Loren D. Estleman

A New York Times Bestselling Author A Golden Spur Award-Winning Author When thirteen-year-old David Grayle inherits a Colt revolver and a mysterious map, he is thrust into a violent hunt for lost Confederate gold. Pursued by ruthless outlaws, he falls in with a dangerous crew. But in the lawless West, gold has a way of turning allies into enemies, and David quickly learns that trust can be more dangerous than a bullet. As tempers flare and the stakes rise, the search for fortune becomes a fight for survival. In the end, David must decide if the treasure is worth the bloodshed -- or if walking away is the only way to stay alive.

"From the pen of Spur Award-winning author Loren D. Estleman comes a powerful collection of tales set against the vast and rugged landscapes of the American West. Beginning with the acclaimed "The Bandit," each of these stories dives into an authentic world where gritty outlaws, determined lawmen, and everyday heroes wrestle with morality, survival, and justice. Estleman's mastery of historical accuracy and vivid, descriptive prose shines through, bringing these Western vignettes to life with unforgettable characters and intense action--a must-read for fans of the Western genre and lovers of timeless storytelling."

From the master of the hard-boiled detective novel and recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award comes Loren D. Estleman's next enthralling Amos Walker mystery, Smoke on the Water. As the smoke from Canadian wildfires chokes Detroit, PI Amos Walker is tasked with investigating a fatal hit-and-run. The victim is Spencer Bennett, a junior law associate with the Waterford Group, and he supposedly had a file of confidential documents on him when he died. But those documents have now gone missing, and the firm is dead set on Walker finding them. As Walker digs deeper into the events leading to Bennett's death, all signs are pointing towards the crash being anything but accidental. Summer in Detroit was hot enough before the smoke descended, but as the temperature rises and more bodies crop up in connection to the missing file, Walker will have to track down those documents -- and unearth why they were worth killing over -- before it's too late.

From the pen of Spur Award-winning author Loren D. Estleman comes a powerful collection of tales set against the vast and rugged landscapes of the American West. Beginning with the acclaimed "The Bandit," each of these stories dives into an authentic world where gritty outlaws, determined lawmen, and everyday heroes wrestle with morality, survival, and justice. Estleman's mastery of historical accuracy and vivid, descriptive prose shines through, bringing these Western vignettes to life with unforgettable characters and intense action-a must-read for fans of the Western genre and lovers of timeless storytelling." The American West endures in the Western stories of Loren D. Estleman..." -The Bloomsbury Review

Vamp is a hot new Valentino mystery by Loren D. Estleman, the master of the hard-boiled detective novel and recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award. Renowned film detective Valentino is on a quest to help restore The Comet, an extinct drive-in movie theater, and his trail leads him to Leo Kalishnikov, who requests a favor first--rid him of a blackmailer from his shady past, and he'll gladly hand over the money that The Comet needs. With only an uncashed check for a clue, Valentino embarks on a treacherous path to save not only The Comet but the last remaining print of the 1917 film Cleopatra, which has been lost for over a century. The film is somewhere in Los Angeles, and Valentino is willing to risk it all to find it. He must navigate the shady underbelly of Hollywood once more, in a dangerous adventure that threatens not only his career--but his life.

City Walls, the next Amos Walker novel from a Grand Master. "Loren D. Estleman is my hero."--Harlan Coben The search for a fugitive embezzler leads Amos Walker to Cleveland, where he is hired by Emmett Yale, a leading figure in the electric car industry, to investigate the murder of his stepson. Yale believes that his stepson's hitman is connected to Clare Strickling, a former employee, and his attempts to silence whispers that he has bought illegal insider-trading information. Walker shadows Strickling to a private airfield as he attempts to flee the country--only to then witness his murder. The twisted web of lies and deceit surrounding both deaths forces Walker to question the motivations of everyone he encounters, from Major Jack Flagg, an elderly barnstormer, Palm Volker, the attractive aviatrix who runs the airfield, Candido, a surly maintenance worker employed by Palm, and Gabe Parrish, a retired boxer. Naturally, everyone has secrets to keep--but the truths lurking beneath the surface this time may make this Walker's final case. THE AMOS WALKER SERIES: Poison Blonde / Retro / Nicotine Kiss / American Detective / The Left-handed Dollar / Infernal Angels / Burning Midnight / Don't Look for Me / You Know Who Killed Me / The Sundown Speech / The Lioness is the Hunter / Black and White Ball / When Old Midnight Comes Along / Cutthroat Dogs / Monkey in the Middle THE PAGE MURDOCK SERIES: The High Rocks / Stamping Ground / Murdock's Law / City of Widows / White Desert / Port Hazard / The Book of Murdock / Cape Hell / Wild Justice THE PETER MACKLIN SERIES: Something Borrowed, Something Black / Little Black Dress THE VALENTINO MYSTERIES: Frames / Alone / Alive / Shoot / Brazen / Indigo Other books by Loren D. Estleman: Aces & EightsThe Ballad of Black BartBlack Powder, White SmokeThe Book of MurdockThe Branch and the Scaffold and Billy GashadeThe Confessions of Al CaponeThe Eagle and the ViperGas CityJitterbugJourney of the Dead and The Undertaker's WifeThe Long High Noon and The Adventures of Johnny VermillionThe Master ExecutionerPaperback JackRagtime CowboysThe Rocky Mountain Moving Picture AssociationRoy & Lillie: A Love StoryThunder City

For twenty-four years, Five Star Publishing, an imprint of Gale/Cengage, has offered readers the best in new voices, as well as many beloved authors, in the traditional Western and American frontier fiction genres. Contention and Other Frontier Stories, edited by Hazel Rumney, features seventeen brand-new stories that will delight historical fiction fans. These stories capture the spirit of freedom and individualism in the evolving American frontier through the early 1900s and feature exciting new characters who face life-changing challenges in settings that are in stark contrast to civilized society. Ranging from high-action traditional Westerns to introspective historical dramas set in the American West, readers will discover the amount of courage and tenacity it took to survive the tumultuous frontier. In this anthology, you ll enjoy stories by New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors such as Loren D. Estleman, Johnny D. Boggs, Michael Zimmer, Max McCoy, John D. Nesbitt, Preston Lewis, Rod Miller, W. Michael Farmer, Greg Hunt, Bill Brooks, Tim Champlin, Robert D. McKee, Michael R. Ritt, Kathleen Morris, Vonn McKee, John Neely Davis, and Marcia Gaye. Contention and Other Frontier Stories is a great addition to your Western fiction library.