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When Preaching Is Hell: A Western Adventure Novel

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When R.B. Handlin’s father passed away, R.B. was twenty-three years old and in his third year of the finest seminary in Boston. Notifying his older brother of their father’s death would be nigh on to impossible, as Alexander was out west in Arizona Territory and had not been heard from in years.

R.B. went on with his life, alone. Months later, a letter arrived from Arizona, telling him to come west. Murder was the cause of the death of his brother, Alexander Handlin. It happened in Prescott, Arizona Territory.

R.B. is now a rancher with a huge amount of money in the bank and more at the Wells Fargo Office. The small church, which also served as the schoolhouse, burned to the ground. A rich banker and rancher’s men did it; he is after R.B.’s land and water. R.B. hired men and rebuilt the church, but a short time later, two deputies, who were guarding him, lay shot to death in his barn. The only two witnesses told the jury R.B. had gunned them down for no cause. Yes, shot them both in the back.

Most men would hang for such a crime, but the banker put the squeeze on the judge’s hand while it was full of cash and had R.B. sentenced to life in prison instead. If dead, another relative might show up and claim the ranch, as R.B. had done at the death of his brother. With R.B. in prison, the land was abandoned, so banker Hampton took it over. Water was not what Hampton was after, as everyone was thinking. It was all that gold Alex Handlin had found before being cowardly shot in the back.

With the help of two U.S. marshals, R.B. is now out of prison, looking to put the revenge of God on the men responsible for the death of his brother and wrongfully sent him to prison.

With the help of U.S. Marshal Shorty Thompson, aging gunfighter William (Bill) Hartley, and the pretty, young schoolteacher, Miss Kitty Sasser, preaching will be hellfire and brimstone in the small town of Prescott, Arizona Territory, in the year of 1884.

267 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2022

85 people are currently reading
2 people want to read

About the author

Paul L. Thompson

601 books31 followers

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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902 reviews11 followers
August 4, 2022
U. S. Marshall Shorty Thompson

Another great read about Shorty. I really enjoy reading these books. They are hard to lay down as you want to see what happens next. Thank you Paul L. Thompson for a great read.
144 reviews1 follower
December 5, 2022
The bank job!!

It was an OK story. For being a Shorty Thompson Western, the book didn't have enough to do with or be about Shorty. I've read better Shorty books and I'm sure there will be many more. Now on to the next book of the series.
61 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2024
What a fantastic story

I'm really impressed that this author is able to write such thrilling stories and keep the reader glued to the story till the end. Looking forward to the next story!!
69 reviews1 follower
July 14, 2023
Believe in the Lord

Mr Thompson, this book was very good only proving that the Lord's protects the good. Thank you for your good works.
3,597 reviews16 followers
November 5, 2024
Brilliant storyline!

What a great story this was! I loved the twists and turns that lead to a very good ending! Lot's of intriguing things happen in this book!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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