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Vigilantes of Montana #2
The Devil in the Bottle
After Vigilantes ended a criminal conspiracy in Alder Gulch during the winter of 1863-1864, they founded a “People’s Court” to administer justice.
At the same time, the notorious Joseph (aka Jack) Slade, who once ruled 600 hostile miles of the Overland Stage Line, has settled near Alder Gulch with his wife and adopted son. Although he ruled by violence and intimidation, Overland passengers and the mail traveled on time, in safety. But Slade’s binge drinking wrecked his career when he and his men destroyed Army supplies at Fort Halleck. He continues his destructive sprees in Alder Gulch, despite his friends' attempts to persuade him to stop.
Dan Stark, the Vigilante prosecutor one of his friends, thinks there’s a devil in the bottle for Slade. He worries that someone could be killed when Slade takes the town.
Early in March 1864, while on a spree, Slade holds a gun to the judge's head and tells the Vigilantes they are “all played out.”
Slade rules.
Dan and the other Vigilantes face a horrible choice. By yielding to Slade, they expose honest people to the criminals’ return. Yet he has committed no capital crime to justify hanging him.
Will the devil in the bottle get Jack Slade?
At the same time, the notorious Joseph (aka Jack) Slade, who once ruled 600 hostile miles of the Overland Stage Line, has settled near Alder Gulch with his wife and adopted son. Although he ruled by violence and intimidation, Overland passengers and the mail traveled on time, in safety. But Slade’s binge drinking wrecked his career when he and his men destroyed Army supplies at Fort Halleck. He continues his destructive sprees in Alder Gulch, despite his friends' attempts to persuade him to stop.
Dan Stark, the Vigilante prosecutor one of his friends, thinks there’s a devil in the bottle for Slade. He worries that someone could be killed when Slade takes the town.
Early in March 1864, while on a spree, Slade holds a gun to the judge's head and tells the Vigilantes they are “all played out.”
Slade rules.
Dan and the other Vigilantes face a horrible choice. By yielding to Slade, they expose honest people to the criminals’ return. Yet he has committed no capital crime to justify hanging him.
Will the devil in the bottle get Jack Slade?
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2011
1 person is currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Carol Buchanan
15 books30 followersLife involves risks, and no risk is greater than risking your very soul to save other people. In my novels people take that risk even when it leads into troubled moral waters and they must do things that need forgiveness.
When gold, greed, and a vacuum of law led to ruffians’ rule and a tolerance for murder, citizens took up arms against evil. They became known to history as the Vigilantes of Montana.
God’s Thunderbolt, The Devil in the Bottle, Gold Under Ice, and The Ghost at Beaverhead Rock (forthcoming Winter 2015) tell the story of Daniel Stark whose decisions test him in ways he never imagined. Joining the Vigilance Committee, lawyer Dan commits acts he cannot forgive himself for. When Martha McDowell’s brutal husband deserts her, she agrees to live with Dan though she fears McDowell’s return. But a greater danger arises when Dan is suspected of his murder.
I live in NW Montana where I enjoy walking up mountains, reading, caring for three 97-year-old peonies that I rescued from my grandmother's grave. I'm married to my best friend. Sir Richard, who shares my love of suspense stories and keeps our computers healthy.
When gold, greed, and a vacuum of law led to ruffians’ rule and a tolerance for murder, citizens took up arms against evil. They became known to history as the Vigilantes of Montana.
God’s Thunderbolt, The Devil in the Bottle, Gold Under Ice, and The Ghost at Beaverhead Rock (forthcoming Winter 2015) tell the story of Daniel Stark whose decisions test him in ways he never imagined. Joining the Vigilance Committee, lawyer Dan commits acts he cannot forgive himself for. When Martha McDowell’s brutal husband deserts her, she agrees to live with Dan though she fears McDowell’s return. But a greater danger arises when Dan is suspected of his murder.
I live in NW Montana where I enjoy walking up mountains, reading, caring for three 97-year-old peonies that I rescued from my grandmother's grave. I'm married to my best friend. Sir Richard, who shares my love of suspense stories and keeps our computers healthy.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 26, 2012
Warning: The Devil in the Bottle is a gritty Western meant for adult readers. Based on the true story of Joseph A. Slade and the Montana Vigilantes, this novel is a perfect portrait of how drink can cut a person into equal parts good -- and evil. “Until we know if we’re in Idaho Territory or Montana, until we have codes of law, and a properly constituted judicial system, the People’s Court and the Common Law are all that shield honest people from thieves and murderers.”
In wonderful character portraits, the evil half of Slade pushing townspeople to their limits in the absence of law while lawyer Daniel Stark tries to hold the town together and serve as its conscience, the entire gripping tale is told over a span of three winter days while the gold camp waits for spring thaw. In an allegory about the death of the unbridled Wild West with the coming of civilization, author Carol Buchanan jumps right into the story with no back filling, ultimately answering the burning question: What to do about Slade?
In wonderful character portraits, the evil half of Slade pushing townspeople to their limits in the absence of law while lawyer Daniel Stark tries to hold the town together and serve as its conscience, the entire gripping tale is told over a span of three winter days while the gold camp waits for spring thaw. In an allegory about the death of the unbridled Wild West with the coming of civilization, author Carol Buchanan jumps right into the story with no back filling, ultimately answering the burning question: What to do about Slade?
February 10, 2012
The Vigilantes of Montana, The Devil in the Bottle was a good read, lots of bad words, but the story was good, and full of suspense. I am familiar with Virginia City and Nevada City Montana. I have read several books of this era and location. Gold rush and roughs ride rampant until the Vigilantes step in.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews