Classic Western Mystery

There will never be another Western writer like Louis L’Amour. A legendary author and indisputably the greatest storyteller in his genre of all time, L’Amour captivated millions of readers and has sold well over three hundred million copies of his works, which includes nearly ninety novels and countless short stories. Mistakes Can Kill You highlights an essential selection featuring nine of L’Amour’s earlier short stories, sometimes written under the pen name Jim Mayo, that exemplify the rugged morality of the best Western writing.

After a violent train robbery, a stranger is left for dead, with no memory of who he is. Rescued by the rancher Sam Garrett and his widowed sister Sarah, he takes the name "Jack" and begins the slow road to recovery, never knowing if the men who attacked him will return to finish the job… Grateful for their kindness, Jack works to repay them. He has a natural way with horses, yet no memory of the life he left behind. The more time he spends at the ranch, the stronger his bond grows with Sarah, a bond shadowed by the mystery of who he was before the robbery. But Copper Valley is no safe ...

A man wakes amid twisted metal and gunfire, his head bleeding and his mind empty. The train is wrecked, bandits are killing survivors, and he doesn’t even know his own name. With nothing but instinct to guide him, he flees into the desert… Evelyn Carter takes in the wounded stranger and offers him shelter on her brother’s struggling ranch in Red Rock Basin. She gives him a name, watches his strength return, and begins to notice the dangerous competence beneath his silence. While the town grows suspicious, Evelyn chooses to trust the man he is… for now. When a ruthless land baron ...

Clara Whitfield's life at the saloon was simple enough—until a brutal gang raids the town and kidnaps her and the women she works with. When a chance to escape finally comes, she takes a desperate leap into a raging river, knowing the wilderness ahead may be just as deadly as the men who plan to sell her. Elias Boone, a reclusive hunter haunted by his past, wants nothing to do with other people's troubles. But when he finds Clara half-drowned and hunted by wolves, he's pulled into a fight he never asked for. With the gang close behind and no lawman for miles, Elias becomes her only chance...

Evelyn Harper shoots her abusive husband to protect her son, then flees Indiana under the cover of night. They find refuge in Arlington, Wyoming, where Evelyn starts over as a seamstress, but danger isn’t finished with her yet… Widowed sheriff Jonathan Tate has kept his heart buried since his wife's death, focused solely on protecting his town. Yet, Evelyn’s strength and guarded warmth catch him off guard. He senses she’s running from something, and he’s not sure if he can trust her… or afford not to. When ruthless outlaws appear in Arlington, Evelyn and Jonathan face their ...

Eddie Boyd, the former sheriff of Redwood, is forced to resign after a false accusation. He knows exactly who framed him, but without proof, the truth is useless. Betrayed by the town he once protected, Eddie settles into a quiet life until an unexpected ally appears. Alice Purdy arrives in Redwood with a broken heart. Her journalist brother’s death has been ruled a suicide, but Alice knows better. He was investigating corruption, and someone wanted him silenced. Now she wants to finish what her brother started… Reluctantly drawn back into the fight, Eddie must decide whether he can ...

Erika Muller finds her abusive husband murdered in their living room one morning. She feels only relief that he is gone, but even in death, he can still destroy her. She will be the main suspect in his murder, and if she’s hanged, her small daughter will be an orphan. Unfortunately, her problems don’t disappear with the death of her husband. The discovery of a hidden fortune in their home shows her that Karl was involved in something dangerous, and when another man is murdered on her doorstep, she takes her daughter and flees. Now the local sheriff blames her for Karl’s death and vows...

Sarah Waverly never expected a simple escape could lead her into such danger. Kidnapped by ruthless slave traders, Sarah makes a desperate bid for freedom when the opportunity arises. But the wilderness is just as dangerous as the men chasing her. Alone and with no one to trust, her only hope lies with a solitary hunter. Tom Blackwood has spent years living alone in the Bitterroot Mountains. When he finds Sarah fighting for her life against wolves, he saves her and reluctantly agrees to help her get to Cedar Ridge. But the journey is treacherous—and her captors are closing in. Tom is ...

Lydia Hartman, orphaned young and raised without a home to call her own, boards a train bound for Sacramento as a stowaway chasing a new beginning. But the iron rails carry more than dreams westward, and not everyone on board will reach California alive. Jack Callahan, a former gunslinger turned businessman, thought he had buried his past a long time ago. On his way to purchase a seaside hotel, he discovers that some ghosts refuse to stay buried, and this time they have found his trail. As secrets unravel and the miles roll by, Lydia and Jack are drawn into a deadly web of deceit and ...

Jack Morrison spent five years burying the outlaw he once was—until he returns from a cattle drive to find his wife murdered, his wanted poster on their bed, and his old gang’s symbol carved into the headboard. Grief hardens into resolve, and Jack straps on his guns again, determined to hunt down the men he once called brothers. Elena Morrison does everything she can to keep her brother from completely losing himself. She offers refuge between hunts, tending his wounds and steadying him through sleepless nights as vengeance drags him across Texas and New Mexico. But with every outlaw ...

