Standoff at Sunrise Creek

The Legend of Stuart Brannon #4

by Stephen Bly

The Stuart Brannon Novels - Book 5 Will Stuart Brannon Lose His Beloved Ranch to the Casa Verde Land Corporation? At long last Stuart Brannon hits the homeward trail to his Arizona ranch. But if he has hopes to settle down to the quiet life of a cattleman, he has miscalculated. Much of what he holds dear is in terrible peril. Riding into his spread, he finds it occupied by gunmen sent by the Casa Verde Land Corporation, which claims to hold a Spanish land grant on his property. Enraged, Brannon drives off the intruders. Before the gunmen return with reinforcements, some of Brannon's friends and neighbors descend on the ranch. The party includes a small contingent of soldiers tracking down a band of Apaches, and Miss Harriet Reed, who is finding the Triple-B's owner increasingly attractive. When the gunmen return with a cannon, Brannon and his friends hunker down to defend the ranch. Written in the tradition of Zane Grey, Luke Short, and Louis L'Amour, Standoff at Sunrise Creek recreates the tumultuous old West where good battles evil.

Genres: Westerns, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Crime, Audiobook

182 pages, Paperback

First published January 11, 1993

About the author

Stephen Bly (August 17, 1944 - June 9, 2011) authored 100 books and hundreds of articles. His book, THE LONG TRAIL HOME, (Broadman & Holman), won the prestigious 2002 CHRISTY AWARD for excellence in Christian fiction in the category western novel. Three other books, PICTURE ROCK (Crossway Books), THE OUTLAW'S TWIN SISTER (Crossway Books), and LAST OF THE TEXAS CAMP (Broadman & Holman), were Christy Award finalists. He spoke at colleges, churches, camps and conferences across the U.S. and Canada. He was the pastor of Winchester Community Church, and served as mayor of Winchester, Idaho (2000-2007). He spoke on numerous television and radio programs, including Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family. He was an Active Member of the Western Writers of America. Steve graduated summa cum laude in Philosophy from Fresno State University and received a M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary. The Blys have three sons: Russell (married to Lois) and father of Zachary and Miranda (married to Chris Ross) and mother of Alayah, Michael (married to Michelle), and Aaron (married to Rina Joye) and father of Keaton and Deckard. A third generation westerner, Steve spent his early years working on ranches and farms.

Reviews

[Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these Christen westerns by Stephen Bly. Another good one in the Stuart Brannon series. Will hate to see it end.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

I gave this book a 4 star rating for only one reason & that is that it appeared no one had bothered to proofread it. Many typos married the flow of the story. But the story, like all Stephen Bly's work was great. Brannon returns to his Arizona ranch only to discover that the Casa Verde Land Corporation has claimed the ranch as part of a huge Spanish land grant. It does not go well for the Casa Verde Land Corporation.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Bly helped foster my love of reading. Now in September 2012, I'm pleased to see these new editions of his classic Stuart Brannon novels! The covers are fantastic and now Stuart and friends will continue to be part of my life for years to come.

**Dec. 2014 edit: See below for my full review of the title:

After many adventures in Colorado and New Mexico, Stuart Brannon arrives home in Arizona at last. His first stop is to pick up his mail in Prescott and spend time with friends, including the intriguing Miss Harriet Reed, who has decided that she will be the one to capture this widower's heart. But on Brannon's first night in town the dinner in his honor goes horribly wrong when a young woman named Julie takes a bullet meant for Stuart, and he visits her often in the early days of her recovery. Then it's time to go back to his ranch and begin rebuilding a simple life on the range.

Except Stuart Brannon's life is never simple. When he finally sets foot again on his Triple B Ranch, he is disturbed to find his place occupied as headquarters for the Casa Verde Land Corporation, who claims a right to be there because of a Spanish land grant. Knowing that such a grant has not been approved by Congress, Brannon manages to fight his way to possession of his own property, but the CVL promises it will be back with more men to evict him for good.

While awaiting the CVL's return and healing from injuries sustained during the reclaiming of his home, Brannon becomes host to several visitors, including a small troop of soldiers who are in the area to look for suspicious Apache activity, as well as friends from Prescott, Harriet and Julie among them. With dangers from Indians and the threat of a siege by the CVL, Brannon and company must outwit and outmaneuver them all if they hope to stay alive and make sure the ranch is still standing when all is said and done.

He's spent years fighting battles for other people, and now Brannon has a fight that is all his own. His ranch holds all his dreams for the future, as well as the heartbreak of the past. He longs for the quiet rancher's life and believes he is not a violent man, but trouble seems to follow him everywhere. Soon this conflict attracts the attention of the whole territory, and everyone is watching to see if Stuart Brannon will be able to win the Yavapai County War and the freedom to rebuild his life on his own property. Find your copy of this adventure to see for yourself how Brannon's home and heart fare through this latest set of challenges.

This review originated at http://reviewsbyerin.livejournal.com

[Vic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining! Nothing like a good ole western to remind us that simple things are most important. Good ole fashioned values!

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit implausible, quick read