Book picks similar to
Old Kyle's Boy by Frank Roderus


westerns
western
fiction
historical-fiction

Blood Storm: A John Henry Cole Western


Bill Brooks - 2012
    Recent unexpected gunplay has whittled his detective agency down to a single operative: a man named John Henry Cole. Cole is the only man left when a new assignment comes in from a former lover of Kelly’s, a woman operating an escort service in the new mining camp of Deadwood in Dakota Territory. Three of the young women working for her have been murdered, and someone is trying to cover up their deaths.It’s a dangerous job, and Cole is advised that he must take every precaution—as if he needed such advice. The legendary Wild Bill Hickok was recently murdered at Deadwood, and Calamity Jane Canary and Doc Holliday are among Cole’s potential suspects. Add that to a corrupt constable and a bounty hunter who just happens to be an old enemy of Cole’s, and it’s clear there are many who will not welcome his arrival in Deadwood. Cole is a lonely man in a lonely profession, and finding a murderer in the wild mining camp could be less of a challenge than simply staying alive.Using real-life characters and settings from one of the most notorious times in the history of the Wild West, veteran author Bill Brooks spins another edge-of-your-seat thriller.Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns—books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians—are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Vengeance Creek


Robert J. Randisi - 2005
    In a lawless town, they become the law, grieving for their slain loved ones while looking to start a new life free of further bloodshed. But destiny has other plans for the Shayes.Eight men ride into town with designs on the bank's money -- and when they ride out, a dozen innocent people are dead and Dan Shaye is down with a gunshot wound. Now it's up to his boys to settle one more score, riding hell for leather toward a final reckoning ... and a mystery.And if Death comes again for the sons of Daniel Shaye, so be it, because any man who won't lay down his life for what is right is no man at all.

Lockwood


Lauran Paine - 1996
    He's worked a number of years in Montana as a rangeman and wants to live where there's no snow in the winter. So he sets out for New Mexico, a place where he's heard the weather is mild and the living is easy. But getting there may be tougher than he thinks.In the Wyoming town of Derby, Lockwood is wounded in a gunfight and has to stay long enough to recuperate...and meet the pretty widow, Lady Barlow, owner of the Barlow ranch. The ranch is in need of a ramrod, but Lockwood refuses the job. After all, Wyoming isn't much warmer than Montana. But it looks like Fate—or someone else—doesn't want Lockwood to leave town. When he tries, he's ambushed and forced to stay again. It seems to Lockwood like his journey's ending, but sometimes life leads you down trails you never expected. Some mighty dangerous trails.

Down From The Mountain (Clint Hunter: Mountain Man #1)


Mike Mackessy - 2019
    With degrees in both Medicine and Law, at the age of seventeen, Clint still felt empty and dissatisfied. He struck up a bargain with his father, to be allowed four years to go West and see the lands, experience life, then return to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor in the family practice. When he boarded the train west with fifty thousand dollars set up in a bank account, Clint had no way of knowing just how much his life would turn in a completely different way.

Old Dogs


Ron Schwab - 2021
    Tending to the Lucky Five Ranch with Thor, Jack's 12-year-old dog, at their side was now a more appealing way to spend their remaining years than the decades of close calls they experienced.But a mysterious rider approaching the Lucky Five will change everything for Jack and Rudy, and their peaceful lives will be uprooted by the revelation of a long-kept secret that prompts one last quest for the "old dogs."Adventure abounds in Ron Schwab's latest Western novel that will leave you laughing, crying, and in suspense until the very end.

Preacher With a Gun (Jubilee Book 1)


Brad Dennison - 2015
    When marshal Vic Falcone takes a bullet, he calls on the town preacher Tom McCabe to strap on a gun and wear the badge. The man who shot the marshal is in the town jail and awaiting trial, and the man's outlaw brother is out there somewhere, intending to free him. A lot for McCabe to handle, but even though he's a preacher, he's also the nephew of the gunfighter Johnny McCabe.

