Ralph Compton the Trail's End

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 the USA Today bestselling author of the Trail of the Gunfighter series, the Border Empire series, the Sundown Riders series, and the Trail Drive series, among others. E. L. Ripley has a background of military service and social work. He wrote his first novel when he was fifteen and has been writing ever since. His novels have been praised as "a fast-paced and engaging intrigue, with characters the reader will be attached to and root for despite their flaws and faults" (Marko Kloos, author of Chains of Command ) and "a wild, page-turning ride" (Mike Shepherd, author of Kris Longknife: Unrelenting ). Klappentext In this brand-new, suspenseful Ralph Compton Western, a reformed gambler races to unmask a murderer. After years as a professional gambler-and a deadly shootout on a riverboat casino-Tom Calvert and his young protégé, Asher Smith, have survived an arduous journey across the frontier to Friendly Field, Idaho. The bucolic Quaker community welcomes them with open arms, and soon Tom is courting a widow and learning, to his surprise, to enjoy the quiet life. Then an elder of Friendly Field is found murdered, and the townsfolk start whispering about the work of the devil. Tom doesn't believe in the devil, just the evil that men do, and he resolves to solve the gruesome crime before fear causes the people of peaceful little Friendly Field to turn against one another. Leseprobe Chapter One   Hills of white flowers rolled like waves, even in the gloom before dawn. They were all closed up, but still pretty and tall enough that one wouldn't so much walk through them as wade. It brought water to mind and made Tom feel light on his feet, which was no small task. He paused, leaning on his walking stick and peering at Asher, who determinedly forged a path ahead.   "Kid," he called out.   The boy paused and looked back.   "What's your hurry?" Tom asked.   "I am in no hurry, Mr. Calvert."   So Tom was just moving that slowly, eh? He pushed on.   Two weeks after arriving in Friendly Field, he still didn't know if he really meant to stay. It hadn't occurred to him that these people might welcome him, even knowing the truth about him. Or most of it, at any rate. He had made a lot of assumptions about these Quakers, and so far just about every one of them had been wrong.   "Mr. Calvert?"   "I'm coming."   "Morning exercise is your ritual, not mine," the boy pointed out.   "I take my exercise on the road," Tom shot back. "Not in all this." The boy was leading the way for a change, and it was difficult going among the hills.   "It will be worth your while," Asher promised.   Tom wasn't so sure. The kid claimed to have found a spectacular bounty of spring mushrooms in the woods. That was all well and good, but Tom couldn't truthfully say that he gave a damn. The kid was excited about it, though. That was what mattered, but Asher might regret wearing himself out before his day even began. On the other hand, the kid had what seemed to be limitless energy. On the trail, he'd managed the bulk of the work himself to keep the wagon rolling. Tom had been deadweight with a bullet in his leg, and the boy had more or less carried them both. He was tougher than he looked.   When the sun came up, all these flowers would open, and there would be such a scent that it would make anyone heady. Tom hoped they'd be on their way back by then. He didn't know why the boy wanted to be with him when he wen...

About the author

E. L. Ripley

Product details

• Authors: Ralph Compton, E L Ripley, E. L. Ripley
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 12.01.2021
• EAN: 9780593102404
• ISBN: 978-0-593-10240-4
• No. of pages: 304
• Dimensions: 106 mm x 171 mm x 20 mm
• Series: The Sundown Riders Series
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature