Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Murphy #6

Murphy's Ambush

Rate this book
Years ago when Al Murphy left his job as sheriff of Cincherville, he thought that his life as a lawman was finished. But when he arrives in New Mexico, he finds the opportunity to pin on the badge again, as he sets out after the gang who murdered a rancher's wife and daughter. From the authors of Murphy's Stand.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

41 people want to read

About the author

Gary Paulsen

414 books4,029 followers
Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
9 (25%)
4 stars
10 (28%)
3 stars
11 (31%)
2 stars
5 (14%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
245 reviews
August 16, 2025
Murphy’s Ambush, the sixth in Gary Paulsen’s excellent western series, sees Murphy settled in as sheriff in Turrett, New Mexico with a continuing cast of characters including Christine, his sweetheart, Skeet, a crusty old coot in the vein of Gabby Hayes, and Mose, an enormous, kindly black man.
This book sees Murphy single-handedly chasing a band of marauding Indians, fending off a lynching, saving a hostage and arresting two desperadoes. Naturally, Murphy endures grievous injuries in the course of the book but survives, making him one of the most frequently wounded heroes in literary history.
Looking forward to reading the final book in the series.
Highly recommended.
537 reviews1 follower
March 18, 2020
Women don't read westerns, right? Well, I just read one and it wasn't too bad; there was always something happening. Only 175 pages of large print.
A local farmer rides into town with an arrow in him. Fighting for his life, someone went through the window and killed the farmer. When Sheriff Al Murphy rides out to the farmer's ranch, he finds the farmer's wife and children dead. Now the sheriff has to track down the killer(s) to find out who they are and why they killed the farming family, and then bring them to justice.
Profile Image for Sheri Maxey-Wilson.
33 reviews
January 10, 2019
Murphy's Ambush is an excellent, fast-paced western. As an added bonus, it introduced the word malpais into my vocabulary.
Profile Image for SFrick.
361 reviews
April 27, 2017
Continuing on with the Murphy Series:
Gary Paulsen and Brian Burkes capture the West and how things
were during our country's history during that time period.
It was captivating.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.