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Trail Drive #24
The Amarillo Trail
A family fights their demons on a dangerous cattle drive in this action-packed Ralph Compton western.
Doc Blaine has signed a big contract with a cattle buyer up in Kansas. After a couple more good springs, Doc might finally be able to retire, but for now he’ll have to contend with a band of marauding brothers who are out for vengeance against the Blaines.
Another set of brothers might prove to be the bigger liability—his own sons. Doc needs sizeable herds from each, but Miles and Jared Blaine have been feuding for years over the same woman—even after Miles married her. And Jared once vowed that someday he would kill his younger brother—a threat he never took back…
But Doc believes he can get both sons to Kansas—as long as one doesn’t know the other is making the same drive…
More Than Six Million Ralph Compton Books In Print!
Doc Blaine has signed a big contract with a cattle buyer up in Kansas. After a couple more good springs, Doc might finally be able to retire, but for now he’ll have to contend with a band of marauding brothers who are out for vengeance against the Blaines.
Another set of brothers might prove to be the bigger liability—his own sons. Doc needs sizeable herds from each, but Miles and Jared Blaine have been feuding for years over the same woman—even after Miles married her. And Jared once vowed that someday he would kill his younger brother—a threat he never took back…
But Doc believes he can get both sons to Kansas—as long as one doesn’t know the other is making the same drive…
More Than Six Million Ralph Compton Books In Print!
- GenresWesterns
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 3, 2011
7 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Jory Sherman
170 books14 followersJory Sherman was born in Minnesota and grew up in West Texas, Louisiana, and Colorado. He was a magazine editor for a time and had some of his work published, including some poetry, short stories and articles. Sherman had a friend who owned a publishing company and asked him to write a novel for the company. From that offer came five more novels, all written in one year. He wrote the supernatural mystery series, "Chill," which was somewhat revolutionary for the times, but which earned him an eight book contract. He then came up with the idea for "Rivers West," a series which had each book written by a different western author. Then came the "Baron Saga," the first of which was "Grass Kingdom" which earned Sherman a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize in Letters. Sherman has also won the Spur Award for his contribution to Western Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 22, 2025
A solid western that plays well to genre conventions but also doesn’t do anything new.
(As I write this review, I realize that I have more to critique about than to praise. It was a good read but as I think about it I’m starting to feel dissatisfied.)
We have the interesting conflict of two estranged brothers who love the same girl, but this storyline isn’t fully realized. There’s lots of talk of how the two brothers are upset with each other, but once they do meet up there is little conflict to be found and they bury the hatchet quickly. Their feud doesn’t amount to much holistically speaking, it sets up false expectations and false drama that doesn’t reach its potential.
There’s a subplot of how the woman in question is unfaithful and gets beaten into brain damage by her paramour. Not only does the beating come out of nowhere with no set up, the abuser is caught and dealt with offscreen. Again, a captivating conflict with no real payoff.
The story begins with the hanging of a cattle rustler who belongs to a family of bandit brothers. Doc, the man who hanged them, feels remorse for not showing mercy and then the brothers seek vengeance. There is an initial skirmish, where a second of the four brothers is killed. The mother urges her two remaining sons to continue their revenge, but for some reason they all disappear from the story.
Amarillo Trail doesn’t have a throughline story nor a main character. The plot is about a trail drive with some conflicts along the way akin to a slice of life, but not really an overarching story.
Something that really bothered me, however, is that the author overuses metaphors and similes. If you take a shot for every one that he uses, you’ll be drunk by the end of a single page.
Funnily enough, despite his overuse of some literary devices, he rarely uses anything more than “he said” or “she said.” I was trying to find other words like “exclaimed”, “chimed in”, or even “replied,” but the author almost exclusively uses “said.”
(As I write this review, I realize that I have more to critique about than to praise. It was a good read but as I think about it I’m starting to feel dissatisfied.)
We have the interesting conflict of two estranged brothers who love the same girl, but this storyline isn’t fully realized. There’s lots of talk of how the two brothers are upset with each other, but once they do meet up there is little conflict to be found and they bury the hatchet quickly. Their feud doesn’t amount to much holistically speaking, it sets up false expectations and false drama that doesn’t reach its potential.
There’s a subplot of how the woman in question is unfaithful and gets beaten into brain damage by her paramour. Not only does the beating come out of nowhere with no set up, the abuser is caught and dealt with offscreen. Again, a captivating conflict with no real payoff.
The story begins with the hanging of a cattle rustler who belongs to a family of bandit brothers. Doc, the man who hanged them, feels remorse for not showing mercy and then the brothers seek vengeance. There is an initial skirmish, where a second of the four brothers is killed. The mother urges her two remaining sons to continue their revenge, but for some reason they all disappear from the story.
Amarillo Trail doesn’t have a throughline story nor a main character. The plot is about a trail drive with some conflicts along the way akin to a slice of life, but not really an overarching story.
Something that really bothered me, however, is that the author overuses metaphors and similes. If you take a shot for every one that he uses, you’ll be drunk by the end of a single page.
Funnily enough, despite his overuse of some literary devices, he rarely uses anything more than “he said” or “she said.” I was trying to find other words like “exclaimed”, “chimed in”, or even “replied,” but the author almost exclusively uses “said.”
December 6, 2021
Great story, with an unusual way to get into a trail drive, where even the bad guys are unusual creations.
Though once again I wonder why it is called "a Ralph Compton novel," I like this book. It is generally well written, with lots of sub-plots and lots and lots of interesting characters.
Author Jory Sherman has managed to give individuality to each of his many characters, instead of listing a bunch of one- or two-dimensional background people.
As good drama demands, there is lots of conflict, some of which gets solved satisfactorily. But not all.
Especially for Western fans, but really for anybody who likes a well-plotted, interesting story, "The Amarillo Trail" is a very good read, one I can heartily recommend.
Though once again I wonder why it is called "a Ralph Compton novel," I like this book. It is generally well written, with lots of sub-plots and lots and lots of interesting characters.
Author Jory Sherman has managed to give individuality to each of his many characters, instead of listing a bunch of one- or two-dimensional background people.
As good drama demands, there is lots of conflict, some of which gets solved satisfactorily. But not all.
Especially for Western fans, but really for anybody who likes a well-plotted, interesting story, "The Amarillo Trail" is a very good read, one I can heartily recommend.
May 20, 2023
Two Cow drives, one family, and two brothers who do not get along. The drives were destined to clash and what would happen next could lead to family fireworks. The clash happened thanks to some Kansas sodbusters who demanded the first drive pay a toll to cross a river. The 2nd drive learns about the other and soon they have to unite as one to fight the well-armed farmers. Can two brothers who can't get along because of a woman, not a good woman that came in between them?
I won't say this is the best book in the series but it is one you should read.
I won't say this is the best book in the series but it is one you should read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews