Yancey objects, then he’ll kill him. Along the way, Yancey meets up with Nathaniel Landrum, Nate, a young man who doesn’t seem to know much about living in the wild. He’s also running away from something. As they travel, Yancey teaches him things like building a fire that will at least keep him alive. He also finds out Nate is running away from a failed relationship. As they travel, they help out an older man, Brother Alphonse, who invites them to spend the night at the compound where he lives. There, they meet Father Josiah and learn this is not a place they want to stay. As they leave, Yancey sees Walter Graves, a gunfighter. Dodson continues to follow Yancey. And gets into a bit of trouble along the way.

    Obsessed with finding his brother’s killer, Johnny makes himself very visible in a place where people often assume new identities and don’t want to be found. It will require all of Johnny’s experience and skills to stay alive. His man-hunt results in action, adventure and romance, which all combine to reflect life on the Texas frontier and a number of people find their fate is altered; by not only their decisions but by chance meetings with strangers, including one who rides a tall horse.

    The excitement never slows; outlaws; Indians; a passenger who turns out to be a thief; gunfights; getting lost in the desert, etc. It seems that wherever Colter goes, trouble follows. However, he’s a very resourceful character who can handle anything that comes his way. Although the story-line is fairly traditional, the main characters and some of the events are not. Colter is quite unusual for his time His appearance, personality, style of dress and the equipment and weapons he carries are very unique. He smokes a pipe and loves his coffee, and he is continually making something to suit his needs from what he has on hand. He has a unique rapport with his horse that is exciting, interesting and very often humorous, while his weapons and knowledge of hand-to-hand combat make for some exciting fight scenes. This is not just another “Western”. It has humor, romance and suspense scenes that will keep a reader’s heart pounding. The dialog and the never-ending excitement make a story that is hard to put down.