Max McCoy

From Max McCoy, the Spur Award-winning author of Damnation Road, comes a powerful new novel in the acclaimed Ghost Rifle series--the epic Western saga of a man who made a gun, and a gun that triggered vengeance... A RIFLE'S LEGACY, A KILLER'S QUEST It is 1849. More than twenty years since Jack Picaro invented the legendary Ghost Rifle. Ever since, he has been a man on the run. Haunted by his past, plagued by his debts--and wanted for murder--Jack fled to the mountains, unaware that his name has been cleared of all charges. Now there is only one person hunting him down. The son he never knew he had. A son who vows to find him--and kill him--as revenge... Gus Picaro is only twenty-four, but has blazed a bold trail across the American West. From fighting in the Mexican War to prospecting for gold in California, he has sought his own fortune. From the Mosquito Range in Colorado to the open plains of Montana and Utah, he has searched for the father who abandoned him. Finally, arriving at a remote pony express station--with his finger on the trigger of his father's Ghost Rifle--Gus will meet the famous Jack Picaro face to face. And together, the two men will meet their fates. For better or worse. Dead or alive...

Max McCoy, the three-time Spur Award-winning author of Damnation Road continues his American Western saga of the Ghost Rifle as the violence and bloodshed the weapon caused returns to haunt the man who created it... THE WEAPON AND THE WILDERNESS Ten years have passed since Jack Picaro lost his Ghost Rifle--the firearm he invented, the one that never missed its target. The loss of the rifle calmed the hellraiser in his soul. Instead of returning to the gambling halls and whiskey bars of St. Louis, Jack has spent the last decade as a fur trapper in Wyoming's Wild River Range, married to Sky, the daughter of an Arikara war chief, and father of two. Then, after helping rescue U. S. soldiers trapped on a dangerous snow covered trail in the Rocky Mountains, Jack hears the familiar bell-like report of his Ghost Rifle. Determined to retrieve his deadly property, he travels deep into Lakota territory, facing down old enemies--and resuming old sinful habits--unaware of what awaits him when he eventually returns home to his family. And unaware of a man pursuing him from St. Louis--a man Jack has never met, but who has a personal score to settle...

The upper Arkansas River courses through the heart of America from its headwaters near the Continental Divide above Leadville, Colorado, to Arkansas City, just above the Kansas-Oklahoma border. Max McCoy embarked on a trip of 742 miles in search of the river's unique story. Part adventure and part reflection, steeped in the natural and cultural history of the Arkansas Valley, Elevations is McCoy’s account of that journey. Going by kayak when he can—by Jeep, on foot, or by other means when he has to—McCoy takes us with him, navigating the Arkansas River as it reveals its nature and tests his own. Along the way, and when he isn’t battling the current for his overturned kayak; braving a frigid Christmas Eve along the river; or joining the search for a drowning victim, he steps out to explore the world beyond the river’s banks. Here for instance is Camp Amache, where Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. Here is Ludlow, where thirteen women and children died in a standoff between striking coal miners and the militia in 1914. Farther along we find Sand Creek, site of a massacre by US soldiers in 1864, and, uncomfortably close, Garden City, where white supremacists were charged with planning a terror attack on Somali refugees in 2016.Whether traveling back in time, pausing in the present, or looking forward, Elevations captures the Arkansas River in its thrilling moments and placid stretches, in its natural splendor and degradation at human hands. The book shows us the river as a flowing repository of human history and, in the telling of this gifted writer, as a life-changing experience.

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE SIXTH RIDERSONS OF FIREON THE EVE OF THE CIVIL WAR THREE BROTHERS FIND THEMSELVES DEADLY ENEMIES....BROTHERS-IN-ARMSOn the eve of the Civil War the hardworking, hard-fighting Fenn family is caught in the middle of a bloody guerrilla war along the Missouri-Kansas border.While Frank marries a pretty abolitionist and goes east to serve the Union cause, hotheaded Zachary joins the guerrilla chieftain William Quantrill and rides with such future outlaws as the Younger brothers and Frank and Jesse James. Patrick-who is unsure of his loyalties-heads for the Rockies in an attempt to escape the war, but finds there is no escape from his blood ties.Meanwhile, their Missouri farm is burned to the ground and the rest of the family, led by their strong-willed sister, Caitlin, is left to fend for themselves in a ravaged land. Fate has taken them down different paths, but before the war comes to a close, the Fenns are destined for one last fiery reunion that will force them to choose between honor and blood. "Personal struggles and enduring family ties form the emotional core of this] novel...very readable." -Publishers Weekly "Max McCoy is one of the finest of today's new crop of western writers."-Don Coldsmith, author of Track of the Bear

