Western Thriller

The lives of five captives hang in the balance while their families gather the ransom. Two brothers, their family frantic to find their sons. A loner whose uncle doesn’t even know he’s missing. An Army brat whose family will never be able to raise enough money. And a cheerleader who can’t count on her stepdad, but knows her father will come through.

Despite her new identity in the WitSec Program, Anne Gardener has been found by the one person who hurt her the most: FBI agent Jake Westmoreland. And when she testified against her own flesh and blood, her whole existence was turned upside down. Jake couldn't expect any more from her - except that he did. He wanted the impossible…her help. Jake doesn't have much time to restore Anne's faith in him. She is the only one who can help him locate her mob-boss father and put him away for good. He knows that his betrayal has hurt her deeply.

Nevada, 1872. Out of the merciless 40-mile desert, a stranger appears in the town of Golgotha, home to the blessed and the damned. He carries with him an innocent victim of a horrible massacre and a dire warning for Sheriff Jon Highfather. The conflict between the Indian nations and Mormon settlers has been brewing for years, and now the spirits of the fallen Indian dead have begun to rise to join in the fight.

When a lovely lady steps off a dusty stagecoach in Hangtree, the hardest heart skips a beat - and Sam Heller falls hard for her. What Hangtree doesn't know, however, is that Julia Pepperday isn't who she pretends to be. She is the daughter of the late Black Ear Skinner, a notorious outlaw who wanted his only child to have all the advantages in life and sent her back east. Black Ear Skinner's apple hasn't fallen far from the tree though. Julia has turned her back on the fancy boarding school and set her sights on Hangtree, because that's where Sam Heller has built a hard-earned fortune.

For renegades and pioneers, there is no place like Texas - as long as you have a gun and the guts to use it. Now, the Civil War is over. Carpetbaggers and scalawags rule Austin. Soldiers return to pillaged homes. Longhorns roam the wilds and the state is in chaos. Especially in a town called Hangtree. Sam Heller and Johnny Cross are Hangtree’s newest citizens: Heller is a former Yankee soldier, a deadly shot, and a believer in right from wrong.

From the moment they left their homestead unguarded on that scorching Texas day, Martin Pauley and Amos Edwards became searchers. First they had to return to the decimated ranch, bury the bodies of their family, and confront the evil cunning of the Comanche who had slaughtered them. Then they set out in pursuit of missing Debbie Edwards. In the years that follow, Amos and Martin survive storms of nature and of men, seeking more than a missing girl, and more than revenge. Both are driven by secrets, guilt, love, and rage.

The Texas Panhandle of the late 1880s is the last great open range of American legend. Into that wild unknown country ride two young cowboys. Nate Reynolds is the scion of a well-to-do family who lit out for the Panhandle in search of adventure - and gold. Billy Champion is a devil-may-care ne'er-do-well with a stubborn streak and an eye for the ladies. Together they aim to rid this violent territory full of rustlers, horse thieves, and the rest of the devils who slaughter innocents with no remorse.

Charley Sunday, a sensible, sober-minded Texas grandfather, imparts the American Cowboy legacy to his only grandchild as he and several of his grizzled cronies concoct a 1,000-mile longhorn cattle drive across 21st Century America. Four leathery cowboys, one insightful Indian, two strong-willed women, a two-gun oddball, a dog, and a little boy make an unlikely team as they trek from Colorado to Texas, continually running up against the forces of corruption.

Western Missouri. Former army scout Jack Gregory returns from battle to a homestead in ruins. A wanted man with no place to go, he chooses an even deadlier career - as a scout for General George Armstrong Custer. Under a new name, Jack serves bravely in the Seventh Cavalry. But when Custer’s disastrous leadership ends in devastating slaughter, Jack sets off to forge his own destiny. Winning a small ranch in a card game, he hopes to settle down and live a peaceful life.

December 1863. Daniel Stark, New York lawyer and radical abolitionist, has come to Alder Gulch to get enough gold to redeem his family from disgrace after his father’s suicide revealed that he had gambled away his clients’ assets. But as travelers are robbed and murdered, Dan realizes that he will likely not survive. Then a friend is murdered, and Dan successfully prosecutes the suspected murderer in miners court.

