A rancher must contend with a snake in the grass in this pulse-pounding Ralph Compton western. Dane Kramer looks forward to the day when his Oklahoma cattle ranch will truly be his—no strings attached. With only one more payment to make and a buyer in Omaha ready to pay top dollar for a herd of Herefords, he should finally have the banker Earl Throckmorton off his back. But Earl has a plan to keep the sprawling ranch for himself. If he has his way, Dane’s herd will never make it across the Omaha Trail—and Dane won’t make it home alive. Up against Earl’s hired gang of outlaws, Dane must do whatever it takes to bring in the herd—but Earl has more than one trick up his sleeve. Planting one of his own men in Dane’s newly hired team of cowhands could be just the insurance Earl needs.... More Than Six Million Ralph Compton Books In Print!

A rancher must contend with a snake in the grass in this pulse-pounding Ralph Compton western. Dane Kramer looks forward to the day when his Oklahoma cattle ranch will truly be his—no strings attached. With only one more payment to make and a buyer in Omaha ready to pay top dollar for a herd of Herefords, he should finally have the banker Earl Throckmorton off his back. But Earl has a plan to keep the sprawling ranch for himself. If he has his way, Dane’s herd will never make it across the Omaha Trail—and Dane won’t make it home alive. Up against Earl’s hired gang of outlaws, Dane must do whatever it takes to bring in the herd—but Earl has more than one trick up his sleeve. Planting one of his own men in Dane’s newly hired team of cowhands could be just the insurance Earl needs.... More Than Six Million Ralph Compton Books In Print!

Federal Deputy Sullivan Hart arrived too late to rescue his father. But the elder Hart managed to identify his killers before his death - by scrawling the phrase Los Pistoleros in his own blood. Since the end of the Civil War, this outlaw gang has been involved in everything from cattle rustling to running guns - without getting caught. Sullivan Hart aims to end that lucky streak. But Sullivan isn't the only man on the hunt. Quick Charlie Sims, gambler and con man, has his own debt to settle with Los Pistoleros. And he's got to do it without letting lawmen like Sullivan Hart get involved. Because Charlie Sims is a wanted man, too . . .

Former Texas Rangers Benton McCaleb, Will Elliot, and Brazos Gifford ride with Charles Goodnight as he rounds up thousands of ornery, unbranded cattle for the long drive to Colorado. From the Trinity River brakes to Denver, they'll battle endless miles of flooded rivers, parched desert, and whiskey-crazed Comanches. And come face-to-face with Judge Roy Bean and legendary gunslingers like Clay Allison. For McCaleb and his hard-riding crew, the drive is a fierce struggle against the perils of an untamed land. A fight to the finish where the brave reach glory—or die hard.

“An extraordinary real-life adventure of men battling the elements and themselves, told with ice-cold precision.” –Kirkus Reviews (starred review) In the dark years following the Civil War, America’s foremost Arctic explorer, Charles Francis Hall, became a figure of national pride when he embarked on a harrowing, landmark expedition. With financial backing from Congress and the personal support of President Grant, Captain Hall and his crew boarded the Polaris, a steam schooner carefully refitted for its rigorous journey, and began their quest to be the first men to reach the North Pole. Neither the ship nor its captain would ever return. What transpired was a tragic death and whispers of murder, as well as a horrifying ordeal through the heart of an Arctic winter, when men fought starvation, madness, and each other upon the ever-shifting ice. Trial by Ice is an incredible adventure that pits men against the natural elements and their own fragile human nature. In this powerful true story of death and survival, courage and intrigue aboard a doomed ship, Richard Parry chronicles one of the most astonishing, little known tragedies at sea in American history. “ABSORBING . . . Suspense builds as Parry describes the events leading up to Hall’s ‘murder,’ then climaxes in horrifying detail.” –Publishers Weekly “RIVETING.” –Library Journal

Alison Kerby’s guesthouse is haunted all year round. Surviving the dead of winter, though? That’s a spooky proposition. Even with a blizzard bearing down on New Jersey, Alison can count on at least two guests—Paul and Maxie, the stubborn ghosts who share her shore town inn. Then there’s her widowed mother, who hasn’t just been seeing ghosts, she’s been secretly dating one: Alison’s father. But when he stands her up three times in a row, something’s wrong. Is he a lost soul…or a missing apparition? Their only lead is an overdramatic spirit—stage name Lawrence Laurentz—who doesn’t take direction well and won’t talk until they find his killer. Alison will reluctantly play the part of PI, but when the clues take a sinister turn, the writing is on the wall: If Alison can’t keep a level head, this will be her father’s final act—and maybe her own.

In this Ralph Compton western, a man with the courage to take a stand goes up against an outlaw cavalry that can't be stopped.... In Mexico, Wes Stone picked up his father’s gun, rode his father’s horse, and took on his father’s enemies. In California, he planted a band of savage criminals in the ground. Now Stone is heading up to the plains of Colorado, where a new kind of war has begun. A dangerous band of mercenaries is going for the gold—enough to bankrupt the entire country. Their scheme: to raid four U.S. mints. Their weapon: an armored train tearing through the West like a fire-powered battle-ax on wheels. From Durango to Dodge City, across a rugged land stained with blood, gold, and treachery, Stone follows a violent trail of honor. All that stands between victory and death is a quick-draw reflex—and the kind of .44-caliber justice that could tame the West and turn Stone into a legend. More Than Six Million Ralph Compton Books in Print!