A Score to Settle

by Mike Torreano

Broken after his family is murdered, rancher Del Lawson signs on to a cattle drive along the Goodnight-Loving trail in 1870. He is unaware he's still in danger. When he falls for a pretty Army nurse, the killers target her. If he's to recover from his grief and build a new life, Del must set out on a gritty hunt for the men who are hunting him. Meanwhile, Del's mother, Maybelle, doesn't know her son survived that murderous night. When she discovers the gold the killers are after, she uses the treasure in an elaborate masquerade to take the murderers down. Will mother and son's plans reap justice—or destroy what's left of the Lawson clan?

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2020

About the author

I write traditional western mysteries and historical fiction, sweet reads with a thread of romance.
My inspiration has always been Zane Grey, who I started reading in fifth grade. His vivid descriptions put me riding right along with the good guys and bad guys amid the red sandstone formations of the Painted Desert.
I'm also drawn to The Code of the West, which laid out right and wrong for many parts of the Old West that didn't have any other law. Our country could sure use some of those timeless values today.
My first historical, Fireflies at Dusk. was released in November 2023.

Reviews

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saddle up for an authentic western adventure! Mr. Torreano’s fluid writing style will make readers feel as though they are riding the Goodnight-Loving Trail along with the cowboys.

Read full review in the 2021 March issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure-trove of gold puts rancher Del Lawson and the woman he loves in danger but it’s a race against time for Del to get justice. All Del Lawson wants is time to grieve after his family is murdered so he joins a cattle drive. Thinking he’s out of danger, Del meets and falls in love with a beautiful nurse. The killers hunt him down yet again but this time, Del turns the tables and hunts them. He’ll stop at nothing to bring the butchers to justice, even if it costs him his life. There’s a cache of gold the killers are after. Can Del and his mother bring these men to justice or will the score to settle be the end of the Lawson line forever?

A Score to Settle is a classic historical western set in the 1870s. There are classic themes here which are well-presented with descriptive narration, gritty characters, and a historically accurate plot. Mike Torreano writes a compelling story with plenty of anguish. Every nuance is brilliantly detailed so the reader can escape into the rough landscape of the wild west. The plot moves at a good pace with tons of action scenes. My heart went out to poor Del time and again. While there were times when the plot was predictable, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. I savored A Score to Settle and I look forward to reading more from Mike Torreano. If you’re a western reader, you’ll want to read A Score to Settle. If you’re looking to escape back into the old west, pick up A Score to Settle. Highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I'd review it.

My Rating: 5 stars

Reviewed by: Mrs. N

This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

[Margaret Rodenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Torreano’s newest Western, A Score To Settle, presents a wonderful, twisty adventure along the historic Goodnight-Loving trail during the heyday of the cowboy. Like the best of such stories, it starts off with a murder and a hunt for gold. Del Lawson—the hero—barely has time to mourn his family before he, too, is targeted. Del’s a sympathetic Good Guy, and the reader happily follows him and a colorful cast of characters on a beautifully rendered cattle drive into perilous danger.

For me, the story soars when two strong women enter the picture. One, an army nurse with a past of her own, nurses Del back to health, physically and emotionally. In an interwoven plot line, Del’s audacious mother Maybelle (who thinks her son is dead) sets off on her own quest to “settle the score.” Both women are vivid, plucky, ingenious characters who lift the already terrific story to new heights.

All in all, Torreano spins an engrossing, quick-paced yarn that will make your heart beat faster and pull its tender strings, too. You won’t want to put it down. It’s a joyride start to finish.

[Hugh Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight years now, I’ve been enjoying Mike Torreano’s westerns. Each one better than the last. I’m always struck by how often Torreano’s characters find themselves climbing back in the saddle of life. In A Score to Settle, because “nothing much was right these days,” a young Del Lawson has to climb back into that saddle despite “a hurt buried so deep.” No spoilers, but Lawson is not alone on his journey. He’s among 2,000 longhorns and a rich cast of unforgettable characters, all of them settling their own scores in one way or another. Some vengeful. Many surprising. All engaging. I’m also struck by Torreano’s thorough historical research — his anthropological faithfulness to the West and its many cultures. Clearly, he understands how to embrace what Andy Adams calls in The Log of a Cowboy the “fatal days in life.” Fatal days … nothing much right … hurts buried deep. Sound familiar? Grab a whiskey and read. Or, heck, grab the whole bottle. Torreano would.

[Mark Torreano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Torreano’s tome is well worth the ride. His skillful rendering of the panorama of the frontier Southwest provides vivid images of the harsh desert and transports us to the dusty towns, seedy saloons and expansive cattle ranches. The sweeping energy and danger of a cattle drive forms a fititng backdrop to a compelling chronicle of the collision of the raw, lawless grasp of the wealthy and the stiff courage of drifters and settlers taming a wild land who had nothing to lose. Torreano weaves in a collection of characters you love and hate, with a tarnished hero, strong women and a villain who surprises the reader with a whiff of humanity. The settling of this score satisfies and enlightens.

[Marilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of greed, ruthlessness, romance, danger, kindness, selflessness, and heroism populated by believable characters that are easy to worry about. An authentic 1870s western wrapped in a New Mexico cattle drive complete with a satisfying splash of humor. Perfect for fans of Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and all the other great old westerns I grew up watching.

[John Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Torreano's writing is clear, crisp, genuine. I've never been a reader of Westerns, but Torreano opened up the genre to me and I look forward to reading more of his work. Highly recommended.

[Pete Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike's writing is very similar, I believe, to Larry McMurtry, whose books I have loved since being exposed to "Lonesome Dove." I have read both "The Reckoning" and "The Renewal" and am currently enjoying "A Score To Settle. "

Mike is very descriptive, describing those elements of the tough western life. This story tells of outlaws who have plundered the family farm of Ansel Lawson, burning it to the ground after killing most of his family, searching for a treasure of gold. After the fire, Ansel's son, Del Lawson, his wife and son (now dead) was a sodbuster with no experience, joins a cattle drive, moving uncooperative longhorns along the dusty Goodnight trail north out of New Mexico.

Unable to blend in with the drovers and looked down upon by the trail boss and foreman, Del had something to prove to himself and his sidekick, Kip Holloway. To himself, prove that he was brave enough to do the job while hiding from those ruthless outlaws who were after him for the gold. He was beaten to a pulp, shot, and delivered into the arms of beautiful Rose, where his luck changed.

Was Del Lawson able to overcome all which was against him and "settle the score"?
If you like Zane Grey or Larry McMurtry, you'll love Mike Torreano's writings, as well.

[Rex Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun Western in the Zane Gray, Louis L'Amour mode, with a sympathetic hero, Del Lawson, suffering from the murder of his family. The evil killer is still on the loose, and out to get Del. A mute boy, a pretty nurse, and a trusted horse help Del confront the danger while, unbeknownst to him, a beautiful, mysterious woman tracks the killer on her own. A Score To Settle is a fun gallop through the wilds of New Mexico Territory with twists and turns on nearly every page.