Live by the West, Die by the West: The Smoke Jensen Saga


William W. Johnstone - 2019
      With his bestselling Smoke Jensen series, William W. Johnston has created a hero whose mountain-man roots, trail-driving grit, and gun-blazing sense of justice embody the frontier spirit of America. Here, in one volume, are two of the Western legend’s most powerful adventures . . .   TRIUMPH OF THE MOUNTAIN MAN In a land of opportunity, there will be opportunists. But few are as vicious, cruel—or flat-out evil—as Clifton Satterly. This power-hungry robber baron has set his sights on Tua Pueblo, a quiet town in the New Mexico Territory. He plans to seize the timber-rich land through brute force and strip it clean with slave labor. But there’s one thing he didn’t plan on: a one-man wall of resistance named Smoke Jensen . . .   JOURNEY OF THE MOUNTAIN MAN When it comes to outbursts of violence in the Old West, there’s nothing worse than a range war. They’re fueled by greed, fanned by gunfire, and fated to end in bloodshed, Which is why Smoke Jensen would just as soon keep his distance. But when his cousin Fae is involved, he’s got no choice but to strap on his Colts, team up with four old friends—and get ready for a hundred-gun showdown. This is going to be one hell of a fight . . .   Live Free. Read Hard.

The Rattlesnake Season


Larry D. Sweazy - 2009
    SweazyA Josiah Wolfe, Texas Ranger NovelFrom the blood he spilled during the Civil War to his beloved wife, who died in childbirth, and his daughters, who were taken by the flu, ex-Texas Ranger Josiah Wolfe thought he had seen enough death for one lifetime. Now, with an infant son and a heart full of pain, he's rejoining the Rangers as part of the Frontier Battalion. But first, his captain needs him to escort Charlie Langdon to trial.Wolfe and Langdon had a long history together as both lawmen and soldiers—until Langdon's lust for blood and money made him an outlaw. Wolfe knows his old friend has to pay. But the ride to the hangman's noose isn't going to be easy. Langdon's friends aren't going to give him up without a fight. And Wolfe's killer instinct may be his only chance to see his son again...Praise for Larry D Sweazy"Combines the slam-bang action of a good Western with the sensitivity of style and depth of character that used to be the hallmark of literary fiction."—Loren D. Estleman, five-time Spur Award-winning author"Raw, wild, and all too human...a thundering testament to just how good the Western novel can be."—Johnny D. Boggs, Spur Award-winning author"A character-rich story about a Texas Ranger haunted by dark memories, on the hunt for a former comrade-in-arms turned killer."—Elmer Kelton, seven-time Spur Award-winning author"Ris[es] to the level of a classic."—Loren D. Estleman

A Trail Too Far: A Western Frontier Adventure (A Rab Sinclair Western Book 1)


Robert R. Peecher Jr. - 2018
    Cummings has hired Rab Sinclair to guide his party as far as Santa Fe.But Rab's easy way in the wilderness does not mix well with the family's Eastern values, and he soon finds himself at odds with some among them. When Amos Cummings' wife and daughter develop a fondness for Rab, the relationship is strained even farther.But when the family encounters the gang of bloodthirsty bandits, their moral code against violence will be tested.When these ruffians abduct one among the emigrants, Rab Sinclair may find that to save his charge he must travel A Trail Too Far.If you love classic Westerns under open skies and over rolling plains, A Trail Too Far promises to be an instant favorite.So check that you've got plenty of beans and jerky, and saddle up for an overland crossing on the Santa Fe Trail. Click the buy button to start reading now!

Bitter Trail


Elmer Kelton - 1959
    In Bitter Trail, Kelton tells the story of a tough teamster named Frio Wheeler whose wagons haul cotton from Texas to Mexico.Sounds like a peaceable enterprise?The problem is that the Civil War is raging throughout the South and Wheeler's cotton is to be sold for gold--gold used to buy guns and ammunition for the Confederate army.And, added to his balky mules, the broiling heat, and killing drought of the Mexican dessert, Wheeler has even more serious matters to contend with: His wagons are attacked, his cotton bales are burned, he is captured and tortured by bandidos in league with Union sympathizers, and he is betrayed by his best friend--his former partner and brother of the woman he loves!

