What do you think?
Rate this book
Rebel Ramrod
Vintage paperback
Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Dean Owen
89 books3 followersDudley Dean McGaughey was a prolific freelance writer who published novels under a variety of pseudonyms, including "Dean Owen", Dean McCoy, Dudley Dean, and Owen Dudley.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 20, 2026
The Jawbone ranch, located in Texas, belonged to Con Jason's father. But Con's father and older brother were killed fighting for the Confederacy. Now, in 1867, the ranch is owned by a Northern corporation, with Con working as foreman.
One of the corporation's owners (the only Southerner among them) plans to double-cross his partners by rustling the cattle and selling it in Mexico. Con's best friend Andy urges Con to come in on the deal--arguing that there's nothing wrong with stealing from Northerners. Even Andy's sister, whom Con is supposed to marry, thinks this is a good idea. She believes the war effectively destroyed all previous moral standards. The men who work on the ranch like and respect Con, but won't fight to save "Northern" cattle.
But Con still has standards. He doesn't like taking pay from Northern bosses, but he does and he accepts the responsibilities that go with this. Also, he's personally repulsed at the idea of being a thief. Even if he's on his own, he's determined to do the right thing.
The novel has an aura of anger and bitterness laying over it, set in a place where the men who just lost a war are having trouble accepting that the war is over. Tensions build and violence strikes. There's a murder, a suicide, the lynching of an innocent man and the shattering of friendships. It ends with stampeding cattle and a lot of gunfire.
Con is the moral center of the story. He's a three-dimensional character, with faults as well as virtues, but its his determination to do the right thing no matter what that anchors the novel and turns what might have been an unpleasant story into a strong and satisfying Western.
One of the corporation's owners (the only Southerner among them) plans to double-cross his partners by rustling the cattle and selling it in Mexico. Con's best friend Andy urges Con to come in on the deal--arguing that there's nothing wrong with stealing from Northerners. Even Andy's sister, whom Con is supposed to marry, thinks this is a good idea. She believes the war effectively destroyed all previous moral standards. The men who work on the ranch like and respect Con, but won't fight to save "Northern" cattle.
But Con still has standards. He doesn't like taking pay from Northern bosses, but he does and he accepts the responsibilities that go with this. Also, he's personally repulsed at the idea of being a thief. Even if he's on his own, he's determined to do the right thing.
The novel has an aura of anger and bitterness laying over it, set in a place where the men who just lost a war are having trouble accepting that the war is over. Tensions build and violence strikes. There's a murder, a suicide, the lynching of an innocent man and the shattering of friendships. It ends with stampeding cattle and a lot of gunfire.
Con is the moral center of the story. He's a three-dimensional character, with faults as well as virtues, but its his determination to do the right thing no matter what that anchors the novel and turns what might have been an unpleasant story into a strong and satisfying Western.
Displaying 1 of 1 review