Sheriff Dan Rhodes knows it's going to be a bad day when Bert Ramsey arrives at the jail with a neatly wrapped arm and lays it on Dan's desk. He has another out in the truck, he tells the sheriff, and "a couple of legs, too, but they don't match up". Then Bert Ramsey is shot to death, and serious crime takes over. A tattoo on the body discloses that Ramsey was once a member of Los Muertos, a violent motorcycle gang from the city, and current members of the gang turn up in Blacklin County.

For as long as the O'Briens have run their ranch, their rivals have been the McCabes. So when Ryder O'Brien returns home, only one thing can screw things up: getting involved with Faith McCabe. There's no temptation greater in Texas, and Ryder is about to pay the price. Just as their passion ignites, Faith up and leaves, only to return five months later, seeking Ryder's help finding her missing brother and pregnant with Ryder's baby. Ryder may have held grudges longer than he ought to, but he always does right by his kin, especially when the woman about to change his life is in danger.

Alice Green lives with ghosts. A rogue cop whose mistake led to the loss of a young girl's parents, Alice is haunted by the decisions that halted her sterling career. And now the same girl who lost her parents has been abducted. And Alice will stop at nothing to find her. Joshua O'Brien doesn't want to tell his brothers - fellow inheritors of his deceased parents' ranch - that he has bigger plans. Applying to work for the F.B.I. brings the possibility of an exciting and illustrious career.

When Tyler O'Brien finds a woman lying helpless after an ATV accident on his ranch, nothing adds up. Especially his real, sudden attraction to "Red". But aiding the amnesiac only compounds the rich Texas cowboy's doubts. How can he unlock the truth? Learning that Red is desperately searching for her twin sister who may have come to harm, Tyler - who doesn't "do feelings" - promises help and protection. Soon, he's also burning with desire. As the two race against time to find Red's sister, they're drawn deeper into a complicated mystery.

Mando Killion's world was shattered by Santa Anna's brutal invasion of Texas. Scion of a wealthy ranching dynasty, he saw his father die at the Alamo, his mother and brothers murdered, and his beautiful sister taken hostage by a debauched Mexican General. Mando came of age during the most violent days of Texas history, as a hearty band of patriots led by Sam Houston fought a bloody revolution for freedom from tyranny.

Face-to-face with the woman who jilted him, Colin O'Brien tells himself he's over her. What the charming rancher doesn't know is that the man Melissa Roark Rancic married has forced her - and her infant daughter - to live a charade of love. And now, about to testify to his criminal deeds, she's shaken by rekindled feelings for Colin and scared that he'll discover her child is his. Though angry, Colin vows to protect Melissa from her vengeful ex while safeguarding his own heart. But once he steps up, he can't step away. No danger can keep Colin from the woman he never stopped loving....

Sheriff Cray Dawson's quick-draw reputation keeps most criminals away from his Texas town of Somos Santos. But it doesn't keep the motley Walker Gang away for long. Although they temporarily divert their bankrobbing plans to a neighboring town, they soon stumble upon a way to weaken him. But will a strategic kidnapping and an unexpected ally undermine Dawson's resolve to do what he must?

Authors of over 200 books combined, William W. and J.A. Johnstone write action-packed tales of Western life. In Rampage of the Mountain Man, a job offer to deliver 3,000 head of cattle sounds like just the payday Smoke Jensen needs. But when an angry Cheyenne warrior attacks him and his comrades, Smoke discovers that he's not the only one looking to cash in.

In popular Texas author Anna Jeffrey's gripping tale, tragedy reunites a brooding sheriff with the woman he's never forgotten. Returning to his hometown of Salvation after 15 years, homicide detective Rusty Joplin is elected sheriff, despite the opposition of wealthy Randall Ryder. After examining the horse-dragged body of Ryder's daughter Carla, sister of Rusty's old flame Elena, Rusty finds evidence of foul play. But as this baffling investigation heats up, so does Rusty's smoldering attraction for Elena.

Businessman Conrad Browning is desperate enough to hire his estranged father, quick-draw Frank Morgan, to neutralize the trouble plaguing his New Mexico railroad line. As the unlikely pair rides to the remote railroad site, they outshoot vengeful bushwhackers and hostile Apaches. But just as Frank and his son begin to bond, a criminal mastermind designs an evil plan to kill them both. And when a gorgeous young lady stumbles into their camp one night, they soon find themselves under her disarming spell.