The Winchester Run

Sundown Riders #3

by Ralph Compton

On a frontier torn by war and renegades, they carried a cargo more valuable than gold...

Miners dug for fortunes. Soldiers died on open plains. And a few brave men drove the wooden freight wagons into the wild land. Now, master Western novelist Ralph Compton tells the real story of the tough-as-leather men who blazed the way into the untamed frontier.

Once they drove longhorns. Now Mac Tunstall and his band of Texans must take a shipment of Winchesters by rail and wagon all the way to the U.S. Army in Austin. But from the moment the wagoneers set out, violence and treachery stalk their trail. From Dodge to the Brazos, half the outlaws on the frontier are aiming to get hold of an arsenal that could blow the West wide open. And Mac and his men don't see one danger until it's too late-four beautiful, headstrong women determined to share a trail of courage and tears all the way to the end.

Genres: Westerns

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Ralph Compton (April 11, 1934—September 16, 1998) was an American writer of western fiction.

A native of St. Clair County, Alabama, Compton began his writing career with a notable work, The Goodnight Trail, which was chosen as a finalist for the Western Writers of America "Medicine Pipe Bearer Award" bestowed upon the "Best Debut Novel". He was also the author of the Sundown Rider series and the Border Empire series. In the last decade of his life, he authored more than two dozen novels, some of which made it onto the USA Today bestseller list for fiction.

Ralph Compton died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 64. Since his passing, Signet Books has continued the author's legacy, releasing new novels, written by authors such as Joseph A. West and David Robbins, under Compton's byline.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/ralphc...

Reviews

[Lyndon · Rating 2 out of 5]

First this catastrophe then that scrape then some bad hombres ambushed them then them dern varmints held them hostage the owl hoots! Then another catastrophe some more outlaws another ambush etc. So I quit about half way jumped to the end and everyone was rescued and the men got their gals. The End.

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mac Tunstall and his small group of Texan riders are hired to guard a shipment of Winchesters from Dodge City to Austin (1873). Four military widows accompany them on the journey, setting the stage for humiliation, misogyny, and kidnapping. I found many parts of this novel sappy but kept reading because I was involved in the story. Too much of the plot was unrealistic and convenient.

[Jess Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great and exciting read. I love reading about lawless lands in the old west.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tale of cooperation

With such a diverse group it took a lot of communication and trust to overcome all the problems they faced.

[Jeffery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it portrayed “stronger”women in it which was necessary in the west at that time.