The first thing of interest Cray Dawson saw upon riding into Crabtown, Montana, on his way to stake his claim in Black’s Cut, was a sign outside the barber shop, with a long line of miners, townsfolk, business people and saddle tramps strung along the boardwalk waiting their turn to view Lawrence Shaw in his coffin. FAST LARRY SHAWL DEAD IN HIS COFFIN, 50 CENTS While He Lasts... (below it in pencil) *Preview of Ralph Cotton's Hangman's Choice and Killing Texas Bob at the back of this book.
How different might our maps look today were it not for the gun? Would there be a Texas were it not for improvements in firearm technology? Texas Independence was won by the gun...and kept by the gun. Firearms put food on the table and kept marauding Indians out of frontier dooryards. In this book, Carroll Holloway introduces us to the men who made the guns that shaped Texas. He walks us through firearm technology throughout our Lone Star history, from Spanish & Mexican rule, through the weapons of the Texas Revolution and the Republic. This non-technical treatise demonstrates clearly the role of the gun in 19th century westward expansion and Texas history.
A collection of Courtney's columns from the Texas Monthly, curing the curious, exorcizing bedevilment, and orienting the disoriented, advising "on such things as: Is it wrong to wear your football team's jersey to church? When out at a dancehall, do you need to stick with the one that brung ya? Is it real Tex-Mex if it's served with a side of black beans? Can one have too many Texas-themed tattoos?"--Amazon.com.
A lawless town lives in the shadow of fear in this western in Ralph Compton's USA Today bestselling series. Tam Elliot founded Eden Creek to be a utopia of peace and prosperity. The town achieved neither, and in despair Elliot took his own life. His daughter Allison rechristened the town Suicide, blaming its folks for its failure. From her hillside house, she collects property dues from the lost souls unfortunate enough to still reside there—and punishes anyone attempting to leave. John McBride came west to start a new life, only to find himself saddled with the moniker “Tenderfoot Kid” after a single gunfight. He purchased a restaurant in Suicide hoping to put his past behind him, but with marauding Apaches, vicious outlaws, and rising tensions between the townsfolk and Allison Elliot, the town is a powder keg waiting to explode—and McBride’s presence just may be enough to light the fuse… More Than Six Million Ralph Compton Books In Print!
Two young gunslingers ride into the heart of evil in this Ralph Compton western. Nathan Stone was a legendary gunfighter who did everything he could to be a father—while still following his own violent trail of honor. Now Wes Stone, barely eighteen, but full of the hard wisdom of the West, is being drawn into the kind of fight that cost his father his life. A secret organization of criminals is replacing freshly minted gold with counterfeit coins, threatening to plunge the growing nation into crisis. Called upon to penetrate this conspiracy that reaches from New Orleans to California, Wes and his fellow warrior, El Lobo, find themselves targeted by hired killers with a deadly plan of their own... More Than Six Million Ralph Compton Books In Print!
She moved her sights over to the parson, then to Evans, then to Muller. They fit the description Reese had given her before he died. These were the ones; if by some fluke they weren’t her attackers, her father’s killers, too bad, she thought. If that was the case, they had simply picked the wrong day to come calling. Her sights homed onto Muller, the one farthest away, the one most likely to get atop his horse and make a run for it. She rested the sights there and waited, breathing slowly, calmly. Strange, she thought, how not long ago she had looked for the slightest reason not to kill these men, these men who had violated her, who had taken her father’s life, and in that sense destroyed hers. But that had changed. Now, if they fit the description, or matched the names, or came close to doing either, she wanted them dead. The killing had begun. The quicker they were dead, the sooner she could live in a home of her own—something she’d never had. And more than that, she could hold her head up and live there in peace, like regular, everyday folks—something she’d never known. A tear glistened in her eye, but there was no time to wipe it away. She wouldn’t let it affect her aim. *Preview of Ralph Cotton's Wolf Valley at the end of this book.
The Ranger Lives for the Hunt - The Outlaw Lives for the Killing - Now They Are About to Come Face to Face at Last. Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack is a man of courage with a lightning-quick draw. His goal is swift justice, and his aim is as sure as death. With a .58 caliber rifle behind his saddle and a list of outlaws next to his heart, he tracks his prey relentlessly, alone, and to the bitter end. No one under the badlands sun would put the Ranger’s skills to the test like Montana Red Hollis, a man more brutal than any beast and more cunning than any desperado the Ranger has ever hunted. No one is safe from the wrath of Montana Red and, until the Ranger took up the search, no one was brave enough to stop him. Now, on the high badlands where the fastest gun rules and only the strongest survive, a bloodthirsty killer is about to meet his match. From master storyteller Ralph Cotton comes an extraordinary story about lawmen and the lawless—and of gun justice in the rugged American West.
Lawrence Shaw, aka Fast Larry, aka the Fastest Gun Alive, in this 4th book in the Gunman’s Reputation series, appears to have given up . . . but not just yet. First, he will take Rita Vargas to Willow Creek in search of William Bonney—the infamous Billy the Kid—who, unbeknownst to the Kid, is the father of her unborn child. On Shaw’s trail are gunmen hell-bent to leave him dead on the ground, not realizing that having people out to kill him might be the only thing that keeps “Fast Larry” alive. Lawrence Shaw had heard the thunder of horses’ hooves from the north trail long before the five riders slid the animals to a halt out front of the plank shack. He’d heard them stop suddenly, fifty yards away, and he’d pictured the riders sitting there discussing him in the pale purple darkness, deciding the best way to kill him. After a moment he’d heard the horses come forward again, this time slower, with stealth and deliberation. Oh, yes, they mean to kill me, Shaw told himself. . . . He did none of the things a man might do under such dire circumstances. Shaw had lost interest in such matters of life and death. They would arrive to kill him; but he would kill them instead. It was that simple. The matter deserved no deeper thought.
Turnbaugh gave a dark chuckle. ‘‘You lawdogs and your badges,’’ he said, ‘‘you’re worse than priests with their crosses.’’ He shook his head. ‘‘I never could understand why a little ornament like that makes such a difference to yas.’’ ‘‘I don’t expect you would,’’ said Sam. He paused, took a breath and gave another glance at either end of the bar. Here goes, he said to himself, hoping he’d given Maria enough time to get into position near the empty window frame to back him up. But there was no time to wonder about it now. ‘‘I’m taking you to Fort Smith, Turnbaugh,’’ he said. Turnbaugh gave another dark chuckle. ‘‘Are you now?’’ he said in a cocky tone, as if it were all a joke. ‘‘Care to hear some numbers on how many twobit lawmen like you has tried that same thing?’’ ‘‘The numbers don’t matter,’’ said Sam, barely shaking his head. ‘‘You’re going with me. Don’t make me kill you.’’ *Preview of Ralph Cotton's Sabio's Redemption at the end of this book.
