Willow Lane

The 1870s. As opposed to the myths of popular culture, not everybody was swaggering around with six-irons strapped down and leading lives of mayhem. But there were the exceptions--every bit as evil, bloody and deadly as legends portray. And so too, was the law that handled these outlaws. In the mold of men like Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp, M D "Shorty" Thompson is just that kind of lawman: Short on stature but tall on guts. Hand-picked by President Rutherford B. Hayes, he is one of best. And since United States Marshals of the 1870s handle desperados, this means just about everybody does seem to be using those strapped-down dragoons and wreaking havoc. For Marshal M D Thompson, its the life of a lawman. Nestled in the gold and silver mining communities of the New Mexico territories, hard-working Spanish villagers rear families while working side-by-side with decent mining owners whose property is coveted for the riches. Owned by various individuals, these properties provide a comfortable and stable economy for the communities. But what if one man owned them all--and for next to nothing as payroll could keep the villagers producing nuggets? Apparently those were Manco Dillon's thoughts when he clamped down his vice-like hold of murder and greed on an off-the-beaten-path mining community. In "Willow Lane" that's what Marshal Thompson stumbles into when returning two children he has happened across while en route on personal horse business. His detour to the Lane Ranch yields up an educated woman named Willow Lane--herself recently returned from back east to find the family ranch stolen and her father and brothers missing. For most criminals of the old west, greed is the driving force. But for those like Dillion, greed is merely the symptom of much deeper sins, and Marshal Thompson is about to bring down the wrath of God amid gunfire and Mother Nature's own ill-timed deluge. Narrated in the authentically seasoned dialect of a southwestern storyteller, the Marshal Thompson series pays tribute to the thrilling and heartbreaking hardships of our nation's western history. Accurately reconstructing the sweeping landscapes of the old west, these novels document the times and historical locations largely ignored by writers who have not been there. Paul L Thompson actually has been there, and you will feel like you were there, too.