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Hellbenders #3
A Killing At Rimrock
When Ranger Lin Jarret and Reece Sinclair ride in, Lambert’s Ferry across the Red River was a disputed oasis fueled by illegal alcohol and on the brink of a powder-smoke war.
It’s 1860, and Lambert and the Indian police were done with bootleggers, vowing to kill the next man freighting liquor across the Red—a man who just happened to be Lin Jarret’s best friend.
Navigating a shifting Texas landscape of loyalty and deceit, Jarret and Reece are out for justice as the Hellbenders bring fire and brimstone down on the feared Order of the Ivory Compass, uncovering a heinous plot to blow the Lone Star state sky high.
It’s 1860, and Lambert and the Indian police were done with bootleggers, vowing to kill the next man freighting liquor across the Red—a man who just happened to be Lin Jarret’s best friend.
Navigating a shifting Texas landscape of loyalty and deceit, Jarret and Reece are out for justice as the Hellbenders bring fire and brimstone down on the feared Order of the Ivory Compass, uncovering a heinous plot to blow the Lone Star state sky high.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 6, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 30, 2022
The third novel in the Hellbenders series opens with Texas Ranger Lin Jarret and his pretty partner Reece Sinclair using their stagecoach to transport a passenger named Dale Hemlock to an important Cotton Growers Association meeting. Cotton is the foundation of the economy in Texas in 1860 so the Cotton Growers are extremely important. It also seems inevitable that there will be war between the states.
Local disputes involving the transportation of alcohol across the Red River fuel an already volatile situation that also involves the conflict between the abolitionists and the Order of the Ivory Compass which is dedicated to the ideals of carving out a new country devoted to slave ownership. Caught in the middle are the Hellbenders, whose reputation for leading escaped slaves to safety is growing.
Author Richard Prosch has, once again, given us an action-packed western in the traditional mold. All three Hellbender novels tie together but they can also each be read and enjoyed separately. His two primary protagonists, Lin Jarret and Reece Sinclair make for an ideal pair to carry the plot. To quote from the book, “He was flour, she was water. Together they were hard tack – able to see through the rough times and last damn near forever.” The other characters are all well-drawn and serve well to enhance the realistic setting and atmosphere as well as advancing the plot at the same time. And believe me there is lots of action here including gunplay, fist and knife fights, stagecoach peril, as well as some intriguing mental one-upmanship. It's especially gratifying to see Reece hold her own in these conflicts.
I genuinely hope this is not the final novel in the Hellbenders series. It would be interesting to see how Lin and Reece carry on with their Hellbenders mission once the war begins in earnest.
Local disputes involving the transportation of alcohol across the Red River fuel an already volatile situation that also involves the conflict between the abolitionists and the Order of the Ivory Compass which is dedicated to the ideals of carving out a new country devoted to slave ownership. Caught in the middle are the Hellbenders, whose reputation for leading escaped slaves to safety is growing.
Author Richard Prosch has, once again, given us an action-packed western in the traditional mold. All three Hellbender novels tie together but they can also each be read and enjoyed separately. His two primary protagonists, Lin Jarret and Reece Sinclair make for an ideal pair to carry the plot. To quote from the book, “He was flour, she was water. Together they were hard tack – able to see through the rough times and last damn near forever.” The other characters are all well-drawn and serve well to enhance the realistic setting and atmosphere as well as advancing the plot at the same time. And believe me there is lots of action here including gunplay, fist and knife fights, stagecoach peril, as well as some intriguing mental one-upmanship. It's especially gratifying to see Reece hold her own in these conflicts.
I genuinely hope this is not the final novel in the Hellbenders series. It would be interesting to see how Lin and Reece carry on with their Hellbenders mission once the war begins in earnest.
October 23, 2021
Richard Prosch – Hellbenders Bk 3 – A Killing at Rimrock – Reviewed 10/22/21 – Read 10/9/10/21
Saving Texas and finding justice for his gunned-down friend drive Lin Jarret & Reece Sinclair!
