Homesteading was hard. Especially in Wyoming where cattle barons ruled and the government went along to the whims of those cattle barons. As a homesteader, you had to be on constant alert for at any time these cattlemen and their band of raiders could come over the hill and kill, maim, slaughter livestock, burn structures, and pillage without any legal consequences. History shows that there were individuals strong enough to fend off those monsters of the mountains.
Susanne Billet returned home to her and her husband's New Mexico ranch only to find him dead along with her two sons and the ranch hands. She attempted to enlist the cooperation of the local Sheriff in forming a posse but was turned down. When it became apparent nothing was going to be done to bring the culprits to justice, Susanne and her daughter Kate set out on a journey to avenge the death of the rest of their family. It didn't take Kate very long to recognize that her mother was very adept at the task at hand. Susanne, it seemed, had an uncanny knack for tracking down the marauders and outwitting them at every turn in the process of gaining retribution and cleaning out that area of New Mexico and parts of Mexico of the criminal vermin.
Otis Ornsby was an unusual man, although he would be the last man to tell you that. He was so special that a syndicate of ruthless outlaws had a vendetta against him. They would stop at nothing to see to his demise. They had everything at their disposal, money, power, railroads, and a cadre of ruthless men, not to mention an extreme hatred that spread unanimously among their ranks. Otis had nothing, other than himself. He preferred it that way, for he was a loner. A loner who loved life and didn't appreciate interference in his peaceful ways. However, he realized that sometime you had to give up those peaceful times and substitute a smack on the nose, a kick in the pants, or a downright killing, in order to maintain your peaceful state. Ern Kennedy didn't quite see it that way. He figured Otis was a menace to the criminal element in Western Texas, and that since he was a major part of that criminal element, it was only fitting that Otis should feel the sting of criminal justice, by the hand of the Kennedy's. Ern figured criminal justice was Kennedy justice handed out by the criminal Kennedy element. Ern had a run in with Otis, and to Ern's humiliation Otis had single handedly killed eighteen of his men, then sent him packing, after slitting his tongue. To Ern, this was as evil as you could get and retribution was in order. This man didn't fight fair and that needed to end.
Penelope is a sophisticated socialite from Philadelphia who inherited her uncle's mine in Montana. Montana's government was almost none existent and what did exist at the time was pretty much infested with men who fashioned laws to deprive the unwary of their possessions. This historically accurate novel depicts the trials and tribulations of the time period when the smell of gold nurtured the greed of worthless individuals who gambled on the isolation and inaccessibility of the area to wield their particular brand of tyranny upon individuals whose only wish was to prosper in peace. Penelope Highbridge had all the answers, or so she thought. Her uncle passed away unexpectedly and she inherited his mine. All she had to do was to go out to this place they call Montana and take possession of it. That was a simple enough task. It should be rather simple for one who is on the Board of Directors of one of the world's largest shipbuilding companies. Little did Penelope know she is about to immerse herself into a world where everything is completely different than the life she was used to. Where rules change almost hourly and you either adapt or you die. She is going into a land which is inhabited by hostile Indians, hostile white men, hostile and corrupt government officials, hostile weather and wild animals. This strange land is a land where only true justice can be attained through the barrel of a gun. The question is can she adapt quick enough? Some people have returned from this strange land rich. Some people returned penniless and with their spirit broken. And then some people never returned at all. Which one was she going to be? This 77,280 word saga chronicles the adventures of Miss Penelope Highbridge in the year of 1869. About a month after the Golden Spike was driven. It starts out aboard a steamboat on the Missouri River above Decatur, Nebraska and winds up in Virginia City, Montana Territory. It also chronicles the transformation of a spoiled highly sophisticated elite woman from Philadelphia to one who could hold her own on any frontier and yet keep her femininity.
