Houston - Softcover

After completing a cattle drive to Kansas, five of the trail hands ambush, rob, and shoot the three bosses as they ride back to Texas to deliver the drive's cash proceeds. All die but Joe Plenty. Although he loses an arm and a leg, his memory is intact as he fills in Camp Houston, a seasoned cowboy turned gunfighter, on the details of the men who betrayed them. Camp then promises to track down and kill all five men. Camp, a meticulous planner and practical man on the trail, washes his clothes in a stream, carries jugs of precooked restaurant chili, and doesn't sleep under trees (to avoid bird droppings). He seems to have friends wherever he finds himself, who help him or at least do not hinder his task of rounding up and doing away with the bad cowboys. A bit of history on the Texas Rangers, American quarter horses, and Grimsley pack saddles is thrown in as part of the bargain. A straightforward cowboy tale that's a breeze to read. Jennifer Henderson

"With Houston, Doug Bowman takes his rightful place as one of or greatest Western novelists."--Mike Roarke, author of Solid Drums

"A pulse-pounding Texas novel, to rank with Streets of Laredo."--Ralph W. Cotton, author of Cost of Killing

"An unforgettable book by one of today's best Western writters."--Porter Wagoner, country music entertainer