In 1869, soon after his 20th birthday, Jake Youngblood became the richest orphan in the Commonwealth of Virginia, inheriting the state’s largest horse ranch. He had lost his father, killed in a St. Louis bank robbery, and soon after, lost his mother to typhoid fever, sending Jake into a deep depression that took over a year to pull out of. What remained was a smoldering anger that drove him to vow vengeance for his father’s death. Jake had two pistols custom made by Virginia’s finest gunsmith and a double holstered gun belt crafted by a well-known leathersmith. He honed his skills with his guns daily, practicing with both hands, until he was deadly accurate and extremely fast on the draw. Then Jake took his black Arabian stallion, Midnight, and headed west seeking his father’s killer. Along the way he made friends with a Louisiana prospector, a veteran wagon master leading a large wagon train to California, a rich rancher’s son, and two women who would play a significant role in Jake’s time away from Virginia. One, the beautiful, headstrong, Annabelle Brown, was intent on making Jake her husband. The other, the saloon-smart and equally beautiful barmaid Molly O’Malley, was seemingly only interested in Jake’s friendship. How this unusual love triangle plays out, as Jake seeks his revenge, is the heart of Jake’s story. Keith Donnelly grew up in Johnson City, Tennessee, where he attended Science Hill High School and East Tennessee State University, where he graduated with a degree in economics. During his school years, his parents owned part interest in a theater corporation that included two movie theaters in downtown Johnson City. Donnelly’s interest in writing detective fiction stemmed from early film noir private eye movies he saw as a youth. After graduating from East Tennessee State University, Donnelly accepted a job offer in New York City working with a variety of publishers as a sales representative for various book manufacturing companies. Donnelly began writing in 1999, and his first book, Three Deuces Down, was published in 2008. Donnelly retired in 2009 to write full-time. Keith enjoys biking and pickleball, but his passion is downhill skiing. He is currently playing his 12-string guitar in a contemporary Christian band. Keith and wife, Tessa, live in Kingsport, TN. The Guns of Jake Youngblood is Keith’s twelfth book.