Staff Picks
#BroaderBookshelf 2020: Read a Book Set in Texas (Westerns Edition)
- Chantal W.
- Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Collection
Fulfill the 2020 #BroaderBookshelf prompt to read a book set in Texas by reading a western, both classic an more modern westerns.
A Sinister Splendor
Published in 2019
Pairing extensive research with a brilliance for reviving the past in gripping narrative, Spur Award-winning author Mike Blakely has penned an epic novelization of the Mexican-American War in A Sinister Splendor. It's 1845. Texas joins the union and Mexico threatens war over the disputed Texas border. Meanwhile, expansionists dream of an America that sprawls all the way to the Pacific Coast. Can a conflict with an already war-torn Mexico satisfy this lust for territory? The Mexican-American War becomes the heroic proving ground for future Civil War generals and presidents of the United States, Mexico, and the Confederacy. But the glories of victory are tempered by the horrors of war--lives lost, bodies battered, souls shattered, dreams crushed, whole cities razed, and innocence forever dashed.
Two for Texas
Published in 2012
Son Holland and Hugh Allison escape from a Louisiana prison and join in the Texas revolution of 1835-36.
The Which Way Tree
Published in 2018
Early one morning in the remote hill country of Texas, a panther savagely attacks a family of homesteaders, mauling a young girl named Samantha and killing her mother, whose final act is to save her daughter's life. Samantha and her half brother, Benjamin, survive, but she is left traumatized, her face horribly scarred. The Which Way Tree is the story of Samantha's unshakeable resolve to stalk and kill the infamous panther, rumored across the Rio Grande to be a demon, and avenge her mother's death. In their quest she and Benjamin, now orphaned, enlist a charismatic Tejano outlaw and a haunted, compassionate preacher with an aging but relentless tracking dog. As the members of this unlikely posse hunt the panther, they are in turn pursued by a hapless but sadistic Confederate soldier.
Dead Man's Boot
Published in 2016
Clay Andrews is like a dead man, adrift in an uncaring dark. But he's also searching, and in 1869 he has ridden to the Pecos River to find answers. Back in Central Texas, Clay's sister has died, and only on this river might he learn why. The person perhaps responsible may have fled here, but no one enters this no-man's-land except at his own peril. Comanches are on the prowl, and across the Pecos, Mescalero Apaches range all the way to the mysterious Guadalupe Mountains. In a dead man's boot, Clay finds a map to rumored gold in the Guadalupes. When Comanches approach, he flees upriver and finds Lil Casner at a lone schooner. Long abused in an arranged marriage, she must fend for herself while her obsessed husband combs the Pecos for the very map Clay has discovered. Upstream at the Bar W Ranch, two other haunted figures await. One is an experienced cowboy who has come to the Pecos for reasons that strangely parallel Clay's. The other is a shiftless cowhand in whose mind lurks something evil and deadly. Comanche attacks ... a kidnapping ... a chase through Apache country to Skeleton Cave and on to the Guadalupes. For Clay, the answers will never come unless he rides into a mountain range where Indian spirits may guard a golden hoard.
The Riders of the Purple Sage
Published in 2014
A woman stands accused and a man is sentenced to whipping. Into this travesty of small-town justice rides the one man whom the town elders fear. His name is Lassiter, and he is a notorious gunman who's come to avenge his sister's death. It doesn't take Lassiter long to see that this once peaceful Mormon community is controlled by the corrupt Deacon Tull, a powerful elder who's trying to take the woman's land by forcing her to marry him, branding her foreman as a dangerous 'outsider'.
Defender of the Texas Frontier
A Historical Novel
Published in 2019
"Nineteen-year-old John Coffey Hays missed fighting in the battle for Texas's independence. Full of vim and vigor, Hays joins up with a ranging patrol to defend the Texas border. So begins his storied career, which spans close to two decades. Along the way, Hays leads a ragtag group of men and forges an elite squad known as Rangers. Hays and his Rangers defend the US while skirmishing with both Mexicans and local native tribes. As his exploits become legend, Hays continues to affect change in Texas that ripples outward."-- Publisher's description.