Their job this trip was to carry a man named Dale Hemlock to the Regional Cotton Growers Association meeting in one piece. When they were almost to their destination they boarded Lambert’s Ferry to cross the Red River on the last leg of their journey, unfortunately, the cable snapped halfway across. This caused the tall concord coach to slide to the starboard side, spooking the horses. Brother Lambert ordered his men to thrust their poles to control the turn and ease the boat back on course. With the brute strength of the men, they made it across to the relief of everyone. Everyone except their passenger, one look at his pale green face told Lin and Reese of his terror.
It seems whatever Lambert wanted, he got, land, grist mill, sawmill, broom factory, blacksmith shop, plus the town. Lin and Reese were invited to supper at his house that evening. Now officially they had crossed into Indian Territory and of course, there was a law of no alcohol of any kind allowed in the Nations, but Lambert assured them that they would be having drinks at his place. Shortly after dinner was served Lambert's head of the Indian police came in and told him that one of the bootleggers that they had been chasing was in town and they were going to take him down. Being a Texas Ranger, Lin spoke up. You can’t just gun down a man, even if he is doing something wrong. But that is just what happen! When Lin got to the body he recognized his friend Jim Douglas, but it was too late, Jim’s last words were; “Conspiracy, mountain man” and then he passed.
Join Lin and Reese as they work together trying to save the Lone State, justice for Lin’s friend, Jim, and put a stop to the Order of the Ivory Compass in their plot to raise havoc…
What did I like? We are here in the third book of the series, and it just keeps getting better and better. So much is happening, and we have some mighty important people visit this time around. It is a pleasure to read about a strong woman like Reese, standing up for what she believes in, with Lin supporting her and working together. I’m looking forward to the next book after everything that happened in this one, what will they do next?
What will you like? Talk about action, it starts on page one with the river almost taking their lives, and then it doesn’t stop till the last page turns. The characters are amazing, filtering in some history along with the storyline that makes you want to have been there. Richard sure knows his history as his research shows on every page. The whole book comes to life as Richard fills us with wonderful descriptions and details. Excellent job of editing for a wonderful and exciting read. The next chapter in the Hellbenders Series, Richard Prosch’s “A Killing At Rimrock” is available NOW!!!
• ASIN: B09F4JS5JC
• Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
• Publication Date: 10/6/2021
• File Size: 3227 KB
• Print Length: 293 pages
• Genre: Louis L'Amour Westerns, Classic American Fiction, Western Fiction Classics
Saving Texas and finding justice for his gunned-down friend drive Lin Jarret & Reece Sinclair!
Their job this trip was to carry a man named Dale Hemlock to the Regional Cotton Growers Association meeting in one piece. When they were almost to their destination they boarded Lambert’s Ferry to cross the Red River on the last leg of their journey, unfortunately, the cable snapped halfway across. This caused the tall concord coach to slide to the starboard side, spooking the horses. Brother Lambert ordered his men to thrust their poles to control the turn and ease the boat back on course. With the brute strength of the men, they made it across to the relief of everyone. Everyone except their passenger, one look at his pale green face told Lin and Reese of his terror.
It seems whatever Lambert wanted, he got, land, grist mill, sawmill, broom factory, blacksmith shop, plus the town. Lin and Reese were invited to supper at his house that evening. Now officially they had crossed into Indian Territory and of course, there was a law of no alcohol of any kind allowed in the Nations, but Lambert assured them that they would be having drinks at his place. Shortly after dinner was served Lambert's head of the Indian police came in and told him that one of the bootleggers that they had been chasing was in town and they were going to take him down. Being a Texas Ranger, Lin spoke up. You can’t just gun down a man, even if he is doing something wrong. But that is just what happen! When Lin got to the body he recognized his friend Jim Douglas, but it was too late, Jim’s last words were; “Conspiracy, mountain man” and then he passed.
