In the spring of 1874 the Ranger companies that protect settlers against Indian raids and outlaw bands are being reorganized and David "Rusty" Shannon is the most sought-after veteran for reenlistment. But Shannon has new goals for his life: He is in love with Josie Monahan, daughter of the family that adopted him, and he intends to marry Josie and take her to his farm on the Colorado River. Rusty also feels affection and responsibility for Andy Pickard, a headstrong teenager he rescued from captivity among the Comanche--just as Rusty himself was rescued as a red-haired boy decades before. Then an unspeakable tragedy--the murder of his beloved Josie--changes Rusty's plans for a quiet farmer's life and alters his peace-loving character. Bent on revenge, he relentlessly trails Corey Bascom, son of an outlaw family and the man Rusty believes is Josie's killer. But the trail Rusty is following may be leading him to the wrong man. Set in the tumultuous Reconstruction period of Texas history, Ranger's Trail continues Elmer Kelton's chronicles of the origins of the renowned Texas Rangers, told as fiction but historically accurate in every detail and written by a favorite son of Texas. Rusty Shannon was a Texas Ranger before the war. Now, almost 10 years after Appomatox, the Rangers are being reorganized. Shannon would love to re-up, but he has another matter on his plate: settle the score with Corey Basom, who murdered Shannon's beloved Josie. Complicating his plans for revenge is Josie's younger sister, Alice, who married Bascom before she knew his true nature and whose estrangement from the outlaw precipitated Josie's death. The vengeance trail leads to a deadly confrontation in which Shannon realizes he's not a cold-blooded killer, regardless of circumstance, and Bascom reveals an integrity few thought he possessed. Kelton, whose seven Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America is a record for that honor, expands on his reputation with a thoughtful, realistic portrayal of the West in which carefully drawn characters--not gunplay--drives the action. If there's an heir to the Louis L'Amour legacy, it's Kelton. Wes Lukowsky Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "Elmer Kelton is a Texas treasure. . . . [He] truly deserves to be made one of the immortals of literature." --El Paso Herald-Post Elmer Kelton, author of more than forty novels, grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron , was published in 1956. For forty-two years he had a parallel career in agricultural journalism. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Among his best-known works have been The Time It Never Rained and The Good Old Boys , the latter made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. He served in the infantry in World War II. He and his wife, Ann, a native of Austria, live in San Angelo, Texas. They have three children, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. 1 Austin, Texas, January 1874 The election had gone smoothly except for certain extra-legal shenanigans perpetrated by both sides. Those were a normal feature of Texas politics and came as no surprise. By contrast the aftermath was chaotic enough to try the patience of saints, if there had been any. Rusty Shannon had encountered few saints in reconstruction Texas. He slow-trotted his dun horse westward along a rutted wagon road skirting the edge of the Colorado River and wished he were back home on the farm where he belonged. On one side of him rode Sheriff Tom Blessing, in his sixties but still blacksmith-strong, solid as a block of oak timber. On the other, Andy Pickard whistled in a country boy's youthful awe and marveled at the town just ahead. His urban experience had been limited to a few small crossroads settlements. Andy declared, "I had no idea Austin was this big. Must be three--maybe four--thousand people here. I never saw such a place in my life." No one knew exactly how long a life that had been. Andy had been orphaned before he was old enough to retain clear memories. Rusty's best judgment was that he might be eighteen or nineteen, allowing some leeway on one side or the other. Strenuous outdoor labor and the excesses of Texas weather had given him a mature appearance beyond his years. He had a young man's seasoned face but had not lost the questing eyes of a boy eager to ride over the hill and see the other side. Girls seemed to consider him handsome. Andy seemed to have no objection to their thinking so. Rusty turned up his frayed old coat collar against a cold wind coming off of the river. He had been wearing that coat for more than ten years, always intending to buy a new one someday when he felt he had a few dollars to spare but always "making do" for one more winter. He said, "San Antonio's bigger. I was there once." His