Book Description

The Stockton Saga continues. It is 1879 and lands west of the Mississippi are still the Wild West and rife with lawlessness. Colorado, within the infancy of statehood, is alive with gold discoveries, open range for cattle, and new settlers. Wealthy, powerful men are looking to take over and control the state their own way. Gangs of outlaws harass settlers, stagecoaches are being robbed, and range disputes need settled. Standing against these unsavory factions are a federal judge and his small hand-picked group of U.S. Marshals bent on delivering swift and decisive justice to the spoilers. Early on a cold January morning, Federal Judge Joshua B. Wilkerson is charged with conspiracy and arrested in his home by Special Agents from Washington D.C. He is paraded in handcuffs to his own Denver Jail. In desperation, the judge’s wife Marie, turns to the one person she knows can help her husband, U.S. Marshal Cole Stockton. In mid-spring, Clay Stockton, U.S. Marshal for the Dakota Territory in Bismarck is ambushed at night from a dark alley. Although severely wounded, he kills the two men who laid in wait for him. Clay’s deputy, Sandy Merrick sends for Cole Stockton. Cole enlists the assistance of their mother, Johanna Stockton, and his lady friend, Laura Sumner. The trio travel to Bismarck post haste. Cole unravels the whys and wherefores of the vicious attack on his brother. The perpetrators are about to experience Cole Stockton’s brand of law and justice. A novel of the Old West packed with the drama and suspense of interpersonal relationships, outlaws handled with determination, and six-gun justice as well as personal hardship, humor, and adventure.