Paul Lederer

When a banker’s daughter is kidnapped, it takes an evil deed to get her back
Two horsemen appear on the eastern edge of Crater, a dusty Western town as dry and barren as the sinkhole that gave it its name. The riders disappear around the back of the bank, where they find an unlocked door—and a flour sack stuffed with cash. The ransom was embezzled by the banker himself, who is ready to risk jail, to throw away his reputation,...

In a deserted cabin on the Great Plains, a settler tries to make a home Rincon and his two companions ride out of the frigid night, and demand shelter in the sagging old cabin. They have gold in their saddlebags and the army on their tail, and they need a place to lay low. Letting them inside is the worst mistake the Whittaker brothers will ever make. The riders gun one brother down, and are holding the other hostage when the army surrounds the house....

The men of a posse on the trail of an outlaw begin to turn on one another What made Jake Worthy rob his hometown bank? Was it stupidity? Daring? Or did he simply not think the men of Quirt, Arizona, had the skill to catch him? Three days out of Quirt, the group sent after Worthy is coming apart at the seams. The richest man in town is complaining about the hardships of the trail. Alongside him are a couple of greenhorns, a few refugees from the saloon,...

In a lonely western town, a marshal stands in the way of a gang of killers There is nothing to love about the town of Climax, a godforsaken speck of earth with one saloon, one restaurant, and one lawman. Ever since he got too old to ride the range, Giles Frost has worn a silver star, sleeping in the jail, patrolling Main Street twice a day, and waiting for trouble that has never shown its face-until now. On his nightly patrol, a gunshot rings out...

In a lonely army outpost, a group of misfits waits for rescue-or death A few minutes before midnight in the barren New Mexico desert, Big John leads a prisoner to his doom. Although only nineteen years old, the boy is a killer, and will be hanged as soon as they reach the next town. But between these men and civilization lies an expanse of hell. Not far from the outpost, they find a family slaughtered by the Comanche. The outpost should mean safety,...

On the run from a bounty hunter, a bank robber searches for mercy Billy Gillis waits on the street as his cousin Pearly robs the bank. Fresh out of Yuma prison, Pearly has not killed anyone since his release, but with each robbery the cousins pull, the former jailbird inches closer to murder. Young Billy thought he wanted an outlaw's life, but after a few weeks on the run with his cousin, he feels panic creeping in. At twenty years old, he is too...

Lost in the Mexican desert, a cowboy stumbles upon a mysterious settlement The cattle drive was Jake's last chance. After promising a fortune to any man willing to make the long trek across the Mexican border, the ranch boss skipped out at journey's end, leaving Jake Staggs friendless, broke, and far from home. Trudging across the desert, holes in his boots and his horse near death from thirst, Jake smells the unmistakable scent of fresh water. In...

To avenge his beloved, an old tracker comes out of retirement After years fighting the Apache for the United States Army, Carroll Cougar builds a cabin in the heart of the Texas prairie. When a local rancher tries to take it away from him, Cougar takes a stand, waiting in the trees when the rancher and his son come to attack. With a few shots from his .56 Spencer, he defends his property, believing that peace is his at last. But another disturbance...

With the help of three strangers, a girl fights to rescue her father When he sees the string of riders coming over the horizon, Luke Cason sends his daughter, Sally, to hide in the basement. She trembles in the dark, chilled by the terrible sounds of her father's past, come to take revenge. When the basement fills with smoke, she escapes the burning house and finds their little homestead deserted, her father taken by the mysterious men. She is alone...

Framed for murder, an honest man rides over the desert to clear his name Jake Shockley has his feet up in the tavern when his twin comes through the door. The stranger isn't his brother, but may as well be, and Jake sees opportunity there-a chance to erase years of warrants and wanted posters with a single quick kill. He lures his lookalike into the alley, knocks him out, and waits until a rider comes along. Jake shoots his twin through the heart...