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Ryder - To Hell and Back : A Gritty Western Revenge Series
Ryder’s been to hell before—this time, he might not come back.A chain gang. A desert. No law. No mercy.
Another gritty, standalone Western from bestselling author Wyatt Steele.
Wrongfully imprisoned, Ryder was just passing through.
Then the prison convoy was ambushed in the middle of the desert.
Now he’s shackled to killers—and the only way out is through hell.
They chained him to murderers.
They marched him across the desert like a dog.
They thought that would be the end of Ryder.
They were wrong.
After being falsely accused and thrown onto a prison wagon convoy bound east, Ryder finds himself shackled to a group of desperate men. But when the convoy is ambushed in a narrow canyon, the guards are slaughtered and only a handful of prisoners survive.
Still bound, low on water, and hunted by whoever staged the ambush, Ryder and the others are forced into the desert. Among them are a cold-blooded killer, a fraudulent preacher quoting scripture, a bitter ex-soldier, and a half-dead man who might be the only one worth saving.
But trust is scarce, and the desert doesn’t forgive.
As the sun scorches and men start dying, Ryder knows it’s only a matter of time before the real danger isn’t thirst or heat—but the men beside him.
There’s no law out here. No second chances.
And if Ryder’s going to make it out alive, he’ll have to who lives, who dies—and what kind of man he wants to be when the chains come off.
Brutal, atmospheric, and unflinching, Curse of the Gunfighter is a powerful Western tale of survival, justice, and the cost of walking the hard road.
Perfect for readers of C. J. Petit, William W. Johnstone, and the classic grit of Elmore Leonard.
Scroll up and grab your copy now.
Another gritty, standalone Western from bestselling author Wyatt Steele.
Wrongfully imprisoned, Ryder was just passing through.
Then the prison convoy was ambushed in the middle of the desert.
Now he’s shackled to killers—and the only way out is through hell.
They chained him to murderers.
They marched him across the desert like a dog.
They thought that would be the end of Ryder.
They were wrong.
After being falsely accused and thrown onto a prison wagon convoy bound east, Ryder finds himself shackled to a group of desperate men. But when the convoy is ambushed in a narrow canyon, the guards are slaughtered and only a handful of prisoners survive.
Still bound, low on water, and hunted by whoever staged the ambush, Ryder and the others are forced into the desert. Among them are a cold-blooded killer, a fraudulent preacher quoting scripture, a bitter ex-soldier, and a half-dead man who might be the only one worth saving.
But trust is scarce, and the desert doesn’t forgive.
As the sun scorches and men start dying, Ryder knows it’s only a matter of time before the real danger isn’t thirst or heat—but the men beside him.
There’s no law out here. No second chances.
And if Ryder’s going to make it out alive, he’ll have to who lives, who dies—and what kind of man he wants to be when the chains come off.
Brutal, atmospheric, and unflinching, Curse of the Gunfighter is a powerful Western tale of survival, justice, and the cost of walking the hard road.
Perfect for readers of C. J. Petit, William W. Johnstone, and the classic grit of Elmore Leonard.
Scroll up and grab your copy now.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 5, 2026
'Ryder - To Hell and Back: A Gritty Western Revenge Series' (Book 5), written by Wyatt Steele (Kindle)
Pretty good Wild West yarn, featuring Ryder, a well-seasoned, no bull-shit kind of cowboy. I did enjoy this tale of a man who has his own moral code of integrity and won't be swayed by liars who speechify, not frightened by thieves and bullies, someone who tries to do the right thing in any given situation including trying to protect a green (young, inexperienced) cowpoke, who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and subseqently accused of a crime he didn't commit.
Reminded me of the old Louis Lamour cowboy sagas one of my grandads used to read.
Unfortunately, this book could have benefitted from more diligent proof readers and a good editor, as there were quite a lot of errors and it got distracting.
For instance: in one part where he gets captured by a deputy sheriff who mistakes him for a man whose likeness is drawn on a wanted poster: they take away his coat and his boots and chain him inside a jail cell, then later chain him inside a type of prisoner-wagon, along with other prisoners meant for trial in a far off distant town. Then later on, it seems like he's now wearing his boots, but not his coat... (he mentions how cold he is without it) and there's no mention of the guards somehow giving him his boots and his coat back, because they were taken away when they first arrested him in the town where he was thrown into a jail cell. But then, further on in this tale, he has no boots and still no coat, and a day or two later, when he's still chained to the other prisoners that are all on that same prison wagon, except they're outside it now and he has his boots AND his coat! (shakes head)
I dunno...cowboy magic? (lol)
Still, even with all waffling in this tale of America's western frontier and the people who chose to live out there or travel through, it was an interesting storyline and I enjoyed this character, Ryder.
I'm very familiar with the Western areas of the USA and the story descriptions of these areas rang true.
I also liked the enigmatic Native American character, Cheyenne tribal member, Redbone.
I'll be checking out other books in this series......um, somehow I've started with book 5 ? (go figure, lol)
Pretty good Wild West yarn, featuring Ryder, a well-seasoned, no bull-shit kind of cowboy. I did enjoy this tale of a man who has his own moral code of integrity and won't be swayed by liars who speechify, not frightened by thieves and bullies, someone who tries to do the right thing in any given situation including trying to protect a green (young, inexperienced) cowpoke, who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and subseqently accused of a crime he didn't commit.
Reminded me of the old Louis Lamour cowboy sagas one of my grandads used to read.
Unfortunately, this book could have benefitted from more diligent proof readers and a good editor, as there were quite a lot of errors and it got distracting.