Penelope Highbridge was a privileged Philadelphia socialite. She had the best of everything the Eastern United States could offer. She was on the board of her family owned ship building company, her family was prominent on the social, business, and legal scene, she had a degree in law and she was not in want financially. She had everything and knew everything when she departed from Philadelphia that day in 1869 to go out west and take over an inherited gold mine her Uncle had bequeathed to her. This is the story of when she returned to Philadelphia. She was a changed woman with western values, but the big question was, would she fit in to the society she once left? What about her new husband? He fit in perfectly to the rugged western life. But Philadelphia is definitely not the same as Montana and that was definitely going to be a problem.
The year was 1877. There was a lot of activity in the little river town of Springfield in the Dakota Territory. Things were rapidly changing in the area and it seemed that Springfield was the hub. Not all was not without trouble in this river town since across the river lurked a gang of notorious cutthroat outlaws known as the Devil's Nest Gang. These outlaws not only robbed banks and were responsible for the deaths of many innocent people but they provided safe haven to many of the criminal element on the owl hoot trail (for a fee of course). U. S. Marshals couldn't penetrate their defenses. Posses in pursuit of this gang never returned. Despite this, there was a fragile peaceful co-existence between these two communities until one day a son of the leader of the outlaws brazenly attempted robbery and murder of a stranger in broad daylight right on Main Street in Springfield. As the whole community stood by, the son of the local blacksmith, Tovar Cooke, intervened and saved the stranger's life thus incurring the wrath of the outlaws. This wrath caused many to feel that Tovar Cooke picked on the wrong crowd. It wasn't long before the outlaw gang started their vengeance against Tovar. First it was the gang leader's son. Then the gang leader sent six men. He sent a professional gunslinger. After he positioned snipers across the river and one bystander was wounded Tovar finally had had it. He was going to go on the offensive
The year was 1877. Nearly the last thing on Tovar Cooke's mind was to go to college. But behind his back his father and a friend conspired to have him attend Massachusetts Arts and Engineering in Boston. He was not happy but reluctantly agreed to leave his home in Dakota Territory and attend the university. Mind you, this was only going to be for a month just to satisfy everyone concerned just to show them he wouldn't fit in civilization then it would be back home. The very last thing on Tovar's mind was romance. Sure he had an eye for good looking women and he really liked to be around them but they really didn't fit into his plans. His interests were to the West not East. Little did he figure on meeting Allison Adison. She was a petite blue-eyed blond tomboy from Chicago. She wasn't going to MAE to get a MRS degree. She was pursuing her Engineering education to advance her knowledge in Structural Engineering in order to assist her father in building 'skysweepers'. In fact Allison thought all boys and men were boorish. For the most part she could beat every last one of them at their own game. Furthermore, usually they were only out for one thing and that didn't fit into her plans. When the two worlds collided the action was fast and furious. Tovar was realistic. What on earth could this gorgeous creature, who could summon any red blooded man with the mere twitch of her finger, ever want with a clodhopper from nowhere? He was certain their relationship would fall flat after she tired of him. To Allison there was an unexplainable attraction to Tovar. She never had feelings like this before and she didn't know how to control them. This adventure set within the backdrop of Boston's highly diverse social atmosphere includes everything from back-alley brawls and the docks to balls and foxhunting.
The year was 1877. Out in the wild uncivilized west Chief 'I will fight no more forever' Joseph was outrunning the U.S. Cavalry. At the same time in the 'civilized' world a storm of sedition and murder was well underway. Everyone caught in its path was injudiciously disposed of. It was a matter of join them or die. This seditious group, a secret society, is headquartered and firmly entrenched in Boston where Senator Malcolm Magnusson resides. Senator Magnusson is an honorable man and does not succumb to the wiles of this secret society. This makes him and his family targets for this unholy organization. As the story unfolds an attempt is made on the lives of the Senator's wife and daughter. Tovar Cooke, a blacksmith from Dakota Territory inadvertently thwarts that attempt and exposes the Senator's Head of Security as part of the conspiracy. Now Senator Magnusson is in a quandary. Where can he find a man to protect him that has not been influenced by this secret society? He focuses on Tovar. Tovar is not interested. Tovar's original desire was to put up with going to Massachusetts Arts and Engineering University for a month then go back home and return to his blacksmithing duties. His plans were altered when he met a fellow student. She was only interested in getting an education to advance her architectural skills. He was only interested in getting back home. But the attraction between the two overcame their initial desires and soon they became secretly married. Tovar realized his position. He was a bug about to be crushed by a monstrous machine. Common sense would tell you to go back home where you could at least tell who your enemies were. But common sense went out the window when Tovar's wife, Allison, saw the pleading eyes of the Senator. So the simple blacksmith from Springfield, Dakota Territory was thrust into an adventure that would take on a highly organized political machine that had no mercy for those who stood in their path.
