The Empire Trail

Trail Drive #31

by Jeff Rovin, Ralph Compton

In this thrilling installment in bestseller Ralph Compton's Trail Drive series, a small ranch owner drives his herd into Mexico and is startled to find that human life comes cheaper than beef on the hoof.

Andrew Buchanan has a problem. His modest ranch in Southern California is being pressured by an unscrupulous competitor and the encroaching wave of the future--orange growers. The only chance he has to sell his cattle for real money is to take them south into Mexico.

The Empire Trail is five hundred miles of misery that crosses scorching deserts and clings to treacherous cliffs--and it's Andrew's job to find the best way across. But physical barriers are not the only thing he must contend with. A group of dangerous men are trailing the herd, determined to take the cattle or die trying.

But this is Andrew's livelihood that hangs in the balance, and he won't go down without a fight.

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published February 9, 2021

Reviews

[David Burnworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew Buchanan in his mind has just one option and that is to take his herd from California to Mexico. The problem starts with never being done before and is added to by a greedy neighbor out to buy or steal his herd. Even before the drive gets started the neighbor has some hired guns who catch the head of the ranch and demand he sell the herd right now or there will be gunplay. Buchanan figures something is wrong and gets the jump on the hired guns. The trouble has only gotten started and before it is over there will be one man, who helps stop it, with new friends made because the Buchanan group was nice to a small village.

Yes, I only gave bits and pieces to what happens on this drive hoping the teases would make you read the book.

[Gregory Knox · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor editing. The sentences don't flow, the paragraphs don't work together. The story line doesn't flow. It's a good story framework but not put together well for reading. The books under the Ralph Compton name has gotten worse over the last few years. It seems like estate or the publisher is just looking for a quick buck.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story of life and death when this cattleman must drive his herd to Mexico or lose his ranch. The background and characters are true to what you'd expect to see in the early days of the "west". The choices come fasy and furious and the answers don't matter as much as how fast you can draw and shoot. If you love westerns, you'll not go wrong with this one.

[Nolan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the most boring, slowest western I have read in a long time.