MAX McCOYAward-winning Author of the The Moon PoolHINTERLANDAndy Kelsey is a reporter who may have just stumbled on the story of a lifetime. He's infiltrated a white separatist group in the Ozarks, an underground organization ready to fight and die-and kill-for their extreme beliefs. The deeper Kelsey gets in the group, the more he's trusted, and the bigger his story becomes. Until he realizes the shocking extent of their scheme...The separatists have finalized plans for a spectacular cataclysm that they hope will bring about Armageddon. What terrifies Kelsey is that they have the weapon and the means to achieve their mad goal. Will he be able to fight them from the inside without being discovered? Or has he gotten in too deep to ever get out?

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF SONS OF FIRESURVIVAL OF THE FITTESTOnce mortal enemies, Frank and Patrick Fenn join forces to protect their family from the Union Army that has taken all they have in the bloody Missouri-Kansas war. Following the path of Confederate guerrilla William Quantrill and his outlaw raiders, the brothers seek sanctuary in Texas. Carrying all their possessions in a stolen military wagon, the Fenn brothers set out with their feisty sister, Caitlin; Frank's loyal wife, Jenny; a courageous half-breed named Trudy; Frank's young son; and an ailing infant. But harsh weather, horse-thieving refugees, and Yankee patrols are the least of their enemies. Across the frontier, the Fenn brothers find themselves wanted men. They are hunted by a ruthless Union commander and a murderous Osage tracker armed with the superior firepower of the repeating rifle. Their chase will end in an explosive showdown between those who kill for glory-and those who fight to survive."Max McCoy is one of the finest of today's new crop of western writers."-Don Coldsmith, author of Runestone

RIDE ON THE WILD SIDEThey came of age in a lawless land-former cowboys and wage earners who'd found another way of life. Now they were the most famous outlaws in the West: the Wild Bunch, led by' Gentleman Bill Doolin and sparked by the nerve of Sam Dalton, known as the Choctaw Kid. The Wild Bunch held up banks and trains across the Territories and Kansas. But the boys lived by their own code, proud that they'd never killed during a robbery- no bank clerk, train crew member, lawman, nor bystander.The Oklahoma Territory town of Ingalls turned a blind eye to the outlaws, who spent their money in the saloons and whorehouses. But while Sam Dalton wavered between giving up the outlaw life to marry a pretty teenaged prostitute and busting his brother Emmett out of federal prison in Kansas, the U.S. Department of Justice was massing an army of lawmen to raid the outlaw town...and shut the Wild Bunch down for good. "Max McCoy is one of the finest of today's new cropof western writers."-Don Coldsmith. author of RunestoneTHE SEQUEL TO THE AWARD-WINNING NOVEL THE SIXTH RIDERTHE WILD RIDERHE WAS ONE OF THE LAST SURVIVORS OF THE INFAMOUS DALTON GANG...NOW HE'S RIDING TO DESTINY WITH THE WILD BUNCH

WINNER OF THE MEDICINE PIPE BEARER'S AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVELFROM WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICATHE MAKING OF AN OUTLAWThey were kin to the infamous James and Younger clans-the hard-riding, hard-shooting Dalton boys of Kansas, sired by a drunk, raised by a Bible-believing mama, scratching to survive in a West being tamed by the law. Samuel Coleman Dalton was the youngest, and at the age of thirteen he had dreams of an honest life. But one day an older brother was gunned down in cold blood, and Sam vowed to track down the coward who'd pulled the trigger. The trail of vengeance led straight into Indian Territory, and young Sam grew up fast, gaining a reputation and a name: the Choctaw Kid. When at last he rejoined his other brothers, the legendary Dalton Gang was born, cutting a violent trail in search of riches and renown that led to a last-stand showdown in the Daltons' hometown, where the outlaw band-surrounded, outnumbered, outgunned-faced death by hanging...or death from flying lead."I grew up in Coffeyvilie, site of the Dalton raid. I have put my fingers in the bulletholes in the storefronts. This book is real. Max McCoy is one of the finest of today's new crop of western writers." -Don Coldsmith, author of Track of the BearTHE AWARD-WINNING NOVEL BYMAX McCOYThe Sixth Rider THE DALTON BOYS ON THE OUTLAW TRAIL FOR GLORY AND GOLD...

