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Byrnes Family Ranch #12
Rage for Vengeance
A blazing new chapter in the epic Byrnes family saga from Western Heritage and Western Writers of America Spur Award-winning author Dusty Richards . . .
Born out of the grit, sweat, and drive of a cattle ranching empire, U.S. Marshal Chet Byrnes is turning the savage and lawless Arizona desert into a homeland. To some he’s the hero that the West needs. To others, he’s a moving target.
Chet is spearheading a stage line from Gallup to the Colorado River. It’ll be a boon to Navajo trading posts, and lay out the territory for new settlements. Unfortunately, it’s not Gerald Hall’s idea of progress—killing Chet is. The mysterious Texas gambler has hired three kill-crazy assassins—and counting—to bury Chet under a storm of bullets. To turn the tables on a game of revenge, Chet has to match the deranged Texan play by play, body by body, and bullet for bullet. Come hell or high water, that stage line is going through—even if it’s forged in blood.
Born out of the grit, sweat, and drive of a cattle ranching empire, U.S. Marshal Chet Byrnes is turning the savage and lawless Arizona desert into a homeland. To some he’s the hero that the West needs. To others, he’s a moving target.
Chet is spearheading a stage line from Gallup to the Colorado River. It’ll be a boon to Navajo trading posts, and lay out the territory for new settlements. Unfortunately, it’s not Gerald Hall’s idea of progress—killing Chet is. The mysterious Texas gambler has hired three kill-crazy assassins—and counting—to bury Chet under a storm of bullets. To turn the tables on a game of revenge, Chet has to match the deranged Texan play by play, body by body, and bullet for bullet. Come hell or high water, that stage line is going through—even if it’s forged in blood.
- GenresWesterns
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 18, 2018
65 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Dusty Richards
102 books73 followersAuthor of over 85 novels, Dusty Richards is the only author to win two Spur awards in one year (2007), one for his novel The Horse Creek Incident and another for his short story “Comanche Moon.” He is a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the International Professional Rodeo Association, and serves on the local PRCA rodeo board. Dusty is also an inductee in the Arkansas Writers Hall of Fame. He currently resides in northwest Arkansas. He was the winner of the 2010 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Fiction for his novel Texas Blood Feud and honored by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 4, 2018
In Dusty Richards' Rage for Vengeance (Pinnacle 2018), twelfth in the popular The Byrnes Family Ranch series, US Marshall Chet Byrnes has been hired to build a stageline from Gallup to the Colorado River. The story starts with Chet and his sidekick Cole being ambushed as they travel the roadway for the new stage. Someone wants them dead but at that point, they don’t know why. Chet thinks it might be a competitor to the stageline, someone who could lose business or wants the business, but nothing is obvious. He tracks one of the would-be killers to a dandy gambler who is as clever with murder as he is with gambling. For those who have read the earlier stories in this series, they know Chet is not one to give up or run from a challenge and he doesn't here. He has promised the owner of the stageline that it will go through and nothing short of Chet's death will prevent that from happening.
This story as with other great Westerns I've read rings with authenticity about a time long gone when the West was untamed and law (as in Sheriffs and Marshalls) was simply a gleam in someone's eye. Everything about this one seemed genuine from the tools used to problems people faced and the steps they took to solve them. Besides that, Rage for Vengeance is a how-to on setting up a stageline. Who knew it was so complicated?
My only complaint with this book is the number of people introduced early in the story. Wow. I’d estimate a bazillion in the first 20% of the book. My head was spinning trying to figure out which names I should remember, who were recurring series characters, and who I could gloss over. Thank goodness I read this digitally because I could search characters who popped into scenes and see what I should have remembered from earlier parts of the story. In the book's defense, I assume that many of these are part of the ongoing cast of characters and will be well-known to those conversant in the prior eleven books. I did like most of the characters. They were real people with clever tie-ins to events. But probably what I like best is the authenticity of building the Old West.
One issue I wasn't sure of: Dusty Richards died in April 2018 so I’m not sure if he wrote this prior to his death or if it was written by a ghostwriter (as has become popular with successful series, like Hercule Poirot and Tom Clancy). Overall, highly recommended for those who love character-driven murder mysteries and tales of the old West.
This story as with other great Westerns I've read rings with authenticity about a time long gone when the West was untamed and law (as in Sheriffs and Marshalls) was simply a gleam in someone's eye. Everything about this one seemed genuine from the tools used to problems people faced and the steps they took to solve them. Besides that, Rage for Vengeance is a how-to on setting up a stageline. Who knew it was so complicated?
My only complaint with this book is the number of people introduced early in the story. Wow. I’d estimate a bazillion in the first 20% of the book. My head was spinning trying to figure out which names I should remember, who were recurring series characters, and who I could gloss over. Thank goodness I read this digitally because I could search characters who popped into scenes and see what I should have remembered from earlier parts of the story. In the book's defense, I assume that many of these are part of the ongoing cast of characters and will be well-known to those conversant in the prior eleven books. I did like most of the characters. They were real people with clever tie-ins to events. But probably what I like best is the authenticity of building the Old West.
One issue I wasn't sure of: Dusty Richards died in April 2018 so I’m not sure if he wrote this prior to his death or if it was written by a ghostwriter (as has become popular with successful series, like Hercule Poirot and Tom Clancy). Overall, highly recommended for those who love character-driven murder mysteries and tales of the old West.
October 29, 2018
I thought Rage for Vengeance was a pretty good read. I would like to read other from A Byrnes Family Ranch series.
Four stars.
Four stars.
July 26, 2022
Out of Sequence
The Byrne's Family Ranch Series is an excellent series until this book. It is set at an earlier time than at least the last two books. Confusing and disappointing. I believe it was released in 2018, which is when Dusty Richards went to the Great Pasture in The Sky.
The Byrne's Family Ranch Series is an excellent series until this book. It is set at an earlier time than at least the last two books. Confusing and disappointing. I believe it was released in 2018, which is when Dusty Richards went to the Great Pasture in The Sky.
February 29, 2020
The Final One (?)
I am sorry to see this excellent Series closed out. Liz hasn't had their baby, Chet still has not strung his telegraph line, the stage line is still using buckboards and Jesus doesn't have his ranch with Anita. Too much left hanging!!
I am sorry to see this excellent Series closed out. Liz hasn't had their baby, Chet still has not strung his telegraph line, the stage line is still using buckboards and Jesus doesn't have his ranch with Anita. Too much left hanging!!
January 17, 2019
Not one of his best.
April 29, 2022
Disappointment
I thought this would pick up where 11 left off. Instead it was about working on the Stage Line two books ago. If you’ve read there don.t bother with this one.
I thought this would pick up where 11 left off. Instead it was about working on the Stage Line two books ago. If you’ve read there don.t bother with this one.
January 29, 2019
Sheriff Byrnes must once again prove to everyone that anything worth having is worth fighting for. He sets out to build a stage coach route to help connect smaller ranchers together and build a stronger, safer way of life. But, there is always someone who has a different plan. Dusty Richards has done an excellent job of building background for his Byrne family stories and continues to build strong characters who advance a decent way of life, but he also gives us exciting stories to keep us coming back. Another 5 star winner.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews