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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. Ralph Cotton is a former ironworker, second mate on a commercial barge, teamster, horse trainer, and lay minister with the Lutheran church. There are millions of Ralph Cotton books in print worldwide. Klappentext The Shadow of a Noose: "Young Jed and Tim Strange lost their father to an outlaw's bullet, and now their mother has succumbed to a fatal illness. Unable to farm their land due to a lack of funds, the twins set out to find their sister--who left home to avenge their father's death over a year ago. Farm life hasn't prepared the twins for the rough-and-tumble cow towns west of Missouri. And before they even begin their search, they're accused of a murder they didn't commit. Just barely escaping a posse's rope, the twins are on the run--wounded, hounded by the law, and desperately seeking the true killers...." -- Amazon. Leseprobe Chapter 1 Danielle spent her second night in Indian Territory unmolested. As she lay looking at the glittering stars, it occurred to her she might actually have to join a band of outlaws to find the men she sought. Somewhere, one of the killers carried her father's Colt, and it was a unique piece that a man who lived by the gun would remember. Could she pass herself off as an outlaw among killers and thieves? It seemed the only way. She remembered Buck Jordan sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing only his undershirt. She realized she had led a sheltered life, and that men on the frontier were likely more crude than she even imagined. The kind of men she must associate with would soon become suspicious of her furious blushing. She drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow she would begin looking for a band of outlaws. The distressing thought crossed her mind that she might die the same senseless death as her father had, but that was the chance she had to take. Indian Territory. July 8, 1870. Three days into Indian Territory, Danielle encountered a group of men who could only be outlaws. It was late in the day when she smelled woodsmoke. Dismounting, leading the mare, she called out a challenge. "Hello, the camp!" A rustling in the brush was proof enough that one or more of the outlaws were preparing to cover her. "Come in closer where we can see you," a voice shouted. "Strangers ain't welcome." "I'm Dan Strange," Danielle shouted back, "and my grub's running low. I was hoping for an invite to supper." "Come on in," the voice invited, "but don't get too busy with your hands. We got you covered." There were four men in camp, and two more who came out of the brush. "Hell," said one of the men, "it's a shirttail kid that ain't old enough to shave." "What are you doin' in the Territory, kid?" a second outlaw asked. "You won't find nobody here to change your diapers." "I shot two hombres near Fort Smith," said Danielle, "and they had friends. It seemed like a good idea to move on." It was time for a test, and one of the outlaws reached for his Colt. He froze before he cleared leather, for Danielle already had him covered. "You're awful damn sudden with that iron, kid," said the man who had been about to draw. "Put it away. I was just testin' you. Part of our business is bein' suspicious. Who was the two hombres you gunned down?" "I have no idea," Danielle said. "They came after me with guns drawn, so I shot them." "You shot them while they had the drop on you?" "I...
