West of the rimrock

by Wayne D. Overholser

DEAD MAN'S DREAMMurdo Morgan returned to Paradise Valley, Ore­gon, expecting trouble. Sixteen years earlier, his father had planned to help hundreds of families set­tle in the valley. Not wanting to lose their spread, local ranchers had murdered Morgan's brothers and driven his family away.Now Morgan owned half the valley, but he'd had to borrow money from ruthless bankers to buy the land. With the ranchers gunning to stop him from selling his acres to new settlers, and the bankers waiting to foreclose if he didn't, Morgan's back was pinned to the wall. But he'd shot his way out of tight spots before, and he was more than willing to cut down anyone who stood in the way of making his father's dream come true.

346 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1983

About the author

Wayne D. Overholser (born September 4, 1906 in Pomeroy, Washington; died August 27, 1996 in Boulder, Colorado) was an American Western writer.

Overholser won the 1953 First Spur Award for best novel for Lawman using the pseudonym Lee Leighton. In 1955 he won the 1954 (second) Spur Award for The Violent Land. He also used the pseudonyms John S. Daniels, Dan J. Stevens and Joseph Wayne.

Reviews

[Kellyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well done Western story set in the late 1800’s of Eastern Oregon. It involves the struggle between an established ranch and the attempt by a land developer to legally sale acreage to farmers coming into the area. Overholser has an especially accurate feel for stories done in either Oregon or Colorado where he spent a good portion of his life. The characters and plot are developed to a high degree considering the fairly short length of the book.