L. J. Washburn

A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR NOVEL WITH MYSTERY AND FAST-PACED ACTION.The glory days of Hollywood westerns-the 1920'sLucas Hallam is an actor, an ex-gunslinger, a former Texas Ranger, and tough private detective. So, when he's hired by a film studio to take a spoiled New York actor to a ranch in Texas and turn him into a credible cowboy star, Hallam grins at the "challenge". How hard could it be?But as soon as they arrive at the ranch in Texas, Hallam's simple task becomes complicated. To do the job he was hired for-keep a young actor out of trouble while other cowboy actors teach him how to look like a real cowboy for the movies-Hallam has to come to the realization that it's not going to be an easy job. Especially since the young actor has a fondness for old whiskey, and a ranch hand mysteriously turns up dead."Livia Washburn's Hallam mysteries are among the best thrillers of the '90's." -Mystery News

A HIGH-FLYING MYSTERY SET IN OLD HOLLYWOOD-A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR NOVEL WITH INTRIGUE.Given Lucas Hallam's background, it's not surprising that he's easily able to find work as an extra on the sets of various Hollywood westerns. This retired Texas Ranger gets a lot of work as stuntman and other work-work that isn't as much fun-as a private detective. It is in this role that Lucas finds himself hired to work on the set of Death to The Kaiser This is the first time Hallam has had the opportunity to be around an aviation picture. He's worked on a couple of war films, but-like most of his breed-Hallam regards a job he can do from horseback as a job worth doing.His first day on set, one of the biplanes battling in the sky has engine failure and starts falling, and Hallam is tasked with stopping the sabotage on set. But since Count Wolfram von Ottenhausen-one of Germany's leading aces during WWI-was hired for the movie, the KKK has been ruffling feathers ..."Set in the 1920s, this intriguing mystery marks the return of likable Lucas Hallam ... True-to-life characters with a dash of 1920s seasoning contribute to a satisfying read." -Publishers Weekly

A FAST-PACED MYSTERY SET IN OLD HOLLYWOOD-WITH TWISTS AND TURNS THAT NEVER END.It's the 1920's, and Lucas Hallam is something of a legend: a Texas Ranger turned Pinkerton agent turned Hollywood P.I. So, when the occasion arises, Hallam saddles up and rides off with Tom Mix, William S. Hart, and several other famous movie cowboys from the silent era.Hallam doesn't think of his past often, and it's the furthest thing from his mind when he goes into Chuckwalla, California-hoping to turn the ghost town into a movie set . . . even when the two men start shooting at him.But that's the least of Hallam's problems. His latest hired job is to protect Elton Forbes-founder of the Holiness Temple of Faith and accused of blackmail and murder.Hallam is the only one who believes Forbes. The only question in his mind is whether he'll survive long enough to find the real killer.Will good or evil win in the end?

HOLLYWOOD IN THE 1920s, WHERE THE GLITZ AND GLAMOR OF THE SILENT MOVIE ERA CONCEALS DARK AND DANGEROUS SECRETS, AND ONE OLD COWBOY USES FRONTIER CUNNING AND GUN-SKILL TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH AND DELIVER JUSTICE IN THIS COLLECTION OF HARD-BOILED MYSTERY STORIES.From Lucas Hallam's first appearance in Hallam-where a cowboy who has outlived the days of the Old West becomes a gun-toting private eye and stuntman in the early days of motion pictures in California-to Hollywood Flesh-where Hallam's most recent case is starting to give him nightmares-Hallam is told as a larger-than-life character.He tangles with killers, solves mysteries, battles against grievous transgressions, and enjoys memorable moments with his friends while working as a riding extra in a colorful portrait of Hollywood during one of its golden ages.In each short story, readers will begin questioning ... Will Hallam win over evil by the end ... or has he finally reached the end of the trail?Hallam Collection: A Lucas Hallam Short Fiction Collection includes Hallam, The Blue Burro, Pictures in the Stars, Medicine Tongue, Ladysmith, and Hollywood Flesh.

First book in the Wind River series. After buffalo hunter and former army scout Cole Tyler arrives in Wind River, a primitive outpost in the wild Wyoming Territory, he is unwittingly drawn into taking the unwelcome and dangerous job of town marshal. Marshal Cole Tyler finds himself facing a ruthless killer as Wind River becomes a town with its own brand of justice.

As the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific built the rails that would meet to unite a vast nation, Wind River became the newest railhead in wild Wyoming Territory-a town ripe for trouble and a special brand of justice. Big trouble is brewing in Wind River. The Irish are up in arms as the Chinese arrive from California to work on the railroad and the friendly Shoshone stand accused of stealing cattle. Wild talk of gold sends settlers rushing into Wind River Mountains as the army arrives to protect the railroad and strong-arm the Indians into honoring their treaties. As enraged railroaders launch a disastrous attack against the Shoshone, and the cavalry thunders toward a catastrophic confrontation, only Marshal Cole Tyler and his deputy Billy Casebolt can track down the real culprits-a vicious gang of saboteurs hell-bent on lighting a fuse that will set off a bloody massacre.