Gunslingers Brings The Old West To A New Generation Of Readers
It’s the summer of 1877 in north Texas, and a two-year drought has scorched the land from Arizona through New Mexico, Texas and the Oklahoma territory. The lack of water has left cattle herds decimated, prompting outlaws to increase their rustling in the quest for huge payoffs.
Joel Thornton is a retired U. S. Deputy Marshal now living a quiet rancher’s life outside the Texas town named in his honor. His ranch is on the small side, and Thornton, still in the early stages of developing his herd, is struggling to balance the growth of his stock with the need to earn money from selling what he can.
Days after his daughter Elizabeth returns after seven years back east in Philadelphia, an old nemesis attacks the Tilted T Ranch, seeking revenge and Thornton’s cattle. Wounded in the ensuing gunfight, Thornton calls upon Elizabeth to find his old partner, former U. S. Deputy Marshal Ben Chance, informing her, “Chance will know what to do.”
Those words set in motion the action in Gunslingers: A Story of the Old West, the debut novel from John Layne. Gunslingers pits the quintessential hero against an opportunistic villain in a classic Western that harkens back to the dime novels of the late 19th century.
Elizabeth’s journey to find Chance leads her on an adventure that exposes her to the dangers of the Old West, including an Indian attack on her stagecoach where a mysterious gunslinger emerges from the hills and saves the coach. Enchanted by Elizabeth and her quest, the gunslinger joins her in the search for her father’s former partner. Unbeknownst to the unlikely duo, Chance has been wounded in a gunfight, and he was saved by a young, brash gunslinger on a secret mission of his own.
Suddenly, Elizabeth finds herself with more assistance than she’d hoped for, as two young gunslingers join the aged former Marshal Chance in the hunt for the outlaws who shot Elizabeth’s father and stole his herd. Can Elizabeth, the gunslingers and Chance stay out of harm’s way while bringing the cattle rustlers to justice?
Author John Layne is a long-time veteran of law enforcement. He began his career with the Houston, Texas, Police Department in 1981 and held numerous positions over the years, including detective for the last 24 years. He is currently a Sr. Detective for a state-wide law enforcement agency in north Texas.
His writing career began in the sports industry where he wrote articles for national magazines and online publications. He held the position of sports editor for two years, writing about professional, collegiate and amateur athletics.
He grew up watching Western movies and reading the stories of the Old West. His theatrical influences included actors John Wayne, James Stewart and Clint Eastwood as well as directors John Ford, Henry Hathaway and Howard Hawks. He drew literary inspiration from Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey, Robert B. Parker and C. J. Box. His passion for history and the classic Western genre inspired him to write short stories on the Old West and his first novel, Gunslingers. John is an avid sports fan, horse enthusiast and loves all things Texas.
Gunslingers: A Story of the Old West
Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing Inc.
Release Date: October 2019
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-64531-079-2
ISBN (digital): 978-1-64531-080-8
Available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and JohnLayneFiction.com
No comments:
Post a Comment