Flintlock
Published in 2013
"Busted out of prison by an outlaw friend, Flintlock joins a hunt for a fortune - a golden bell hanging in a remote monastery. But between the smouldering ruin of his former jail cell and a treasure in the Arizona mountains there will be blood at a U.S. Army fort, a horrifying brush with Apache warriors, and a dozen bloody showdowns with the schemers, shootists, madmen, and lost women who find their way to Flintlock's side. From a vicious, superstitious half-breed to the great Geronimo himself, Flintlock meets the frontier's most murderous hard cases - many who he must find a way to kill..."--P. [4] of cover.
Hate Thy Neighbor
Published in 2017
"After a two-year drought, the Kerrigan ranch is dry as a bone and as dusty as a honky-tonk bible. On the brink of ruin, Kate Kerrigan hires the rainmaker Professor Somerset Lazarus, who promises salvation--in the form of a deluge. Kate is desperate enough to try anything. But when four angry gunmen show up, ready to lynch the phony rainmaker for swindling them out of their money, the Kerrigans have to choose sides fast--before the bullets start to fly. It doesn't take a divining rod to figure out that these unsatisfied customers want more than a refund. They have their sites set on the Kerrigan ranch. And it's just a matter of time until it's raining water or raining bullets. Either way, there will be blood"-- Provided by publisher.
Texas Standoff
A Novel of the Texas Rangers
Published in 2010
Newly married Texas Ranger Andy Pickard and his new partner, Logan Daggett, investigate a series of murders and cattle thefts in central Texas, a task complicated by a gang of masked vigilantes and the appearance of a notorious gunman.
Badger Boy ; The Way of the Coyote
Published in 2015
The way of the coyote: Former Comanche captive Rusty Shannon tries to resume a normal life after the end of the Civil War, but instead finds himself confronted by racial tension, murderous outlaws, brutal Comanche bands, and his nemesis--the deadly Oldham brothers.
Robert B. Parker's Ironhorse
Published in 2013
"Newly appointed as Territorial Marshals, Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are traveling by train on a mission to escort Mexican prisoners to the border. But when the Governor of Texas climbs aboard with his wife, daughters, and $500,000 in tow, the journey becomes a lot more complicated. An old enemy--still carrying plenty of scars from the last time he saw Virgil--has hitched a ride. He's not alone. And he's got vengeance on his mind."--Amazon.com.
The Daybreakers
Published in 2000
Forced to kill a man in Tennessee, Tyrel Sackett and his brother Orrin hit the trail heading west. Arriving in Montana, Orrin takes on a job as a marshal in a frontier town, with Tye, the fastest gun alive, backing him up every step of the way. Determined to bring peace and security to the area riddled by rustlers, killers, and Indians, the two work to make the West a place where decent men and women could live in peace.
The Daybreakers
Published in 2003
Forced to kill a man in Tennessee, Tyrel Sackett and his brother Orrin hit the trail heading west. Arriving in Montana, Orrin takes on a job as a marshal in a frontier town, with Tye, the fastest gun alive, backing him up every step of the way. Determined to bring peace and security to the area riddled by rustlers, killers, and Indians, the two work to make the West a place where decent men and women could live in peace.
Killoe
Published in 2004
Dan Killoe?over six feet of tough, raw, lightning fast man. He had a trail heard and a mass of settlers to get across unknown territory to a new land. Then he gave shelter to a stranger being hunted by Felipe Soto, scar-faced leader of the renegade Comancheros. This time Killoe was borrowing more trouble than he wanted to handle.
Lando
Published in 2003
In Lando, Louis L'Amour has created an unforgettable portrait of a unique American hero. For six long years Orlando Sackett survived the horrors of a brutal Mexican prison. He survived by using his skills as a boxer and by making three vows. The first was to exact revenge on the hired killers who framed him. The second was to return to his father. And the third was to find Gin Locklear. But the world has changed a lot since Lando left it. His father is missing. The woman he loves is married. And the killers want him dead. Hardened physically and emotionally, Lando must begin an epic journey to resolve his past, even if it costs him his life. From the Paperback edition.
