Trail Hand

by R.W. Stone

Out of a job and at loose ends in the Mexican town of San Rafael, Owen Burke overhears a conversation between two Mexican vaqueros seated at a nearby table in the local cantina. After introducing himself, he learns they work for Don Enrique Hernandez de Allende at a horse ranch some distance south. The Don is planning a horse drive to California where his brother-in-law has a ranch. Owen knows those trails and hopes the Don might be in need of a guide. Arriving at the Don's ranch, he impresses the Don and his daughter, Rosa Maria. However, the ramrod, Chavez, who is suspicious of gringos in general and also guards Rosa Maria jealously, is not impressed. Despite Chavez's mistrust, Owen is hired as a guide for the drive.

While scouting ahead on the drive, Owen is ambushed and left for dead. His attacker then leads a band of rustlers who drive off the horses. Because the leader resembles Owen and is riding his horse, Chavez believes the leader is Owen and vows to get even with him for leading them into a trap. With Chavez and his vaqueros pursuing him, Owen sets out to find the thieves, recover the horses, and clear his name. But first, he needs a horse.

Genres: Westerns

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Charles Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bored with life in the little town of San Rafael, Mexico, a lone cowhand seeks work on a horse drive. When he’s ambushed and the herd is stolen, the owner, Don Enrique, and his men, think the cowhand betrayed him. He has to evade them, while fulfilling a promise to Rosa, Don Enrique’s daughter, to get the herd back.
Over the last few years, the western genre has been staging something of a comeback, but nothing beats the style of yesteryear—straight talk, and lots of detail about life in the Wild West.
Trail Hand by R. W. Stone, originally written in the 60s and reissued in 2009, is done in the traditional style; lots of gun and knife fights, loads of western lore, and is the typical story of the lone man fighting the odds in order to survive, who has as much love and respect for his horse as for women.
If you’re a fan of westerns, or are a first time reader, you’ll like this story. It has all the elements of a true western. My only complaint is that the first person narrator, the main character, is not clearly identified early in the story; which makes it a little difficult to get into it right away. Other than that, though, this is a story that rocks.

[John Duggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

great summer read!

The book is elegantly written, encompassing different cultures and a surprising array of gun and horsemanship knowledge. The addition of some contemporary second amendment banter was also an enjoyable aside…The storyline was unpredictable in its clever design with the guy getting the girl and a surprising twist, where you think…maybe I was wrong and he doesn’t get her after all…I throughly enjoyed it and will no doubt enjoy Dr Stones others…btw he’s an excellent Veterinarian and took great care of my Lola….Thanks doc

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good Western tale. Enjoyable reading.

[Teressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

TRAIL HAND: A WESTERN STORY was an enjoyable listen. It was a smell the dirt, leather, and gun powder western tale that kept me entertained. I liked the way the story began with Owen sitting at the cantina contemplating the worm at the bottom of the Mezcal along with his situation. After I finished the book, I noticed the similarities. I could feel the tension and mistrust in the air between the characters. The atmosphere at the dusty old hole in the wall was sweat and whiskey. Owen Burke is a likeable guy with a nice Morgan and a Henry carbine who decides to join in a horse drive as a guide. The other vaqueros aren’t trusting of him even though Don Hernandez hires him after noticing his daughter’s interest. After the ambush, Owen knows he’s in deep trouble and needs to find who stole the horses and save his own neck in the process. With few people to trust and even fewer who trust him, Owen meets an abandoned boy he calls Sprout who had grown up with the Kiowa who taught him several ways to stay alive if caught in a sticky situation.

More of this review at "Sixth Dimension Audiobook Reviews"

[Lisa C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Always on the lookout for a good western writer, this one just didn't cut it. The writing was too hard to follow. At times there would be characters talking that I had to read more than once to figure out who was talking. I could barely get through the book and only did so because I had to see if it got any better.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a western to bide my time while I dove to Thanksgiving. It's a solid book but I just never had the feeling that the protagonist was ever in any real danger. Seemed like he could do no wrong and knew all the tricks to come out on top. Fun to listen to but u wasn't overly impressed.

[Michael E. Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read!

Reminiscent of the great Louis L'Amour! Truly enjoyable and true to the genre. I could see a major motion picture play out in my mind's eye. I must find more.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uninspiring western about a man and a horse drive. Plenty of blood

[Carol and Gary Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Western. Filled with the action one would expect. Well worth the time.