Book picks similar to
Wine on the Desert by Max Brand


western
audiobooks
fiction
short-stories

Sand River


James Vaughan - 2017
    He grew up at a wild time and did what he had to do to survive. The law took one view of it; he took another. And the law wouldn’t get off his back. He did time, broke out of prison. He went north, hoping to leave the past behind. But the past followed him. And now there were murder charges. Whichever way he turned, trouble was right there. This is his account of what happened. Jack was born in Charleston in 1861. His parents died early of cholera and his guardian died when he was fifteen, leaving him penniless and alone. He went west and got work as a cattle drover. He shot an outlaw who was trying to rob him. Another outlaw, named Ibbetson, got away alive. Later, he ran across a cowboy called Skeeter on a cattle drive. They met again in a saloon and Skeeter asked him to help drive a herd of horses. Jack didn’t know they were stolen. He was arrested, went to jail. During his trial, he broke out of the courthouse with another inmate, who shot a courthouse constable. After that, a rope was waiting. He went north and got work on a ranch called Sand River. For a while it looked like he’d outrun trouble. He did the job and stayed clean. But up there, range wars were being fought. Ranchers hired range detectives to handle trouble. To some, they were hired killers. One of them was Ibbetson. When they met again, Jack knew it wouldn’t end well. His past had arrived.

Odds Against Tomorrow


Joseph T. Nutter
    Her father, a former territorial governor, must now make the hard decision to recruit a former friend and gunfighter, whom he tried to hang in the past, to join in pursuit of his strong-willed daughter and the violent men she seeks. The energetic and exciting story is told from both perspectives as they must fight their way through the still untamed towns and locations of New Mexico Territory and Texas of 1884. And blended into the backdrop of their journey are the final days of the spirited campaign to elect a new President—Grover Cleveland. Behind this story lies the dynamics of two former friends who grew up together and fought alongside one another as members of the Texas Brigade in the Civil War and later as Texas Rangers. But they would be driven apart later by the sides of the law they would hold to. They now come together once again in an epic tale and must reach beyond their strained relationship to the strong bonds of friendship of their youth.

Silent Mountain Guns


C.M. Curtis - 2015
    But, when he ends up in a place where a range war is raging, he learns that it’s not easy to shed a reputation, especially when everyone wants him on their side—and the ones who don’t get him want him dead.

K Company (K Company 1)


Robert Broomall - 1992
    He is assigned to K Company, on the western edge of the Kansas frontier. What he finds there is brutal discipline combined with bad food, monotonous drill, and make-work details. Even worse, he makes an enemy of Link Hayward, toughest soldier in the company, who’s been broken in rank more times than he can count. Link thinks Harry is a coward and urges him to desert. Taunted by Link, not accepted by K Company’s veterans, Harry begins to doubt himself.Then the company is ordered into the field, and in a battle with the Cheyenne, Harry learns what he’s really made of.

Stagecoach to Purgatory


Peter Brandvold - 2018
    Raucous, rowdy, ruthless revenge. Next question? DEVIL BY THE TAIL How do you catch a fork-tongued demon who's busted out of prison to wreak all sorts of unholy hell on a small Texas town? If you're Lou Prophet, you team up with red-hot Louisa Bonaventura, aka "The Vengeance Queen," and cut a swath of merciless Prophet mayhem in return. Due process be damned . . .

Wings of the Hawk


Charles G. West - 2000
    But he was saved by a pair of grizzled old fur trappers, and he learned to fend for himself and live off the land.When Jim finally returns home to St. Louis, he finds that there was more to his father's murder than he'd thought. Though the Indians did the killing, someone else did the planning--someone too close for comfort. Now young Jim must untangle a thick web of lies, and when the dirty dealings come to light he will come face-to-face with a murderer. But if he tastes the vengeance owed him, it won't be as the boy everyone knew as Jim--it will be as a man named Trace McCall...

