The Curly Wolf

by M.R. Kayser

The settlers in the Redbud Valley are peaceable, God-fearing folk who try to follow the golden rule, but they've been pushed too far by the mayor of Blue Stone, who wants their land and seemingly has the law on his side. Just as the nesters are banding together to resist the land grab, Blue Stone's newest deputy rides through their valley. Before they realize the sleepy-eyed youngster called Arizona is a veteran gunfighter hired to bulldoze them off their claims, he has already broken bread with them, danced with their daughters…and stolen the heart of one.

Young Theresa Gutierrez believes Arizona is more than a curly wolf with quick trigger fingers and a stone-cold heart, but her parents and neighbors have good reason to believe otherwise. What everyone agrees upon is that, in the brewing range war, the Arizona Kid is liable to be right smack in the midst of the killing.

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 7, 2010

Reviews

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Arizona Kid had a very cold heart and he was an amazing sharpshooter. He'd helped clean up the town of Clinton's Change A's and is sent to Blue Stone where he's told they need someone like him to help rid the squatters that are on the land where they want to run a railway. Along the way he meets the people of Redbud, they welcome him and show him a kindness he has never known. What will happen when they find out he wants them off their land?

I'm not usually a lover of westerns, but the synopsis peaked my curiosity. There was nonstop action, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved the budding romance between Arizona and Theresa. There is mention of Christianity but the way it was written wasn't overbearing or preachy. All in all this was a fantastic novel and I'm glad I got the chance to read it.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Love for Western I got from my dad, we used to watch John Wayne movies all the time and he had many books. Anyway.....
The book, I love the characters, they are strong and well developed, the lead role is for a young man who went through much and is a professional gunslinger at young age, he doesn't see wrong with what he does, he falls for Theresa, her dad however forbids them seeing each other. She is convinced there is more to him then just a gun for hire. There is a lot of action in this book and a mild dose of religion results in a great book, especially for Western lovers.

[Dianne Kenes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was very interesting! Arizona was a young man that was trying to save money to buy land to raise horses which he loved! He became a sherif to run squatters off the openers land. He ran into some really nice people but also met evil people who weren't very nice! He never thought any woman would pay attention to him! He met someone but as usual he figured she would be like all the other women he had met! Read this story find out what happens!

[Henry Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't want to say it's old fashioned, because it's not EXACTLY the kind of genre work the icons like L'Amour, Grey and Brand once produced. Yet neither is it deconstructive or transposing present-day values into characters from over a century ago IMO. Also the christian theme(s) are not in-your-face, but they are there, as one might expect from a story about a prodigal gunfighter.