"103 Texas peace officers recount their proudest moments, the most unusual calls they've handled, their worst days on duty, and what gets them through it all." --Introduction.

The vast majority of law enforcement dutifully uphold their oath to protect. In a shocking true-crime narrative that reads like a thriller, a former police officer and detective, who is also a mystery writer, tells 18 stories about cops who kill.

Who were the black cowboys? They were drovers, foremen, fiddlers, cowpunchers, cattle rustlers, cooks, and singers. They worked as wranglers, riders, ropers, bulldoggers, and bronc busters. They came from varied backgrounds—some grew up in slavery, while free blacks often got their start in Texas and Mexico. Most who joined the long trail drives were men, but black women also rode and worked on western ranches and farms. The first overview of the subject in more than fifty years, Black Cowboys in the American West surveys the life and work of these cattle drivers from the years before the Civil War through the turn of the twentieth century. Including both classic, previously published articles and exciting new research, this collection also features select accounts of twentieth-century rodeos, music, people, and films. Arranged in three sections—“Cowboys on the Range,” “Performing Cowboys,” and “Outriders of the Black Cowboys”—the thirteen chapters illuminate the great diversity of the black cowboy experience. Like all ranch hands and riders, African American cowboys lived hard, dangerous lives. But black drovers were expected to do the roughest, most dangerous work—and to do it without complaint. They faced discrimination out west, albeit less than in the South, which many had left in search of autonomy and freedom. As cowboys, they could escape the brutal violence visited on African Americans in many southern communities and northern cities. Black cowhands remain an integral part of life in the West, the descendants of African Americans who ventured west and helped settle and establish black communities. This long-overdue examination of nineteenth- and twentieth-century black cowboys ensures that they, and their many stories and experiences, will continue to be known and told.

memoirs and historical records from Brewster County, Texas, a large, remote, picturesque, rough country near Big Bend National Park

BOLO: Be on the lookout to recognize and appreciate the unique challenges law enforcement officers’ spouses and loved ones often face because of the badge. Based on author Vicki Gustafson’s over three decades of personal experience as a law enforcement officer’s wife, His Badge, My Story is filled with her suggestions and guidance. Her wisdom accumulated over 36 years offers comfort, hope, and insights for the journey ahead. Vicki touches on common issues, which include communication, the struggles of scheduling, balancing the career with family life and society, sacrifices, and raising children. His Badge, My Story articulates what is necessary to be independent, strong, and brave enough to face the villain of worry and fear and recognize when gremlins aka pitfalls of the law enforcement career surface. The author’s creative approach in each chapter includes an opening BOLO, personal stories and interviews, and a debriefing section. Bullet points at the end of every chapter reveal the ammunition needed to keep the faith, strength, and understanding that are necessary to maintain healthy relationships. His Badge, My Story provides readers with a valuable resource of insights and understanding to deal with their challenges.

"The murder of the Mayor of San Francisco's daughter sets the stage for this intriguing and spell-binding crime thriller. Two police detectives, Jack Paige and Casey Ford, are assigned to catch a cold-blooded rapist and killer. In this gritty, realistic tale of homicide, unrelated mysteries of two murderers seem to come together but make little sense. What does a man rotting away behind the stench-enclosed walls of Angola Penitentiary have to do with an evil and cruel rapist and killer now on the run from California to Texas? What is the relationship to the killing of the Mayor's daughter?"--P. [4] of cover.

The bloodiest crime in Texas history, and only one man has the guts to solve it. Bank robbery. Jailbreak. massacre. Alone, any one of them would send good folks reeling. But when all three occur in the same night in the same small South Texas town leaving no eyewitnesses behind, it could be the end of the world. Saddler County Sheriff Dell Hoffman is charged with bringing the perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice, but even the toughest and most cunning lawman in Texas has his limits. With nothing to go on but five bloody bodies, a cracked safe, and an empty jail, Dell works the fringes of his sleepy little western town—among the forgotten, the invisible, and those who often see without being seen. The more he learns, though, the more he wishes he could forget. In search of the truth, Dell finds himself pulled into a dark world of murder, deception, and brutality the likes of which he never imagined. Striking out on his own across the vast Texan prairie, he risks it all in search of justice. Will he solve the most heinous crime in Texas history? Or will Dell's drive for justice lead him to an even greater tragedy for both himself and those he cares for most?