Mac's Way


Reg Quist - 2012
    Work on the Santa Fe Trail, and on a Mississippi River boat give him a start, but the years of Civil War leave him broke and footloose in South Texas. There he discovers more cattle running loose than he ever knew existed. Teaming up with two ex-Federal soldiers, he sets out to gather his wealth, one head at a time. While gathering and driving Longhorns, Mac and his friends meet an interesting collection of characters, including Margo. Mac and Margo and the crew learn about Longhorns, and life, from hard experience before they eventually head west. Outlaws and harrowing river crossings are just two of the challenges they face along their way.

The Blood Hounds: Western Box Set (Books 1 - 3)


Ron Schwab - 2021
    What Brady discovers puts his own life at risk, and he knows he can’t return home, so he heads for the hills to lie low while he plots his next move. Enter “the blood hounds,” Trace and Darby Crockett, former Pinkerton detectives, who are hired not only to investigate the disappearance of Brady Yates but also the murder of a local lawman. Are the two events related?

The Women in Pants: Sidesaddle No More


Stan Himes - 2017
    Will they overcome with hearts and humor intact? Will they survive at all? Reader Reviews: "I know if you enjoy reading about strong confident and brave women you will love this book as much as I did!" "Recommend this books to all who enjoy Westerns, or even if you have never read one. I think you would perhaps see some of the personalities, philosophies and behavior in yourself and those you know and only read about! A very HUMAN book!" "WOW. Bought this book with the thoughts of perhaps a light read.... I'm telling you, the detail, the writing, the story were all superb." "This book is for everyone. I couldn't wait to see what happened but I didn't want it to end." "If this book doesn't get made into a big-budget movie with an ensemble of major actresses, Hollywood will have missed out on a blockbuster." "I loved this book from beginning to end. And the unique way the author told it. A most fun read. If I had lived in that time period I would have wanted to be one of those women in pants!"

The Tall Men (The Classic Film Collection)


Will Henry - 1900
    Seeking riches, vengeance and violence, they struck out from Texas for the gold fields of Montana. And then they met Nathan Stark—a man just as bold, and even more cunning. Together, they set out to gain their fortune with an epic cattle drive through the heart of the Sioux Nation. It was a journey never before made by white men...a journey that might never be attempted again.

They Called Him Preacher: The Man behind the Legend


William W. Johnstone - 2019
    WHERE THE BULLET IS LAW.   Of all the Western series by William Johnstone, the epic saga of the mountain man known as Preacher may be the most beloved and enduring. This special edition includes two of Preacher’s greatest adventures—Cheyenne Challenge and Preacher and the Mountain Caesar—featuring two of the legend’s bloodiest showdowns . . .   TO HELL AND BACK Ten years ago, Preacher taught a bad man from the east a violent lesson he’d never forget. Today, that man returns to even the score by igniting an all-out Indian war. The battle lines are drawn. The players are cutthroat. And Preacher’s scalp is the ultimate prize . . .   OF GODS AND MONSTERS In the mountains of Montana, Preacher stumbles upon the town of Nova Roma, aka New Rome. It’s ruled by a ruthless tyrant straight out of ancient history. But Preacher refuses to bow down to a power-mad Caesar who thinks he’s a god—not if he bleeds like a man . . .   Live Free. Read Hard.

Hunt-U.S. Marshal


W.L. Cox - 2013
    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.

Sundog Comanche


Ash Lingam - 2017
    His father, Maxwell Creek provided him with his namesake of the town, Ridge. At thirteen taken on to work in the general store of a retired western gunfighter and lawman, Ridge Creek learned the tricks of his future trade. At sixteen he rides off on the trail to Austin to join the Texas Rangers. The rest is history. The whole story of Captain Ridge Creek. The year was 1848, and the young Ranger was posted in Laredo, Texas. This is the story of his battles with Iron Jacket and Lopez the Outlaw among other tales of this man the Comanche call 'With Dead Eyes'. Captain Creek’s first five years in the Texas Rangers. This is the dawn of his younger years.

Fate Rides A Tall Horse, 1869


Gary Church - 2019
    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.

No Man's Land (Jack Ballard Book 1)


Linell Jeppsen - 2018
    Sometimes he's able to stop it from hurting innocent people—and sometimes he causes it. It can’t be helped, though. He is a good man with a fast gun, and in West Texas in the late 1800’s, trouble lies around every bend. Only he and his filed-down .44-40 Colt can stop it.