For instance: in one part where he gets captured by a deputy sheriff who mistakes him for a man whose likeness is drawn on a wanted poster: they take away his coat and his boots and chain him inside a jail cell, then later chain him inside a type of prisoner-wagon, along with other prisoners meant for trial in a far off distant town. Then later on, it seems like he's now wearing his boots, but not his coat... (he mentions how cold he is without it) and there's no mention of the guards somehow giving him his boots and his coat back, because they were taken away when they first arrested him in the town where he was thrown into a jail cell. But then, further on in this tale, he has no boots and still no coat, and a day or two later, when he's still chained to the other prisoners that are all on that same prison wagon, except they're outside it now and he has his boots AND his coat! (shakes head)
I dunno...cowboy magic? (lol)
Still, even with all waffling in this tale of America's western frontier and the people who chose to live out there or travel through, it was an interesting storyline and I enjoyed this character, Ryder.
I'm very familiar with the Western areas of the USA and the story descriptions of these areas rang true.
I also liked the enigmatic Native American character, Cheyenne tribal member, Redbone.
I'll be checking out other books in this series......um, somehow I've started with book 5 ? (go figure, lol)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2026
LG
In the scorching desert, Ryder's pursuit of Garcia for an outstanding debt takes an unexpected turn when a mistaken identification lands him behind bars. Wrongfully imprisoned, he finds himself crammed into a wagon with five other convicts, their fate hanging in the balance. When a sudden, violent attack by Native Americans decimates the guards, Ryder and the surviving prisoners are thrust into a harrowing journey of survival.
The landscape becomes a merciless adversary, with the sun beating down like a relentless, white-hot hammer. Heat mirages shimmer and dance, spectral and silent, across the barren terrain. No wind stirs, no bird calls pierce the oppressive silence—only the searing hiss of heat radiating from sun-baked rocks breaks the desolate stillness.
As they navigate this unforgiving wilderness, Ryder and his companions must confront not only the brutal elements but also their own inner demons, in a gripping tale of survival, justice, and redemption.
In the scorching desert, Ryder's pursuit of Garcia for an outstanding debt takes an unexpected turn when a mistaken identification lands him behind bars. Wrongfully imprisoned, he finds himself crammed into a wagon with five other convicts, their fate hanging in the balance. When a sudden, violent attack by Native Americans decimates the guards, Ryder and the surviving prisoners are thrust into a harrowing journey of survival.
The landscape becomes a merciless adversary, with the sun beating down like a relentless, white-hot hammer. Heat mirages shimmer and dance, spectral and silent, across the barren terrain. No wind stirs, no bird calls pierce the oppressive silence—only the searing hiss of heat radiating from sun-baked rocks breaks the desolate stillness.
As they navigate this unforgiving wilderness, Ryder and his companions must confront not only the brutal elements but also their own inner demons, in a gripping tale of survival, justice, and redemption.
March 10, 2026
A greedy Western for sure! A lot of dry desert and dust.
Wyatt still loves to put his main character through hell that's for sure. You get so thirsty and hungry and dirty just reading this book. Sad about that young boy dying, but I guess that's what happens when you're with evil men! Ryder has had his hands chained and tied so much, ribs broken, knocked out, but he always survivesI hope he gets a bit of comfort, rest, and good life in one of these books. He's a big tall, strong man who suffers a lot but always wins in the end.
Wyatt still loves to put his main character through hell that's for sure. You get so thirsty and hungry and dirty just reading this book. Sad about that young boy dying, but I guess that's what happens when you're with evil men! Ryder has had his hands chained and tied so much, ribs broken, knocked out, but he always survivesI hope he gets a bit of comfort, rest, and good life in one of these books. He's a big tall, strong man who suffers a lot but always wins in the end.
August 5, 2025
5 STARS, A RIDE IN A PRISON WAGON
5 STARS for another Ryder Series Book a classic action packed & gritty read that the reader feels he is along for the ride. Wrongly accused Ryder is fingered for another man, A murderer with a big bounty on his head. The greedy local law decide to arrest him & send him to the judge if he is found guilty they get the reward if not they don't care he was just a drifter.
Ryder is looking for a man, Garcia who hired him & others for a cattle drive & at the end of the drive when the cattle were sold, Garcia & 5 of his men rode out & disappeared leaving Ryder & the other men broke in that small town. Ryder was determined to get what was owed to him. It had been hard, long days, dusty & dangerous work with some of the men getting hurt one even got killed, Ryder was getting the wages coming to him, alright. Even though he was in the prison wagon, he knew life had ways of changing.
Feel the heat, sweat, & dust with this outstanding look at some characters even when the chips are down how they behave. Character shines through everytime.
RECOMMENDED
5 STARS for another Ryder Series Book a classic action packed & gritty read that the reader feels he is along for the ride. Wrongly accused Ryder is fingered for another man, A murderer with a big bounty on his head. The greedy local law decide to arrest him & send him to the judge if he is found guilty they get the reward if not they don't care he was just a drifter.
Ryder is looking for a man, Garcia who hired him & others for a cattle drive & at the end of the drive when the cattle were sold, Garcia & 5 of his men rode out & disappeared leaving Ryder & the other men broke in that small town. Ryder was determined to get what was owed to him. It had been hard, long days, dusty & dangerous work with some of the men getting hurt one even got killed, Ryder was getting the wages coming to him, alright. Even though he was in the prison wagon, he knew life had ways of changing.
Feel the heat, sweat, & dust with this outstanding look at some characters even when the chips are down how they behave. Character shines through everytime.
RECOMMENDED
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews