Showing results by narrator "Tom Fria" in All Categories

"You want that Indian woman? You're going to have to get through me first to do it!” the young man said. “We had a deal! Tell him, Indian!” The old man turned to the old Indian, Heron's father expecting sense and reason. He did not get either. “I think it would be better if you both settled this first. Whoever would win, would get my daughter.” The old mountain man couldn't believe the words that came out of the old Indian's mouth. “We both settle this first? What are you talking about old man? We had a deal!"

He felt most alive when he watched them die - writing, breathless, gasping for oxygen that wasn't there. But, he could only draw out the pleasure for so long before his victims expired. And, then it was time to choose another. Death by asphyxiation. That's what Chicago medical examiner Dr. Dean Grant was forced to conclude by the gruesome evidence before him. Recognizing the work of a serial killer, Grant knew he'd have to move fast.

Chester Bryers knows a secret. He has kept it for decades but now, as he nears his final days, he is finally telling his tale. A tale of what really happened to the lost Franklin Expedition. A tale of cold vengeance, long planned and of the adventurer George Greener, who discovered a terrible truth. It is a truth that must not be known and by breaking his long silence, Bryers’ life may be coming to a swifter and more violent end than he imagined; because some secrets must be kept, and The Thin man is watching.

Hani is set to investigate thefts from the king’s household that turn out to be related to a more sinister attempt on the king’s life. Meanwhile, witnesses to the crown prince’s dodgy birth begin to die, and Hani fears for his daughter and her friend, who were also present.

If you thought the suburbs were boring, think again. Kelly Fordon’s I Have the Answer artfully mixes the fabulist with the workaday, illuminating relationships and characters with crisp, elegant prose, and dark wit. The stories in Fordon’s latest collection are disquieting, humorous, and thought-provoking. They might catch you off guard, but are always infused with deep humanity and tenderness.

The bounty hunter chuckled. It was then that a young woman approached him. She looked a little beaten and exhausted, but there seemed to be a certain fire and determination in her eye. She was actually a looker if not for the curious eyepatch that she sported. It covered one of her eyes and the bounty hunter could tell that her face was very slightly contorted because of the injury to her eye. “That how you settle all your disputes at the Poker table?” she asked him. The bounty hunter couldn't place it, but she seemed to be carrying some kind of heavy burden in her heart.

Jim Bridger was one of the most famous mountain men that ever lived. Even during the Green River rendezvous camp of 1835, his reputation had already preceded him. Bridger was known far and wide as one of the best, if not the best and most reliable mountain men around. His competence, hardiness, and experience in his trade had been long established. The "King of the Mountain Men", as he would later be known, arrived at the Green River rendezvous camp to socialize, trade, and indulge in the usual activities of camp. However, he also came there for another reason.

As a bounty hunter, Judson Law was constantly finding himself in stressful situations. After a long ride, he came into a small town in search of a hot bath, a meal, and a good rest. What he got was far more than he bargained for. Judson Law would find himself in a fight for his freedom and his life, from a very unusual source. 

The year was 1865, and the Civil War had just grown to a close. The surrender was on May 9, 1865. General Lee had surrendered to General Grant, and I had been there to witness it, although I was just one of several hundred onlookers in Appomattox, Virginia, and I was glad the war was finally over. My name is James Timmons. I fought for the Union. I’m from the great state of Kansas, where my family owns a farm in the southeastern part of the state. It had become a state while I was away fighting in the war.

The grizzly stared back at young Colter and gave a loud roar. Its roar echoed throughout the vast wilderness and the sound of the animal’s fury made Colter’s blood run cold. The young mountaineer had interrupted it from its grisly task of killing Fulton, but he wasn’t sure if he had made it in time. Fulton was clearly in a bad way with blood pouring from his scalp, all over his face. And the young and inexperienced mountaineer had only his tomahawk to face down the nasty grizzly in front of him.

It was a fateful night for more than a few people once the White Event struck. It was the night that Bass Reeves, Jr. lost his old job and gained a new one. It was the night that changed the lives of many of the residents of the fast-growing town of Cassidy. The town was already in the midst of change, as it was slowly migrating from a cattle drive town to a mining one. The White Event simply brought even more change to Cassidy, much of which was unexpected and not for the better.

Jessie Reeves, grandson of the legendary Deputy US Marshal, doesn't feel comfortable following in the shadow of his grandfather, but when the Wildman preys on his friends, Jesse steps up and takes care of business the way his grandfather would have. Travel along with young Reeves as he encounters adventure after adventure.

The small and enclosed space had a host of names assigned to it. They called it the area for the "dances". Other residents of Cassidy referred to it in more direct terms as the place where the school fights happened. Its most accurate nickname was "the arena" and for good reason. All such terms were aptly given, as the small area was the place where local boxing matches were held. Crusher Heel had done his fair share of work in the newly discovered mine. He had worked with everything from a pickaxe to a sledgehammer, and he had the physique to show for it.

The Liver Eater hid in the bushes even as he eyed his prey. He had hunted many things in his 40-something years, but he had never hunted anything as vicious as the men he was stalking now. The Liver Eater was stalking members of the Crow tribe, and they were the most vicious and dangerous of all his prey. He had stayed hidden for what was easily hours on end, but he did not complain, nor did he feel sore. No, his body and senses had been used to such hardship, living alone off the land and making do with what he had. Hiding behind bushes and waiting to strike was nothing.

This book tells of a young woman who was found to have killed as a child. She was detained in various mental institutes, and then on to prison. It shows how she learned to control herself and whether or not prison reformed her.

The events that would lead to the showdown of mountain men versus the Arikara tribe actually began in May of 1823 in South Dakota. It was here in the vast expanse of prairie land that extended as far as the eye could see in all directions that a motley crew contingent of men and animals traversed. The contingent was definitely a strange and colorful lot. They were composed of pack mules and horses that wearily carried the men and their supplies on their backs. The men themselves looked in every direction and kept their eyes and ears alert for even the slightest hint of a threat.

He wandered through the badlands with little or no purpose. Most men did not know who he was, or why he did what he did. He was many things to many men.

FBI Medical Examiner Dr. Jessica Coran's talents have been requested in Philadelphia in the wake of a series of bizarre murders attributed to a maniac called The Poet. His calling card is a scroll of human parchment engraved with toxic verse.

In Irish Mythology, Otherworld is a happy land and Underworld is a foul land. These worlds exist alongside Earth. Wizard Drowe is sentenced to be a swan, but he escapes. He has tricked Ciarán, his apprentice, into becoming the swan. Granny and Aoife pursue the swan because Granny believes it will lead her to her lost village. Hunted by Wizard Drowe and the vampire Dearg-due, Ciarán and Aoife move from initial dislike to romance. These, in turn, are pursued by Venus and the Drimnagh Witches, servants of the Faerie Queen.

The old mountain man woke up with a splitting headache, and his limbs felt a lot stiffer than usual. His joints and legs were sore, but not because of lack of use. No, the old mountain man was not one to be sedentary or inactive. Considering that he lived alone in the middle of a secluded patch of forest, a slow and inactive life was a luxury he could not afford.