Join Lin and Reese as they work together trying to save the Lone State, justice for Lin’s friend, Jim, and put a stop to the Order of the Ivory Compass in their plot to raise havoc…
What did I like? We are here in the third book of the series, and it just keeps getting better and better. So much is happening, and we have some mighty important people visit this time around. It is a pleasure to read about a strong woman like Reese, standing up for what she believes in, with Lin supporting her and working together. I’m looking forward to the next book after everything that happened in this one, what will they do next?
What will you like? Talk about action, it starts on page one with the river almost taking their lives, and then it doesn’t stop till the last page turns. The characters are amazing, filtering in some history along with the storyline that makes you want to have been there. Richard sure knows his history as his research shows on every page. The whole book comes to life as Richard fills us with wonderful descriptions and details. Excellent job of editing for a wonderful and exciting read. The next chapter in the Hellbenders Series, Richard Prosch’s “A Killing At Rimrock” is available NOW!!!
• ASIN: B09F4JS5JC
• Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
• Publication Date: 10/6/2021
• File Size: 3227 KB
• Print Length: 293 pages
• Genre: Louis L'Amour Westerns, Classic American Fiction, Western Fiction Classics
October 8, 2026
This is the third and final novel in Richard Prosch's superb Hellbenders series. In this one, Texas Ranger Lin Jarret and the lovely and brave Reese Sinclair are transporting a businessman to a cotton growers conference in Rimrock. But there's more afoot than just a conference.
What follows is a plot that I'm reluctant to summarize at all, because there are a number of great plot twists along the way that I do not want to risk giving away. Lin and Reese soon team-up with a tomahawk-wielding mountain man named Steve Gardner and an old man who turns out to be... someone important. The Order of the Ivory Compass is still plotting to establish an independent, slaveholding empire in the South and people are being killed to further this goal. In addition, the Hellbenders' abolitionist tendencies are becoming well-known, so Lin and Reese are being framed for a campaign of arson in North Texas that is burning entire towns to the ground.
It's a great story that takes off quickly and is seeded with fantastic action scenes that keep the pacing fast. There are rattlesnakes, ambushes, gunfights, arrests on false charges, jailbreaks, the return of an old enemy who might or might not still be an enemy, and an edge-of-your-seat bowie knife vs. tomahawk duel.
The author's skill at characterization is another highlight. Lin and Reese are strong protagonists, but everyone--good guys, bad guys and those inbetween are given distinct personalities. There are a lot of moving parts in this novel, both with lots of characters and several intertwined plot threads, but Prosch keeps everything clear for us. You never get lost or lose track of people or events.
I love this series and "A Killing at Rimrock" is arguably the best of the three.
What follows is a plot that I'm reluctant to summarize at all, because there are a number of great plot twists along the way that I do not want to risk giving away. Lin and Reese soon team-up with a tomahawk-wielding mountain man named Steve Gardner and an old man who turns out to be... someone important. The Order of the Ivory Compass is still plotting to establish an independent, slaveholding empire in the South and people are being killed to further this goal. In addition, the Hellbenders' abolitionist tendencies are becoming well-known, so Lin and Reese are being framed for a campaign of arson in North Texas that is burning entire towns to the ground.
It's a great story that takes off quickly and is seeded with fantastic action scenes that keep the pacing fast. There are rattlesnakes, ambushes, gunfights, arrests on false charges, jailbreaks, the return of an old enemy who might or might not still be an enemy, and an edge-of-your-seat bowie knife vs. tomahawk duel.
The author's skill at characterization is another highlight. Lin and Reese are strong protagonists, but everyone--good guys, bad guys and those inbetween are given distinct personalities. There are a lot of moving parts in this novel, both with lots of characters and several intertwined plot threads, but Prosch keeps everything clear for us. You never get lost or lose track of people or events.
I love this series and "A Killing at Rimrock" is arguably the best of the three.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews