Llano River Valley

by Kent Conwell

Wrongly kicked out of the Confederate Army for dereliction of duty, JD Thornton sets out to run down Hugh Garrett, the corporal who accused him. In the middle of his search, he encounters Lucy and Floyd Coulter, who are headed for the Llano River Valley. Lucy is the remarried widow of a Union officer who died at Brown's Ferry, the battle that involved Thornton's dishonorable discharge. Thornton can't help but feel responsible for the couple's safe passage and vows to escort them to their new home. Newly bound to ensure the safety of the Coulters, Thornton pursues Garrett into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico. He soon finds himself the target of Comanche attacks and repeated attempts on his life until, finally, in the Llano River Valley, he confronts the man who destroyed his reputation.

234 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2008

About the author

Kent Conwell grew up in the Texas Panhandle in the town of Wheeler, population 848. The West was an integral part of his life. The solitude of the Panhandle, which offered little more than school and work, encouraged his reading and writing as well as his exploration of the vastness of the rolling prairies, the emptiness of which carried the presentiment itself of mystery and death.

A quest for adventure had been woven into his life by his grandfather, who had run away from his Tennessee home when he was 14. He bullwhacked his way to the Panhandle where he met his future wife who had traveled from Illinois to Texas.

After moving to Fort Worth where Kent was more at home at the stockyards than school, he earned a B.S. and began teaching. Later, he moved to Port Neches where he acquired a M.Ed. and Ph.D.

A successful educator, his love for writing about the West and its enigmas, a period in history unique to America, has never waned. After twenty-two westerns, he wrote his first mystery.
He has won awards for short stories, screenplays, mysteries, and westerns.

Reviews

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A KC. Texas/New Mexico/Arizona Western Action Adventure (LRV)

KC. has penned a Texas/New Mexico/Arizona western action adventure titled, "Llano River Valley*, which begins with a cowboy catching a train for Richmond to find a man who branded him a traitor as the Civil War ended. He finds the man has headed west to Arizona. The cowboy follows him and just misses him in Louisana. He continues the chase, by working ranches and checking small towns. This is an excellent read for the genre...DEHS

[Walter Breyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a hard time getting through.

The search for Garrett went on endlessly as did the story. Thornton had more injuries and near misses than a cat with nine lives. Overall the story did not seem credible and I had to force myself to finish. As with most of the authors books with all to familiar story lines, the ending was empty and the relationship between the main characters (Thornton and Lucy) was lacking intimacy as well as a much needed touch of romance. I would refer to R. O. Lane and C. J. Petit as examples of what I suggest would help this writer to add further appeal to his audience.

[Elizabeth West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plano River Valley

This was filled with western drama. Indians and outlaws along with soldiers. Lots of gunfights and sweet romance. I wasn't pleased with the ending.