Malcolm Magnusson is a Senator from Boston whose son, Marcus, has been kidnapped and is being held captive in Mexico. His first thought is to get hold of Tovar Cooke who has protected him in the past. Tovar is a young student from a local college, Massachusetts Arts and Engineering, who is a tough transplanted blacksmith from the rugged Dakota Territory and has provided effective protection for the Magnusson family in the past. Tovar readily agrees to undertake this mission as it would be a relatively easy accomplishment. However, immediately obstacles crop up. Everyone wants to go along. These greenhorns obviously don't understand the many and varied dangers associated with the area they would have to enter. The environment will be hostile to these city people. The Mexican culture is so far different that it wouldn't take long for a novice to get into trouble. The 'authorities' would not be any help and in fact could be downright contentious. A group this size could not go covert. But it is not long before they have Tovar concede, however, only if he can get some folks from back home to accompany them. Together they ride off into certain disaster.
Tovar Cooke was a blacksmith. However, as fate would have it, he went to a university in Boston. There he met the girl of his dreams. Together they fought against a secret organization, known as the Fleur-Dis-Lis. The Fleur-De-Lis was an underground society whose purpose was the overthrow of governments of the world and install their own leaders. On the American continent there were two who stood steadfast in opposition to this maniacal scheme, Tovar Cooke and his wife Allison. The Fleur-De-Lis set out a plan that would stop this interference once and for all. After which, they would systematically coerce or kill off the resisting leaders of the country. It was a grand scheme that had a name, Thanatos Thanatos spelled death for many and the end of the United States Constitution. The first step was to kill off Allison, then entrap Tovar. When the first step was completed, Fleur-De-Lis found out that step two was impossible but that it triggered a one man trek of vengeance that spelled doom for the Fleur-De-Lis. Tovar was not out for the preservation of any government, some body had killed his wife and that body or group was not fit to exist. How do you exterminate a covert group? You cut off its head
Morgan Magnusson was on a mission. A very dear friend of hers was killed. This friend's husband, Tovar, was once the object of her desires. Should she pursue him? Was it too soon to pursue him? Would he be disgusted with her advances? What will everyone think? She thought it would be best to at least to tell him her feelings. The trouble with that was that he had gone west. To Deadwood and maybe beyond that. Many people warned her that Deadwood is no place for a single respectable woman. For an unassisted woman just to get there was an impossible task. If she got there, would Tovar be there? Could she survive in a world of high crime and forced prostitution? Morgan could wait back in civilization, but that would mean some other woman could slink in and leave her out in the cold again. What was a woman to do? She decided to follow him to the ends of the earth, if necessary.
Tovar Cooke just returned to civilization with his new wife, Morgan. Waiting for him was a request from his new father-in-law, Senator Malcolm Magnusson, to accompany him to France to see some new technology. Tovar knew the technology didn't exist. It was a trap. But what do you do? The one interesting point was that France was where the organization that was determined to subdue Tovar was headquartered. Was this going to be beneficial or a disaster? Tovar was a man of the plains, not a man who knew the strategies of France. He couldn't even speak French well enough to sufficiently communicate. But Tovar knew that he spoke the universal language of bullets very well. Was this enough to survive?
Ziv Janovich was an adventurer, Linguist, Archaeologist, and just plain nosey He came upon an object that had some enigmatic powers. During his wanderings, he stumbled upon a 'nonexistent' temple in the southern part of Mexico where he witnessed a 'Priest' sacrificed over some object called the Mudera As the old saying goes 'Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread' Ziv proved to be that fool. He rushed in and stumbled upon more than he bargained for.