Everybody knows that on April 3,1882, Jesse James was shot and killed by Robert Ford. Or was he? What if Jesse somehow cheated the assassin's bullet and survived to tell his remarkable tale to Missouri's other famous son, Mark Twain? Max McCoy, an award-winning novelist and investigative reporter, presents a captivating story of switched identities and fractured morality that puts a surprising new spin on the legend of America's Robin Hood....JESSE: A NOVEL OF THE OUTLAW JESSE JAMESCivil War guerrilla. Notorious bank robber. Outlaw hero. Most of Jesse's life remains a mystery, obscured by the dubious "facts" that have gathered upon his grave. But the curious manuscript at the core of this book-found recently in a southeast Kansas junk shop-claims to be his never-before-published autobiography, as told to the famous author of Huckleberry Finn. Consistent with historic record, it presents a compelling scenario for Jesse's survival-without disputing the DNA evidence recovered from the outlaw's grave in 1995. Vivid and engaging, Jesse brings to life the fictional meeting of America's most celebrated folk hero and its most beloved author-in their own words.

A Novel of Wild Bill HickokAces and eights-everyone knows the tale of the Dead Man's Hand. Wild Bill Hickok was a giant in a vast land, a celebrity in the days of dime novels and the telegraph. Few men in the Old West could fill his boots, but fewer still knew the real story, the making of a legend.To history, he was Wild Bill, but he came of age as James Butler Hickok. After his first showdown at the age of twenty-four, everyone could see that Hickok was a breed apart. As a green hand on the Overland Stage, he bravely faced off against a band of thieves. During the Civil War, he displayed nerve and savvy as a Union spy. And on one afternoon in the town square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok wrote himself into the history books-with a revolver in his hand.Praise for Max McCoy"McCoy at his best, proving himself once again as a master of his craft."-USA Today Best-selling Author Ralph Cotton

Billy the Kid: Beyond the Grave traces the life of this famous desperado through his role in the Lincoln County War, the alleged killing by Sheriff Pat Garrett, Billy's escape, and his life for the next sixty-nine years. In 1948, an old man named William Henry Roberts was confronted with evidence that he was Billy the Kid. At first he denied his identity, but reluctantly admitted who he was. Based on taped interviews with Roberts, new evidence discovered in the 1990s, and sophisticated photo comparison technology by the FBI, the conclusion that Roberts was Billy the Kid gains support.

For twenty-four years, Five Star Publishing, an imprint of Gale/Cengage, has offered readers the best in new voices, as well as many beloved authors, in the traditional Western and American frontier fiction genres. Contention and Other Frontier Stories, edited by Hazel Rumney, features seventeen brand-new stories that will delight historical fiction fans. These stories capture the spirit of freedom and individualism in the evolving American frontier through the early 1900s and feature exciting new characters who face life-changing challenges in settings that are in stark contrast to civilized society. Ranging from high-action traditional Westerns to introspective historical dramas set in the American West, readers will discover the amount of courage and tenacity it took to survive the tumultuous frontier. In this anthology, you ll enjoy stories by New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors such as Loren D. Estleman, Johnny D. Boggs, Michael Zimmer, Max McCoy, John D. Nesbitt, Preston Lewis, Rod Miller, W. Michael Farmer, Greg Hunt, Bill Brooks, Tim Champlin, Robert D. McKee, Michael R. Ritt, Kathleen Morris, Vonn McKee, John Neely Davis, and Marcia Gaye. Contention and Other Frontier Stories is a great addition to your Western fiction library.