Matagorda
Published in 2004
Tap Duvarney lost his innocence in the War Between the States and then put his skills to the test as a soldier in the frontier army. Now he has settled on the Texas coast, working a ranch as the partner of his old friend Tom Kittery?and finding himself in the middle of a feud between Kittery and the neighboring Munson family. Around Matagorda Island, most people are either backing the Munsons or remaining silent. But the danger from outside Kittery's camp is nothing compared to the threat within, as Duvarney begins to suspect that Kittery's woman isn't everything she appears to be. Now Tap is discovering that he must go to war again. But will it be with the Munsons?or with his closest friend?
Reilly's Luck
Published in 2004
Val Darrant was just four years old the snowy night his mother abandoned him. But instead of meeting a lonely death, he met Will Reilly--a gentleman, a gambler, and a worldly, self-taught scholar. For ten years they each were all the family the other had, traveling from dusty American boomtowns to the cities of Europe--until the day Reilly's luck ran out in a roar of gunfire. But it wasn't a gambling brawl or a pack of thieves that sealed Will's fate. It was a far more complex story that Val would soon uncover, one that touched upon Val's nearly forgotten childhood, the woman who was Will Reilly's lost love, and the violent future of a growing country. From the Paperback edition.
Paradise Sky
Published in 2015
A rollicking novel about Nat Love, an African-American cowboy with a famous nickname: Deadwood Dick. Young Willie is on the run, having fled his small Texas farm when an infamous local landowner murdered his father. A man named Loving takes him in and trains him in the fine arts of shooting, riding, reading, and gardening. When Loving dies, Willie re-christens himself Nat Love in tribute to his mentor, and heads west. In Deadwood, South Dakota Territory, Nat becomes a Buffalo Soldier and is befriended by Wild Bill Hickok. After winning a famous shooting match, Nat's peerless marksmanship and charm earn him the nickname Deadwood Dick, as well as a beautiful woman. But the hellhounds are still on his trail, and they brutally attack Nat Love's love. Pursuing the men who have driven his wife mad, Nat heads south for a final, deadly showdown against those who would strip him of his home, his love, his freedom, and his life.
Paradise Sky
Published in 2015
Young Willie is on the run, having fled his small Texas farm when an infamous local landowner murdered his father. A man named Loving takes him in and trains him in the fine arts of shooting, riding, reading, and gardening. When Loving dies, Willie re-christens himself Nat Love in tribute to his mentor, and heads west. In Deadwood, South Dakota territory, Nat becomes a Buffalo Soldier and is befriended by Wild Bill Hickok. After winning a famous shooting match, Nat's peerless marksmanship and charm earn him the nickname Deadwood Dick, as well as a beautiful woman. But the hellhounds are still on his trail, and they brutally attack Nat Love's love. Pursuing the men who have driven his wife mad, Nat heads south for a final, deadly showdown against those who would strip him of his home, his love, his freedom, and his life.
Heresy
Published in 2018
"Margaret Parker and Hattie LaCour never intended to turn outlaw. After being run off their ranch by a greedy cattleman, their family is left destitute. As women alone they have few choices: marriage, lying on their backs for money, or holding a gun. For Margaret and Hattie the choice is easy. With their small makeshift family, the gang pulls off a series of heists across the West. Though the newspapers refuse to give the female gang credit, their exploits don't go unnoticed. Pinkertons are on their trail, a rival male gang is determined to destroy them, and secrets among the group threaten to tear them apart. Now, Margaret and Hattie must find a way to protect their family, finish one last job, and avoid the hangman's noose."-- Provided by publisher.
All the Pretty Horses
Published in 1992
John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old dispossessed Texan, crosses the Rio Grande into Mexico in 1949, accompanied by his pal Lacey Rawlins. The two precocious horsemen pick up a sidekick -- a laughable but deadly marksman named Jimmy Blevins -- encounter various adventures on their way south and finally arrive at a paradisaical hacienda where Cole falls into an ill-fated romance.
