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Zusatztext Praise for the novels of Ralph Compton “Compton offers readers a chance to hit the trail and not even end up saddle sore.”— Publishers Weekly “Compton writes in the style of popular Western novelists like Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey…thrilling stories of Western legend.”— The Huntsville Times (AL) “If you like Louis L’Amour! you’ll love Ralph Compton.”— Quanah Tribune-Chief (TX) Informationen zum Autor Ralph Compton stood six-foot-eight without his boots. He worked as a musician, a radio announcer, a songwriter, and a newspaper columnist. His first novel, The Goodnight Trail , was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Bearer Award for best debut novel. He was also the author of the Sundown Rider series and the Border Empire series. Marcus Galloway is the author of numerous novels in the Ralph Compton series. Klappentext In this Ralph Compton western! all work and no play makes a man deadly... Jarrett Pekoe cares about two things: his ranch and his family. So when rustlers kill his kin and burn his land to the ground! Jarrett won't rest until the men responsible have their necks caught in the hangman's rope. He's willing to cooperate with the law if it's on his side-and willing to work outside it if it's not. Lem Beauchamp is a stranger with a mysterious ax to grind when it comes to the bandits who razed Jarrett's ranch. Despite Jarrett's suspicion of Lem! he isn't about to refuse the help of an experienced gunman-even if Lem plans to hand out more punishment than the law dictates. And when the hunt for justice turns deadly! Lem and Jarrett may be the only ones willing to risk everything to defeat the lethal criminals before more innocent lives are lost... More Than Six Million Ralph Compton Books In Print! COLD VENGEANCE SIGNET This is respectfully dedicated to the “American Cowboy.” His was the saga sparked by the turmoil that followed the Civil War, and the passing of more than a century has by no means diminished the flame. True, the old days and the old ways are but treasured memories, and the old trails have grown dim with the ravages of time, but the spirit of the cowboy lives on. In my travels—to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona—I always find something that reminds me of the Old West. While I am walking these plains and mountains for the first time, there is this feeling that a part of me is eternal, that I have known these old trails before. I believe it is the undying spirit of the frontier calling me, through the mind’s eye, to step back into time. What is the appeal of the Old West of the American frontier? It has been epitomized by some as the dark and bloody period in American history. Its heroes—Crockett, Bowie, Hickok, Earp—have been reviled and criticized. Yet the Old West lives on, larger than life. It has become a symbol of freedom, when there was always another mountain to climb and another river to cross; when a dispute between two men was settled not with expensive lawyers, but with fists, knives, or guns. Barbaric? Maybe. But some things never change. When the cowboy rode into the pages of American history, he left behind a legacy that lives within the hearts of us all. Chapter 1 Flat Pass, Wyoming, 1884 Some men had families. Others had their work. While most folks had both, they could never love them the same. Early in his life, Jarrett Pekoe made his choice and never looked back. He loved his kin with all his heart, but all of his sweat, blood, and soul had been poured into the Lazy J Ranch. It was a small operation. From careful planning, hiring on the best hands, and building partnerships spanning several states, his ranch didn’t need to be large to make a profit. It...