Nate Garrett’s guilt over a past mistake haunts him. Desperate for money to save his father and their ranch, he accepts a job to track down the runaway wife of a powerful cattle baron. But when he discovers she is just fleeing an abusive marriage, Nate is faced with a choice: complete the contract or help the woman who could change everything. Adelaide Bannister is fleeing with the evidence needed to destroy her husband’s criminal empire. As she and the man hired to find her grow closer, Bannister's men are hunting them both through canyon country. And the only thing standing between ...

Dickens wrote into life some of the most beloved and well-known characters in the history of English literature, introducing us to Pip, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Little Nell, Scrooge, Nicholas Nickleby, Miss Haversham, and many more who have lived in the imagination of generations. In this definitive and beautifully curated collection, you'll discover some of Dickens's most beloved classics and walk the streets of London, Paris...

Virgil Ellis, once a feared bounty hunter, has traded violence for solitude in the mountains. But when a letter arrives from his old mentor, the town sheriff, begging for help, Virgil is pulled back into the life he swore he’d never return to… and toward the woman whose heart he broke. Belle Davis, the sheriff’s daughter and Virgil’s old flame, has never forgotten the man who abandoned her. Tired of her father’s strict rules, she’s fallen into the arms of a charming outlaw, never suspecting he may be using her. Seeing Virgil again shakes her to the core, and she discovers that ...

Wyatt, a former sheriff and a man broken by guilt, is drifting through life after the death of his best friend’s daughter. Haunted by his failure to protect her, he wanders into Grand Junction, only to be caught in a deadly web of outlaws and corruption. Wyatt is ready to disappear—until the town drags him back into a fight for survival… Maisie Bleu is no stranger to tragedy. Her brother died in a mysterious explosion, and the sheriff’s dismissal of the case only fuels her need for justice. Unwilling to accept the lies, Maisie takes matters into her own hands. She won’t let anyone...

Clara Whitlow boards the train to Dry Creek with nothing but her son and the weight of a deadly secret. Fleeing a violent past and the life she once knew, she seeks refuge in the remote Colorado Territory. But the rugged terrain of the frontier offers little safety, and soon, danger follows… Sheriff Asa McKenna, a man hardened by loss and duty, sees something in Clara that doesn't add up. When a storm of vengeance and betrayal closes in on Clara, Asa must decide whether to uphold the law or protect the woman who is rapidly becoming tangled in his heart—and his duty. Clara and Asa are ...

A gunslinger, a ranch owner, and a jaded deacon turned outlaw. What could possibly go wrong as three very different lives collide in small town Praytell, Texas? Jacob Roy spends his life catching bad guys for a living, yet the public can’t seem to get around his reputation as a killer. Though he prefers to bring in his bounties standing on two feet, many are ignorant enough to test his prowess and end up six feet under. All it takes is an innocent telegram to send him on a quest to test his mettle, right a wrong, and protect something he loves beyond life itself. Jessie North, a tough, ...

Set in 1879, SIX-GUN RETRIBUTION follows the cowboy adventures of Gunfighter Edward Landon as he sets off across the wild west searching for six outlaws he holds responsible for his mother's death. This contemporary action novel features a wide range of western characters, including lawmen, gunslingers, outlaws, Mexican bandits, Indian rebels, and bounty hunters. Andy Munro’s SIX-GUN RETRIBUTION includes realistic characters, historic wild west locations, fast-paced cowboy dialogue, action, mystery and suspense mixed with humour and romance. Synopsis The journey begins as Landon rides his...

Rook McKenna, a stagecoach guard with a past he’d rather forget, fights through a blinding blizzard to reach Sagebrush Station, the only shelter for miles. Snow is rising, tempers are tight, and it’s clear they’ll be stranded far longer than anyone hoped. Grateful for the warmth but wary of danger, Rook begins to suspect it wasn’t mere chance that brought him here… Lillian Hart, widowed and determined, has kept Sagebrush Station alive through sheer grit, despite relentless pressure from a ruthless railroad company. Their offers have turned threatening, and now one of their men is ...

Victoria Lawndale boards the train to California with nothing but her late husband’s satchel and a secret that could get her killed. She wants a quiet new life, not more loss. But when outlaws swarm the train and a charming stranger won’t look away, survival becomes a shared vow. Mathias Birch was a soldier who lived when better men didn’t. Now he rides undercover as railroad security, masking old wounds with easy smiles and an empty flask. When Victoria becomes the target of a ruthless spymaster, Mathias steps up, even as the siege hurtles them into the Rockies and straight into a ...

Mabel Goodwin never expected to be taken from everything she knew. Raised by her grandparents, her life in an Arizona saloon has been predictable—until she’s abducted by slave traders. Suddenly, Mabel must do everything in her power to escape… Reuben Thatcher is a hunter, not a hero. Tracking big game through the wild, Reuben is shocked to find Mabel, a woman on the run from savage men. Her strength and determination pull him in, and he vows to protect her. But the wilderness is dangerous, and he knows that. Mabel and Reuben form a fragile bond that might be the only thing standing ...