Comanche Moon
Published in 1998
Two Texas Rangers fight Indians and bandits while trying to sort affairs with their women. One is Gus McCrae, a hard-drinking womanizer jilted by his love, the other is sober Woodrow Call, father of a boy by a prostitute.
Dead Man's Walk
Published in 2000
Follows the adventures of Texas Rangers Gus and Call as they join an expedition to seize the Mexican territory of Santa Fe and journey home across the Jornada Del Muerto.
Lonesome Dove
Published in 2000
Chronicles a cattle drive in the nineteenth century from Texas to Montana, and follows the lives of Gus and Call, the cowboys heading the drive, Gus's woman, Lorena, and Blue Duck, a sinister Indian renegade.
Streets of Laredo
A Novel
Published in 1993
Pits legendary Texas Ranger Woodrow Call against his deadliest adversary ever.
The Son
Published in 2013
Kidnapped by the Comanche after his mother and sister are murdered, thirteen-year-old Eli McCullough quickly adapts to Comanche life until the tribe is decimated by armed Americans, leaving Eli alone in a world where he is neither white nor Indian.
The Bloody Frontier. Saga of a Texas Ranger
Published in 2012
Set in early Texas between the end of the Mexican War and the dawn of the American Civil War, The Bloody Frontier is the third in a series of four historic westerns written by Jeffery Robenalt. The Saga of a Texas Ranger continues as Caleb McAdams recruits his own company of Rangers to deal with Comanche depredations on the western frontier and the ravages of Mexican bandits along the Rio Grande. In the midst of this deadly struggle, Caleb must deal with an unknown assassin in his own ranks who has been sent to Texas by the Pate brothers, while his love for two women builds to a gut-wrenching climax. "In keeping with the traditions of Western greats Louis L' Amour and Elmer Kelton, Jeff Robenalt once again weaves the history of old Texas into a magical tapestry of adventure and romance in The Bloody Frontier, Volume III of his epic Saga of a Texas Ranger series. From cover to cover, The Bloody Frontier is an exciting, breathtaking read that any lover of historical western fiction will find irresistible!" - Flip Flippen, New York Times bestselling author of The Flip Side
The Last Shootist
Published in 2014
Young Gillom Rogers has just given the coup de grace to a famous gunfighter involved in a bloody saloon shootout in 1901 El Paso, Texas. After swiping J.B. Books's matched Remington pistols off his body, Gillom thinks he may be able to ride this spectacle to fame and glory as the last shootist. But Gillom is an eighteen-year-old with lots of growing up to do, and showing off his new pistols quickly gets him into a gunfight he didn't bargain for.
Echoes of Massacre Canyon
Published in 2016
The year is 1881. Clint Ramsay is a renowned troubleshooter for the Underwood Detective Agency. He has been summoned to San Reale, Texas, by an old friend who needs his help. Ramsay soon discovers that danger is lurking behind every bush and rock in the small cattle town. He finds himself drawn into a complex web of treachery, greed, and murder. Who can he trust? And what is the secret everyone but him seems to know?
Half Broke Horses
A True-life Novel
Published in 2009
A true-life novel about Lily Casey Smith (the author's grandmother) who at age six helped her father break horses, at age fifteen left home to teach in a frontier town, and later as a wife and mother runs a vast ranch in Arizona where she survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy--but despite a life of hardscrabble drudgery still remains a woman of indomitable spirit.
Hard Ride Across Texas
Published in 2018
"Nineteen-year-old Gage Pardell didn't intend to kill Henry Kalb when he rode into Shelburn, Texas, to confront the son of the county's richest man. He just wanted justice for what Kalb had done to his sister. But now Henry is dead, and Gage is on the run from a gang of vicious bounty hunters hired by Henry's father. With nowhere else to go, Gage heads west toward the far-flung buffalo ranges of West Texas. There, he learns what it means to stand up for himself against a lawless frontier, a kill-crazy buffalo hunter, and the men Kalb keeps sending after him. Realizing he can no longer live this way, Gage finally returns home, completing the journey he began the night he killed Henry Kalb."--from Amazon.com.