A Rifle by the Door by Dan L. Fuller
What a great book!
Twelve-year-old Dave Foster is proud of the way his pa stands up to the men threatening him when he refuses to sell their ranch. Then his pa is shot in the back, leaving him and his older sister, Jenny, to face the future alone. They know nothing about surviving Colorado’s brutal winters. Jenny worries they’ll starve.
Help arrives when John Beck, an old friend of their father’s, comes to the ranch. Jenny isn’t certain they can trust the tough man who knows how to fight and handle a gun, but Dave figures they need him.
I love the characters in this book. John is complex, courageous, and keeps to himself. He’s as believable as the brave boy who finds himself in an impossible situation. Jenny is a Christian, and is as spunky as she is beautiful.
Told from the boy’s perspective, this story is filled with one adventure after another … as well as tragedy.
If you love Westerns, you will enjoy this story.
Definitely recommend! I will look for more books by this author.
-Sandra Merville Hart