The Devil's Brand: The Rider ~ Book One (The Rider Western Series 1)


Seth Nation - 2017
     In the aftermath, Ethan Brody returns from the war to find everything he knows and loves reduced to nothing but ashes. Hell bent on revenge, he sets off to find the murderous gang, only to have them slip away. Losing his faith, he sets off on a life of bounty hunting, vowing to never again let justice go astray. "Alive" is no longer an option and in the process, the legend of the Rider is born. 1894: Oliver Kingston Dukes a man of remittance finds his way to the town of Adobe Wells, immediately becoming embroiled in the town's struggle with the wealthy and powerful Katy brothers. Enter the Rider, on the trail of the notorious bandit Hector Salazar. He joins Dukes and the townsfolk to take back the town once and for all, and perhaps...take back his own salvation.

The Beasts of Juarez: An Atlas Hargrove Novel: Book 2


Ryan Schow - 2021
    

Exclusion Zone (Sean Riever Thrillers Book 1)


John Nichol - 1998
    The Falklands, 1999 – a vital strategic stronghold and oil-rich gem in the South Atlantic. For RAF pilot Sean Riever it is a place of ghosts. For Jane Clark, his co-pilot, a place of tough decisions.An air of menace hangs over the desolate, battle-scarred landscape; present dangers and past mysteries lurk in the shadows on the skyline.Then a Royal Navy nuclear submarine disappears, and Argentine jet fighters penetrate the Exclusion Zone. As Sean and his companions stave off wave after wave of enemy attacks, their defense becomes an epic battle for survival – in which victory can only be achieved at a terrible price… A pulse-pounding, high-octane action thriller, Exclusion Zone is a tour de force, perfect for fans of Frederick Forsyth, Mark Greaney and Kyle Mills. Praise for Exclusion Zone ‘Fresh and compelling … as good as anything written by Jeffrey Archer or Dick Francis’ Daily Mail‘A cracking combat thriller with a delicate love story’ Mail on Sunday

The Women of Crooked Creek (Emma/Hattie/Briley/Clara): A Western Story Collection


M.K. McClintock - 2016
    Casey Latimer is a wounded soldier in search of a new home and a new beginning. When Casey, battered and bruised, quite literally falls at Emma's feet, she is duty-bound to help him. What happens next is something Emma never expected."Hattie of Crooked Creek"Married three months before the war and now a widow, Harriett McBride can either give up and sell her ranch or fight for the life she and her husband came west to build. With the help of a friend and a stranger, she must stop the one who threatens all she holds dear. When Hattie is faced with an unexpected choice, will she bury her heart on the battlefield forever or find a way to love again?"Briley of Crooked Creek"Far from home and with no family left, Briley Donaghue answers an advertisement from a rancher seeking a wife in Montana Territory. She arrives in Crooked Creek to find an empty cabin, a letter from her fiancé, and too many unanswered questions. Alone and uncertain, Briley forges a new life in an unfamiliar land."Clara of Crooked Creek"No longer willing to allow society's opinion to influence her life, Clara Stowe sought a change, and what better place than the frontier. With her young daughter by her side, she embarks on an unexpected undertaking to the Montana Territory. With grit and determination, they arrive in Crooked Creek to shape the life Clara had always dreamed of and honor the memory of the one they lost.The war is over between the North and the South, but the battles at home are just beginning. If you love stories of bravery and courage with unforgettable women and the men they love, you'll enjoy The Women of Crooked Creek. MK McClintock delivers another extraordinary western series with more to come.

Crossed Arrows: Mountain Men


Terry Grosz - 2010
    The rugged mountains that lay beyond America’s frontier remained mostly unexplored. In those days, when beaver were plentiful and the buffalo roamed freely, the killing was good. The two young men would also find that life would be hardscrabble in the high frontier. They would face grizzly bears and hostile Indians. And they would risk horse wrecks and mountain storms to trade their furs each year at “rendezvous.” Crossed Arrows is the story of two adventurers who lived hard in the earliest days of the Wild West.