“Paine is a fine storyteller, and he recreates the world of the old West with a simple, straightforward style.” —Kirkus Reviews, praise for the author
Runtime
4h 35m
Release
10-01-18
Abridgement
Unabridged
Genre
Fiction/Westerns
Overview
The small town of Ballester owes its prosperity to the confluence of three big ranches—Snowshoe, Mexican Hat, and Rainbow. Its single lawman, Deputy Sheriff Percy Whittaker, known as Perc, didn’t have to deal with much lawbreaking other than the occasional drunk on a Saturday night. Until a drifter named Sam Logan rode into town looking for work.
The first problem came when a rider from the Snowshoe ranch provoked a gunfight with Logan, and lost. He was followed to the grave by another rider from the same ranch looking for revenge. Both killings were deemed self-defense, but it rattled the peaceful community.
But when a preacher comes to town to save souls and starts by knocking out three cowboys, Perc starts to wonder if he’s in over his head—or if Logan and the preacher might be working together.
Editorial Reviews
Author Biography
Lauran Paine (1916–2001), with more than a thousand books to his name, remains one of the most prolific Western authors of all time. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota, a descendant of the Revolutionary War patriot and author Thomas Paine. His family moved to California, where he spent years in the livestock trade and rodeos and learned about the Old West. After serving in World War II, he began writing for Western pulp magazines. He wrote more than nine hundred books in several genres under his own name and pseudonyms, many published in Britain.
Narrator Biography
Ramiz Monsef has spent several seasons as a member of Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s acting company, and he is the playwright of OSF’s 2013 production The Unfortunates. He has also appeared onstage in New York and in numerous regional productions.
